Mother Nature has thrown many environmental challenges at dairy farmers
in Queensland and New South Wales over the past month. It is estimated that over 30 dairy farms were affected by Cyclone Marcia’s storms and heavy
rain, with many dairy farmers experiencing power failures and limited road access.

One dairy farmer had to milk over 150 cows by hand. It is times like these that I admire our industry coming together to support dairy farmers in times
of hardship. In particular, I commend the efforts of Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Association (QDO), Subtropical Dairy and Dairy Australia, in providing
practical support and counsel to the affected farmers.

In March, Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) marks a year since the National Dairy Farmers’ Summit. The Summit has driven industry focus over the last 12 months
and continues to do so moving forward. One of the initiatives developed from the Summit’s priority-setting agenda is the Sustainable Farm Profitability
Report. The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) commissioned Dairy Australia to produce this report, which aims to provide dairy farmers with
tactical, strategic management guidance in areas which can improve their safeguards to increase business profit. The report will be made available
online shortly in April.

Carrying on from the ADIC Industry Leaders’ Breakfast in November 2014 – which was centred on the theme ‘Sustainable Farm Profitability and Innovation’
– from next month, dairy farmers will also have the opportunity to increase their profitability with feed efficiency. The new Feed Saved Australian
Breeding Value (ABV) is set to save at least 100 kilograms of dry feed per cow, per year. I praise the efforts of Dairy Futures CRC and the Australian
Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS) for this world-leading genetics breakthrough.

I welcome the new Prescribed Food and Grocery Suppliers Code which came into force at the beginning of March. This Code marks a positive step towards addressing
the imbalance of market power between retailers and suppliers. ADF will continue to closely monitor the Code’s effectiveness over the next three years
and we hope this is the beginning of a fairer, more sustainable, domestic fresh milk supply chain.

Noel Campbell

ADF President

Australian dairy’s herd improvement and genetics is ahead of the game, according to Sarah Saxton.
“Visiting New Zealand (NZ) made me realise just how engaged and passionate Australian dairy farmers are when it comes to breeding cows,” Ms Saxton said.

“We have the freedom of choice when it comes to semen selection in Australia, and although that can make the decision process a little more complex, it
means we have the options open to us to breed the sort of cows we want for our herds.”

Reaffirmed by her recent study tour across the Tasman to the South Island with United Dairyfarmers of Victoria (UDV), Ms Saxton, an Australian Dairy
Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS) Extension Officer, also noted the dominance of cross-breeding in NZ in comparison to Australia, as well as NZ’s strong
focus on growing pastures.

Embarking on the week-long tour with five young Victorian dairy farmers, sponsored by the Geoffrey Gardiner Dairy Foundation, Ms Saxton visited a variety
of NZ dairy farms with different ownership structures and farming systems. The Van Leeuwen Dairy Group’s 1500-cow robotic dairy in Timaru was included as one of the farm pit stops.

Ms Saxton, ambassador for the Art4Agriculuture Young Farming Champion program, commended
the NZ dairy industry for its well defined and supported career pathway structure.

“We met with a NZ young farmer group who all had a very clear understanding about how to progress a career in dairy, from milking cows to eventually farm
ownership. This is a real credit to DairyNZ, as it is fostering a young and vibrant future for their industry,” Ms Saxton said.

Ms Saxton was also impressed by the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, which are awarded annually
to recognise NZ’s passionate farmers of the future.

“These awards not only commend innovative, hard-working dairy farmers in NZ, but also create a opportunity to highlight the progress of up-and-coming dairy
farmers. It would be great to see a similar initiative adopted in Australia,” Ms Saxton said.

When asked what advice she would impart to young Victorian dairy farmers looking to apply for the study tour, Ms Saxton replied: “You really need to think
about what your future might look like in dairy, and how you’re going to benefit, to get the most out of it.”

“It is a fantastic opportunity and a great way to make new contacts. However, you need to be prepared to work hard – it’s not a holiday!” Ms Saxton said.

For more information about UDV’s NZ study tours and application requirements, click here or contact UDV Project and Policy Officer, Yaelle Caspi: ycaspi@vff.org.au

Study Tour participants (L-R): Kerrilyn Bassett, Sarah Saxton, Hayden Hanratty, Gordon Nicholas (UDV Policy Councillor), Aaron Thomas, Jason Bermingham, James Goulding (NCDEA), and Will Ryan.

