Andrew was one of the host farms visited by the Young Dairy Network as part of a study tour organised by Murray Dairy and Dairy Australia.
The visitors, including some from closer to home in northern Victoria, were keen to learn how different farm ownership and management structures worked.
Andrew described how he has been sharefarming on his parents’ property since 2012. Since then he has purchased his own 200-hectare out-block on which he grows fodder including lucerne, corn and cereals.
The family farm milks up to 600 cows on a partial mixed ration operation, in a 48-unit rotary built in 1995.
The business employs up to five staff on a full-tme and part-time basis.
“We have good staff at the moment, but it can be hard to recruit new people,” Andrew said.
“Without backpackers you are competing with other workforces for labour.”
The study tour also visited Lewis Watson’s farm in Webb Rd, Kyabram. He gave the perspective of a farm owner who engaged sharefarmers.
The group also visited the Clymo farms at Calivil and Mitiamo, and the Dee family’s robotic farm at Macorna.
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