The availability of a skilled workforce remains one of the top challenges facing Australian agriculture. The shortages have wide-ranging impacts – from farm output to work-life balance, and succession. Join Dairy Australia’s National People Lead, Mick Fuller and DairySA’s Extension Coordinator and Workforce Attraction Project Lead, Alberta Badu-Yeboah as they chat to South Australian dairy farmer Sarah Moore about finding and attracting staff, including backpackers, to dairy farms.  A former backpacker – now farm manager – Sarah shares her perspective on what makes a backpacker a great fa ..read more

Dairy Australia’s Project Manager, Carly Potts brings an inspirational conversation to this DairyPod episode as she speaks with Young Dairy Network Conference guest presenter, Samantha Bloom.  Samantha is a three-time World Para Surfing champion, author and inspiration behind the #1 Australian box-office movie, Penguin Bloom – the movie adapted from the international bestselling book, Penguin Bloom: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family. Following an accident that led to her spinal injury, Samantha shares her story with an inspiring degree of positivity and brutal honesty of her personal ..read more

In this episode, Dairy Australia’s Development & Regional Adaptation Lead – Feedbase and Nutrition Dr Josie Garner speaks with Feedworks’ ruminant nutrition experts Pip Gale and Ian Sawyer about how to prepare for feed gaps with non-forage fibre sources.    This recent webinar on byproducts feeding looks at the considerations for farmers when feeding non-forage fibre sources to dairy cows, including variation in nutrient values. It also provides guidance on how best to utilise byproducts such as almond hulls and palm kernel, as well as associated risks to be aware of when it come ..read more

In this episode, we share a recent Dairy Australia webinar discussion about heat stress in cows and how to keep your herd cool during extreme heat.   Join Dairy Australia's Development and Regional Adaptation Lead, Dr Josie Garner, as she delves into the physiology of heat stress and outlines practical short-term and long-term heat stress management strategies that farmers can implement on farm.  Watch the full webinar: Managing cows through heat (youtube.com)  Related links:   Managing in Hot Conditions | Dairy Australia  Raising the Roof | Dairy Australia&n ..read more

Have you ever wondered about what it might take to be a dairy Farmer Ambassador? In this DairyPod episode, guest presenter Chloe Brown – a dairy farmer and host of the More Than Milk podcast – speaks to Gippsland dairy farmer, Trish Hammond and Dairy Australia’s Marketing Engagement Lead, Jess Phillips. They discuss the importance of having dairy farmers involved in promoting the industry, and how Dairy Australia’s ambassador program supports farmers to confidently to turn their passion for the industry into promotion. To find out more about being a dairy Farmer Ambassador in 2024, you can ema ..read more

The Australian dairy industry has seen significant improvements in herd genetics over the last 40 years, largely due to technology advancements and industry uptake.  In this episode, we bring you a recent webinar with DataGene CEO Matt Shaffer and DairyTas Extension Team Lead Officer Liz Mann discussing the major changes, turning points and learnings from the last 40 years.  They also discuss the value of the collaboration between DairyBio Animals research and DataGene – driving continued improvements in herd fertility, health, productivity and sustainability for farm businesses. The ..read more

This DairyPod episode is part of a series providing insights and guidance to help farmers successfully recruit and retain the right people for dairy farm jobs. Hear from dairy farmers, Andrew and Cassandra Kath from Kathleigh Farms, as they speak to Dairy Australia’s National People Lead Mick Fuller and Murray Dairy Workforce Attraction Project Lead, Melva Tyson. The couple – from Rochester in Victoria’s north – reflect on their dairy farming journey and how they have built their employer ‘brand’ over the years. They discuss what they have learnt during this process, the must-haves in building ..read more

In this episode, Dairy Australia’s Industry Analysts Eliza Redfern and Isabel Dando speak to Agriculture Victoria Farm Business Economist, Natalie Nelson, about the annual Dairy Farm Monitor Project (DFMP) in context of the release of the latest In Focus and Situation & Outlook reports.  The DFMP provides a comprehensive physical and financial analysis of 250 dairy farms across Australia. Hear from Natalie about the 2022-23 project results and key trends, and what we can expect going forward. If you would like to learn more about the Dairy Farm Monitor project, visit dairyaustralia.co ..read more

This episode is the third in a series focusing on seasonal dry conditions and related challenges for the dairy industry.   Discussing this season’s fodder harvest, Dairy Australia’s Development Lead – Feedbase and Nutrition, Dr Josie Garner is joined by The Australian Fodder Industry Association Vice Chair Jason Palmer. They also provide an outlook of the hay market moving into 2024, including availability and pricing.  If you would like to access Dairy Australia’s industry reports – including our weekly hay report – visit Industry Reports | Dairy Australia    Find out more ..read more

This episode is the second of a series focusing on seasonal dry conditions and related challenges for dairy.  In this episode, Dairy Australia’s Development Lead – Feedbase and Nutrition, Dr Josie Garner, and Rural Bank Agricultural Analyst Sean Hickey discuss the current season of feed grain production, and how this is expected to impact prices moving forward.   They also look at feed grains from a global perspective and examine how the re-entry of China into the Australian barley market is expected to evolve.   If you would like to access Dairy Australia’s industry r ..read more