Community was the topic of conversation at the Warrnambool Women in Focus (IWD) event on 11 March, uniting over 200 regional women from Victoria’s south-west to celebrate their contribution to business, industry, family and
the community.
Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) CEO and keynote speaker, Natalie Collard shared her agri-business professional experience on leadership, work-life balance,
personal wellbeing and the ability to consider the bigger picture.

“Women in dairy wear so many different hats. From the farm gate to the processing plant, all the way to the ADF office – right across our value-chain women
are contributing to building a stronger, more sustainable future for our industry,” Ms Collard said.

Ms Collard also explored the importance of goal-setting as her “biggest secret”. Referencing a Harvard University MBA graduate program research study,
Ms Collard shared that three per cent of the graduate year which had clear, written goals and plans to accomplish them, 10 years later were earning
on average 10 times as much as the other 97 per cent of the class put together.

“I set career, personal and wellbeing goals for one, five and 10 years ahead. It is a one-pager that sits on my bedside table… By writing your goals
down and affirming them, you’re holding yourself accountable,” Ms Collard explained.

“Goal-setting is not just about earnings, but it really does underscore the power of setting goals as your first step to accomplishing them.”

The IWD Event, hosted by CommBank Women in Focus and LEGENDAIRY South-West Vic Women’s Focus Group, provided a valuable networking opportunity and chance to obtain practical tips for regional women and their businesses.

WestVic Dairy Director, Kirsti Keightley and Operations Manager, Jocelyn Bevin said the day was about bringing together like-minded women within varied
leadership positions in the industry.

“It’s important to highlight and focus on the skills and opportunities that can be brought to the dairy industry and wider community,” Ms Keightley said.

“It’s also vital to support our next generation of women in dairying through sharing our knowledge and experiences, which I hope today’s community theme
encapsulated.”

LEGENDAIRY women (L-R): Katie Gleeson, Simone Renyard, Bilyana Grazing, Natalie Collard, Janet Moxey and Tracey Luhras.

Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) Policy Advisory Group (PAG) meetings have
kicked off with a bang for 2015 with the Natural Resources, and Markets, Trade and Value Chain PAG meetings taking place last week.

Natural Resources PAG Chair, Daryl Hoey said the group has come back refreshed and enthusiastic about the next 12 months of work.

Key issues discussed included, the PAG priorities for 2015, input to the Dairy Australia Annual Plan, and developing a dairy policy position on coal seam
gas development.

“Coal seam gas mining, water policy, and future emissions pricing will be a significant focus of the Natural Resources PAG this year,” Mr Hoey said.

The Markets, Trade and Value Chain PAG discussed trade priorities and competition law policy which are both expected to be a major focus for 2015.

Markets, Trade and Value Chain PAG Chair, Roma Britnell said there were some very good wins last year with the China free trade agreement and recently
the introduction of the Prescribed Food and Grocery Code.

“We will continue to work on issues that impact our industry at both an international and domestic level,” Ms Britnell said.

The PAG Chairs for 2015 are:

• Animal Health and Welfare PAG Chair, David Basham
• Farming Systems and Herd Improvement PAG Chair, Tyran Jones
• Markets, Trade and Value Chain PAG Chair, Roma Britnell
• Natural Resources PAG Chair, Daryl Hoey
• People and Human Capacity PAG Chair, John Versteden

PAGs play a key role in setting ADF’s advocacy objectives and driving policy formulation. They also help to ensure dairy’s interests are properly represented
at a domestic and international level.

ADF President, Noel Campbell welcomed the new PAG members for 2015.

“I congratulate ADF’s PAG members on their appointments and look forward to working closely with them to enhance our policy and advocacy strategic direction,”
Mr Campbell said.

ADF has five policy focus areas, each with a dedicated PAG comprised of elected farmers. These groups are led by a farmer appointed Chair, working in collaboration
with ADF policy officers and Dairy Australian technical support, to discuss priorities and develop strategic direction for ADF’s policy and advocacy
responsibilities.

PAGs recommend policy settings to ADF, via the National Council, and also act in an advisory capacity providing feedback to Dairy Australia, state dairy
farmer organisations (SDFOs), and other bodies such as the National Farmers’ Federation and the Australian Dairy Products Federation.

Did you know that dairy farmers next month will be able to identify bulls that can save at least 100 kilograms of dry feed matter per cow, per year while
maintaining milk production?

The Feed Saved Australian Breeding Value (ABV), available to dairy
farmers from April 2015, is the culmination of eight years of research and development activity by Dairy Futures CRC,
in conjunction with a range of local and overseas partners.

