Rural Management

Management

Looking for a reason to smile

HAPPY COWS mean happy farmers and young Western District farmer Rachael McGrath is doing her best to keep smiling. At 25, Rachael is taking over management of her family farm which has endured years of adversity and setbacks. With a good 2019...

Rick Bayne
Management

Making a moove to a new processor in south-west Victoria

IT’S MILKING time at Sarah Chant’s farm in south-west Victoria. The 240-Jersey herd ambles to the herringbone dairy from paddocks at the foot of Warrion Hill, just north of Colac. There’s been a shower of rain, but the sun’s out and...

Dairy News
Management

“Two speed” autumn in western Victoria

FARMERS KNOW better than anyone the power of Mother Nature. In western Victoria, the weather has played a huge role in the fortunes of dairy farmers this autumn. Early rain for some, has delivered pasture to calve cows on, while others had to...

Dairy News
Management

Farmers share business philosophies

FIVE DIVERSE dairy farmers, with five different farming systems, formed a panel as part of day two of Murray Dairy’s Murray Muster, held in Kyabram during May. The panel spoke to the group about their own businesses and management, their own...

Sophie Baldwin
Management

Fodder in the bank brings peace of mind

THERE HAVEN’T been too many things in the dairy industry that have made people smile this year but for Patho dairy farmers Chris and Jade Jones, the sight of a 150 m long pit of corn has brought some joy. Of course, the pit didn’t come for free...

Dairy News
Management

How Now Dairy milks new system

AN EXCLUSIVE female herd and keeping calves alongside their mothers for longer are the cornerstone characteristics of Congupna’s How Now Dairy. Co-founded by Cathy Palmer and Dr Les Sandles, How Now Dairy, whose farming practices are a first for...

Rodney Woods
Management

Investment a nod to future in dairy

SCOTT AND Anna Fitzgerald are looking at the construction of a 50-unit rotary on the Tongala dairy farm they lease as an investment in efficiency. The couple has a long-term 30-year lease on the property (including water) with Scott’s parents and...

Sophie Baldwin
Management

Farm succession met with optimism

CRAIG CALVERT took on the dairy farm at Mossiface as part of a succession plan, nearly 12 months ago. The dairy farm had been leased to independent operators for several years. Mr Calvert is the seventh generation of the Calvert family to farm this...

Jeanette Severs
Management

Defined roles work in sharefarming partnership

RON AND Julia Hibma bought their dairy farm at Dennison, Victoria; and for the past six years have had a very successful relationship with their sharefarmers, Max and Tameeka Vera. The sharefarming partnership is divided 50:50 for farm inputs and...

Jeanette Severs
Management

New perspectives from Nuffield experience

LISTENING TO a podcast while he milks 450 cows each day is one way Gippsland dairy farmer Aubrey Pellett stays connected to the world of ideas he experienced first-hand through the Nuffield Australia Farming Scholarship. “When you travel through...

Dairy News
Management

Keeping it simple and profitable

DENNIS ROSOLIN doesn’t aim to be the most exciting farmer in the world or to break production records. The Glenfyne farmer goes as far as describing his system as a bit boring, but as long as it’s profitable he doesn’t mind what it’s called...

Dairy News
Management

Old, small but back in action after nearly 100 years

PAT RYAN would love $10 for every time he’s been called crazy for renovating an old walk-through dairy on his small farm at Grassmere. But as the dairy, complete with original bluestone pavers, nears its century, Pat is having the last laugh...

Rick Bayne
Management

Building for success

OVER THE past three years, Orford sharefarmer Jos Boekhout has found that if you build it, they will come. No, he hasn’t ventured into a baseball field among the crops a-la Field of Dreams, but he’s overseen the construction of a new rotary...

Dairy News
Management

Early rain gives good start for pastures

A CHANCE thunderstorm in February delivered much-needed moisture for one Dixie dairy farm to establish its newly renovated pastures earlier in the season. This western Victorian pasture would be set for grazing by the end of May, providing the...

Dairy News
Management

Late break hinders pasture establishment

GREEN SHOOTS of annual rye-grass are just peeking through the topsoil at Leighton Hart’s dairy farm in western Victoria. This leaf emergence has been the result of about 40 mm of rain at the start of May, the only decent soaking his farm has...

Dairy News
Management

Data broadens management options

There has been a strong emphasis on data collection for farm businesses in recent years, but ensuring it translates into real, profitable outcomes remains a key challenge for many, according to one Nuffield scholar. Tasmanian dairy farmer Duncan...

Dairy News
Management

Soil trials aim to keep carbon on the farm

A series of soil trials starting on an Ecklin South dairy farm will test what types of applications are best for improving soil health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The trials are part of an ambitious pilot program that could create...

Dairy News
Management

Technology and lifestyle upgrade

A voluntary automatic milking system, recently built at Yannathan in Victoria, is the focus of a succession plan for Evan and Sheriden Williams. The couple recently made major changes to its dairy and lifestyle, adopting the GEA robotic machinery...

Jeanette Severs

Trending stories

Breaking News

Woman jumps from moving car in Moama

A WOMAN in her 40s is likely to be flown to Melbourne after jumping out of a moving car in Moama earlier today. Murray River Police District Inspector Paul Huggett said Moama and Echuca police and Ambulance Victoria were called to Perricoota Rd near...

Ivy Jensen
News

Accused drug dealer arrested in Echuca

AN ECHUCA man will face court today accused of drug, burglary, theft and driving offences. Detective Senior Constable Troy Wickham of Echuca Criminal Investigation Unit said. police arrested the 28-year-old on Friday in High St, along with...

Riverine Herald
News

Leitchville man reels in monster Murray Cod

Yael Fry got the shock of his life last week after reeling in a 120cm Murray Cod near Leitchville.

Brayden May
News

Homelessness, hopelessness

THE homeless exist in a netherworld; in the case of the twin towns if you care to look it doesn’t take long to find some. On a freezing winter’s night under the bridge is a favoured haunt; sadly also occasionally a hunting ground for people who...

Charmayne Allison