It is the first feed efficiency breeding value in the world to incorporate real feed intake data, as well as a prediction of feed required for maintenance
purposes, making the trait more relevant for farmers.

Dairy Futures CRC’s CEO, Dr David Nation, said: “The Feed Saved ABV allows farmers to breed cows in a new way: by reducing their maintenance requirements
for the same amount of milk produced.

“This is the first practical use of genomic tests to measure a trait that can’t be routinely measured on farm, and the start of more extensive genomic
testing to improve the range of traits important to dairy farmers.

“Visually, you can’t spot a highly feed efficient cow, but farmers can now breed for it.”

Victorian dairy farmer, Ron Paynter who spoke at the ABV launch, said it is exciting to see feed efficiency now included in the ABV indexes.

“Feed costs are a significant determinant of on-farm profitability,” Mr Paynter said.

“The new Feed Saved ABV adds further strength to the new Balanced Performance Index developed by the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS),
which aims to maximise profit from selection.” 

The Feed Saved ABV will be published for the first time in the ADHIS’ publications, including the Good Bulls Guide. It
will also form part of the ADHIS’ three new breeding indices,
so farmers who make bull selections using one of the indices will be including feed efficiency in their breeding decisions.

For more information about the Feed Saved ABV, click here.

Victorian dairy farmer, Ron Paynter speaking at the ABV launch with ADHIS General Manager, Daniel Abernethy.

South-west Victorian dairy farmers, Brad and Becc Couch believe when it comes to profitable dairy farming, the simplest of systems are often the best.

Named The Weekly Times Coles 2014 Farmer of the Year on 20 February,
the duo was celebrated for their low-cost and high-efficiency dairy farm operation at Brucknell, near Timboon.

Recognised for their simple yet extremely effective approach to dairy farming, the Couch’s herd is ranked in the top one per cent for milk quality and
the couple have cut costs to about two thirds of the district average.

Brad Couch puts their 360-cow farm’s success equation down to seasonal calving, home-grown fodder, selling off empty cows, replacement heifers and proactive
mastitis investigation.

“Our bottom line is why we do, what we do – it’s what our parents did, as well as our grandparents,” Mr Couch explained.

“Simple things like ensuring sufficient dry-off periods, utilising as much home grown feed as possible and being vigilant with identifying mastitis, can
go a long way towards improved herd fertility, healthy cell counts and a positive cash flow.”

Mr Couch said he and his wife felt privileged to receive the award and hope that it will encourage young people to consider a career in dairy.

“There seems to be a perception that you need to be working your parents’ farm or on a big corporate operation to make a go of it. But I know a few people
that have certainly proved that wrong,” Mr Couch said.

“With the average age of dairy farmers now reaching 60 in Australia, we need to have dairy advocates to promote the diverse opportunities dairy has to
offer.”

Mr Couch encourages all Australians considering a career in dairy, whether on-farm or off-farm, to: “Go for it – but make sure you’re prepared to put in
the hard yards, to reap the rewards!”

Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) CEO, Natalie Collard commended the Couch’s for their considered and well balanced approach to dairying, as well as their
enthusiasm towards promoting young farmers in agriculture.

“It’s wonderful to have Brad and Becc in the spotlight as young, passionate dairy farmers, proactively advocating for dairy,” Ms Collard said.

“I congratulate them both for receiving this award and hope they will inspire young people looking to enter the dairy industry.”

Aussie dairy farmers have a good track record of dealing with the
unexpected. From managing a variable climate to coping with fluctuating milk prices – dealing with uncertainty is practically second nature.

This attribute means that dairy is by nature a forward thinking industry – keen to address tomorrow’s challenges today, to ensure our animals continue
to thrive and that our farms are sustainable and profitable in the long term.

In 2015 our industry’s focus remains the same – from the farm to the processing plant – we continue our commitment to investing in our planet, people and
animals, and investing in the long term profitability of Australian dairy.

I am pleased to inform you that the 2014 Sustainability Framework Progress Report is now available online
. This report outlines the dairy industry’s current sustainability-related investments, accomplishments, and challenges as we work towards our sustainability
targets.

We have built on our progress in 2013, with programs and projects on our farms and in our factories that are guiding the industry toward better profits,
while minimising our environmental footprint and improving the wellbeing of our people and animals.

However, there are still challenges to overcome. We continue to look for improvements and are strongly committed to working towards even better performance
standards.

Looking ahead, our commitment to securing a sustainable dairy industry provides the foundation for all our actions, to establish an Australian dairy industry which is more prosperous, trusted and world renowned for its nutrition than ever before. I look forward to working with you all in pursuit of these goals.

On a more personal note, in April this year our highly respected CEO, Natalie Collard is moving on in search of her next challenge.

I am certain you will all join me in thanking Natalie for her tireless dedication to not only ADF, but to the people that we represent.  Natalie’s
proactive, innovative and considered approach has improved the quality and effectiveness of the work we do on your behalf.

We wish Natalie every success for the future, and hope that her skills, leadership and passion are not completely lost to the dairy industry in future.

Noel Campbell

ADF President

Just released by the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS), the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Report 2014 provides a snapshot of Australian dairy’s national herd across a range of performance criteria.

The informative report analyses production comparisons across region, breed, age, herd size, month of calving and sire type, highlighting our farming systems’
rich diversity.

Whilst the report is loaded with interesting statistics, we thought we’d share a few interesting observations with you…

Did you know?

• 48 per cent of herds are herd recorded – a statistic lower than last year, however similar to five years ago.
• Less than one third of herds (29 per cent) have recorded AI sires for most of their cows.
• Daughters of AI sires produce approximately 52 kilograms more of milk solids than their naturally-bred counterparts.
• More than one third of the productivity improvements achieved over the last 10 years can be attributed to genetics.

Produced in conjunction with the National Herd Improvement Association, the report also features highlights from Dairy Australia’s herd improvement projects
and Dairy Future CRC’s Genomic Information herds research.

To download your copy of the report, click here or visit www.adhis.com.au for more information.

Large risks, huge expenses and long time-lags make investment in research, development, extension (R,D&E) and marketing unfeasible for individual dairy farm businesses.

Instead, to deliver appropriate improvements pre and post-farmgate, all Australian dairy farmers pay a levy based on milk production – an investment that has seen a reported benefit of $3.30 for each $1 spent.

On 4 February, the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) – the peak, national whole-of-value-chain advocacy body – appeared at the hearing of the Inquiry into agricultural levies. This included the dairy services levy that contributes to Dairy Australia (DA) and the equivalent levies paid by farmers for other research and development corporations.

DA and the CRC also appeared at the hearing. The Senators were interested in the DA R,D&E priorities, the processes for determining those priorities, how research had impacted dairy farm productivity and the levy poll process.

The Dairy Services Levy amounts to approximately $33m per year and attracts Federal Government funding of about $20m annually, all administered by DA. Other bodies, such as the Geoffrey Gardiner Dairy Foundation, state departments of primary industries and dairy manufacturers, also support new and ongoing R,D&E.

The investments are made according to a strategic plan prepared in consultation with all key stakeholders, including Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF), and reviewed by government.

ADF and DA have a memorandum of understanding whereby ADF provides strategic direction towards the investment priorities of R,D&E projects to ensure farmers’ levies are positively advancing their interests.

ADF’s feedback to DA has commented on the investment priorities for research, gaps in the draft priorities, program delivery options, as well as monitoring and understanding the effectiveness and uptake of DA programs.

Additionally, the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme (ADHIS) is an ADF initiative majority-funded by DA.

In its November 2014 submission to the Senate Inquiry into the systems and structures for the agricultural research and development levies, ADF in collaboration with the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) noted the importance of process for farmers to know about and contribute to the DA strategy, and for DA to report on the benefit of levy investment to farmers. 

ADF also encouraged farmers to make their own submissions to the inquiry, to ensure their perspectives were heard by the Senate Inquiry on more than one platform.

For more information about the Inquiry, its terms of reference and to view the full ADIC submission please see here.

Healthy, happy cows are productive cows and are a key to a sustainable future for dairy. The progress made in genomic technology by Dairy Futures CRC will be central to producing the happy, healthy kind of cow you want to milk.

The progress made in genomics technology helps farmers address key issues in herd health, which impact on the animal’s wellbeing. It also allows farmers to reduce the cost of production and exposure to external price shocks.

The AgriBio, centre for agribioscience, in Bundoora, is the home for Dairy Futures CRC’s work to develop world-leading gene technology. Members of the ADF team toured the facility in January, accompanied by the CRC’s CEO, Dr David Nation and Manager of Education and Industry Engagement, Belinda Griffiths, where they were exposed to a variety of the CRC’s projects.

Dr Nation explained how recent achievements in pasture and animal breeding will help farmers evolve their production systems.

“Recent achievements by the CRC, including the development of an Australian Breeding Value (ABV) for feed efficiency, which will be published in April 2015, have significantly increased farmers’ ability to improve the quality of their herds,” Dr Nation said.

“An improved model for calculating the fertility ABV and the ability of farmers to select young bulls before they have sired milking daughters also contribute to this.”

The technology developed in collaboration with the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme, will help farmers boost the productivity of their stock by matching animals which produce offspring with greater disease resistance, milk production and fertility.

Such progress, Dr Nation said, gives the industry the certainty that it will be able to grow regardless of economic and climatic environments. 

“This will give us the scope to improve dairy’s productivity and resilience now and in the future.”

Developments in breeding ryegrass have also been made with pasture breeders now able to select breeding plants for desirable traits using a world-first ryegrass cultivar map. Additionally, pasture breeding companies have low-cost, accurate tests to screen ryegrass seed and plants for contamination by toxic or undesirable endophytes.

ADF looks forward to working with Dairy Futures to build the long term sustainability of farming practices, and will continue to advocate strongly for the positive innovations of transformational bioscience.   

Find out more about Dairy Futures CRC and the work they do here.

For any organisation to succeed, its members must truly believe that they are investing in something worthwhile. To Natalie Collard, outgoing CEO of Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF), there is no cause more worthy than that of the Aussie dairy farmer.

“My career in dairy was very deliberate,” Ms Collard said. “I was convinced that dairy could be the next economic boom for Australia – it was already in 97 per cent of Australian homes – Coca Cola can only dream of such consumer cut through!”

While Ms Collard wasn’t born into dairy, she quickly developed an appreciation for the resilient and humble people who worked to put their products on the kitchen table.

“Without their generosity in sharing their knowledge, there is no way I could‘ve succeeded in my position.”

Believing in the importance of a unified, commodity-based representation, Ms Collard joined ADF in 2008 with a view to help dairy become more sustainable.

General Manager of Shareholder Relations at Murray Goulburn, Robert Poole noted the challenging time in which Ms Collard took over the role of CEO at ADF in 2011. Mr Poole, also Deputy Chair of the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) said the organisation was in need of stabilised financial and governance procedures, as well as stronger industry ties and improved policy.

“Natalie was not deterred by these hurdles,” Mr Poole said. “She always maintained her professionalism and drive toward improving ADF and the ADIC, and therefore outcomes for farmers.”

Chair of the NSW Farmers Dairy Committee, Robert McIntosh said Ms Collard had shown true leadership, always acting nationally and ensuring that all perspectives were heard and acknowledged.

“Under Natalie’s leadership, the state dairy farming organisations now feel as though they are valued members of the national network,” Mr McIntosh said. “Our interests are now recognised on a national level.”

Mr McIntosh said the ADF National Dairy Farmers’ Summit, held in March 2014, had a substantial influence on the strategies and policies of the industry, and was a true testament to the renewed focus and vision that Ms Collard brought.

With Ms Collard at the helm, ADF fought hard for farmers on key issues including $1 per litre milk and achieved milestones, such as the positive dairy outcome at the conclusion of the China-Australia free trade agreement.

As a firm believer in positive change, Ms Collard said she is confident it was the right time to look for the next challenge.

“It has been an honour to represent the proud and passionate people of dairy, and I am keen to see them prosper,” Ms Collard said.  “I am confident ADF is in a strong position going forward, and that I can now step into a new horizon and seek out my next challenge.”

Falling interest rates on loans delivered under two vital Federal Government schemes will improve the long term viability of dairy farmers according to national advocacy body, Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF).

Interest on loans delivered under the Farm Finance Concessional Loans Scheme and the Drought Concessional Loans Scheme fell to 4.34 and 3.84 per cent respectively as of 1 February 2015.

ADF President, Noel Campbell said the improved terms of both Federal Government loans would help dairy farmers reduce the cost of farm debt as well as providing cheaper finance for drought recovery on farm.

“This interest rate cut means farmers will be better placed if they want to use these Government loans,” Mr Campbell said.

“While there are many factors beyond our control when it comes to seasonal conditions and drought, this decrease provides a better option for dairy farmers who are trying to return to full viable production as soon as possible.”

As the national voice of Australian dairy farmers, ADF has continually sought Government support to ensure viable farms have access to practical measures that will improve the industry’s longevity.

The decision by Government to lower interest rates shows confidence in Australian agriculture’s efforts to improve its long term sustainability, providing industry with the support to maintain our efforts.

While the interest rate cuts are welcomed by the industry, ADF highlights the need to reduce the loans red tape to ensure they are more accessible to dairy farmers.

To find out more about the Farm Finance and Drought Concessional Loans Schemes and your eligibility, click here.