GIPPSLAND REGION
EXPO POWERS UP
Arron Daniel Ag Contractors’ Arron and Samantha Daniel, pictured with their children Avery, Sofia and Joe, were first-time exhibitors at this year’s South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo. The event marked its 25th anniversary last month. Pages 3-8.
Cobram Cohuna Colac Corryong Dumbalk Eskdale Finley Foster Heywood Kiewa Koroit Korumburra
Leongatha Maffra Numurkah
Orbost Rochester Simpson Swan Hill Wangaratta Warragul Wonthaggi Yarram
Chair’s message
Happy to see spring
BY SARAH O'BRIEN
SPRING IS finally here as evident in the calf shed, pasture growth, and the swooping magpies that have claimed tree lines in paddocks.
I’m very grateful for my four-legged best mate Mac, who seems to be more disliked by the magpies than me and keeps them busy while I get the job done.
Calving this year has been hard and fast. Our heifer replacements all arrived within the first three weeks and are now busy putting on weight.
It’s so rewarding to put cups on fresh heifers and cows while dodging milk spurting from nice full udders.
It’s been a successful calving in our mind. Minimal milk fever cases with a careful transition diet followed and only a handful of cows requiring help to calve.
The weather has been kind for calving cows which helps.
Now the focus will be on continuing to drive milk production, irrigation, and harvest.
At the time of writing this, Gippsland has experienced another unprecedented weather event, with strong gusts of damaging winds causing widespread power outages in dairying regions.
We were lucky enough not to lose power here, but fortunately we have a back-up generator able to run the dairy and cool the vat when needed.
It would seem with the weather events we now experience in Gippsland a capable generator is a must in our systems.
If you don’t have a second source of power to help you through these events speak to your milk company. Most are available to help you organise this purchase.
A large part of the GippsDairy Board’s role is to set and deliver a strategy for Gippsland that meets the needs of our levy-paying farm businesses, allowing people to grow in skill and profit as a result.
Reflecting on my time on the board and talking with past board members and farmers over the years, GippsDairy has played a pivotal role in supporting our levy-based community of dairy farmers and their businesses.
Our regional diversity is very well represented around the board table and a key strength of Gippsland.
Another is the willingness of farmer representation and involvement in program delivery, panel discussions, farm open days, emceeing large events, and our Women in Dairy and Young Dairy Network committees.
It makes me proud to witness us all supporting each other to achieve.
I’m reminded of a quote by John O’Brien: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast, but culture gets its appetite from purpose.”
GippsDairy is most successful because we have you and your farm business needs in mind. Hearing from and delivering to our farms is our purpose.
Please take the time to connect with the team, it’s now largely made up of fresh faces that are eager to get to know you, your team and your farm business.
GippsDairy also has a yearly calendar out now of events on offer in your area.
I’m looking forward to planning my farm’s extension needs and knowing in advance when our local discussion groups will be on.
You can find a copy of the yearly calendar at www.dairyaustralia.com.au/gippsdairy or at the GippsDairy office in Warragul, or ask any GippsDairy team member when you see them next.
The board, Karen, and the team are always on the lookout for any specific regional extension or events that are required. Please reach out if we can help — being regionally present is our purpose.
As a member of the Gippsland Dairy Industry Leadership Group, GippsDairy is supporting the development of a 10-year Gippsland Dairy Industry Strategy.
All dairy industry members are invited to complete an online survey to help detail priority areas of focus, at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T9PSN3B
We also invite you to participate in a face-toface or online consultation session to review trends and share your experiences and ideas. Visit www.dairyaustralia.com.au/gippsdairy for more information and to register for a consultation session.
– Sarah O’Brien is the GippsDairy chair.
Dairy expo marks 25 years
BY JEANETTE SEVERS
THIS YEAR marked the 25th anniversary of the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo.
Formerly known as the South Gippsland Dairy Expo, the event originated in Poowong and has been at Korumburra for nearly half its history.
“The Lions Club of Strzelecki started this event 25 years ago to make a one-stop shop for dairy farmers to attend, see the latest machinery, conduct their business and go home to their busy lives,” club president James O’Connor said.
This year’s expo, on September 4 and 5, was an opportunity for the club to honour its inaugural sponsors, especially its gold sponsors, as well as businesses that have more recently come on board.
A sponsors breakfast was held on the Thursday morning before the expo got under way to honour the businesses.
“As a farmer, you want to see the latest equipment and consider how you can use it in your farm’s environment,” James said.
“Through the interest of our sponsors, we have been able to hold on to the main aim of this expo, to bring value to the dairy farmer.”
In the spirit of the recent Olympic Games, a gold medal and a large box of chocolates was given to each sponsor representative.
Note was made of inaugural and ongoing gold sponsors Reid Stockfeeds, GippsDairy and Saputo Dairy Australia (originally Murray Goulburn).
Other long-term gold sponsors are Rabobank, Burra Foods, Easy Dairy Automation Systems, Tow n Fert, Evans Petroleum and South Gippsland Shire Council.
More recent gold sponsors have been GEA, ProDairy and Greenmate Agriculture.
Silver sponsors are Poowong Dairy and Hardware and SRH.
There are several new gold sponsors to add to this cohort in 2024. They are Brandt, Vic Silos, Dairy Pumping System, nbn local and Lely Center Gippsland.
“Along with these sponsors, the Lions club has been fortunate to have great media partners in Dairy News Australia , Warragul Gazette and Sentinel Times ,” James said.
“Thank you to those newspapers for their tireless work to help promote the expo.”
Paul Hurst and Dr Rob Bonanno represent ProDairy.
Graham Watt, from Vic Silos in Maffra, is a long-time exhibitor at the expo.
Welcoming expo attendees at the Reid Stockfeeds site are Angie Brister, Dom Smita with two-day-old lamb Snickers and Patrick Ludgate.
Saputo Dairy Australia’s Penny Johnson and Joel Dutton.
Rabobank representatives (from left) Rohan Lomax, Jessica Williams, Cameron de Kok, Hannah Sturgiss and Alex Bennett.
At the GippsDairy site are Veronica McLeod, Stephanie Green, Zoe Carter and Kim Price.
Adam Russell from Castrol, Tim Roscoe from Evans Petroleum, Grahame Jackson from Waratah North, Chris and Callum Moscript from Leongatha South and John Schelling from Evans Petroleum.
Jonathan Nurse, Mark Brewer, Kathryn Fox, Mark Haynes and Juergen Steen, of GEA Farm Technologies Australia. Every year, GEA has provided a dairy milking robot for practical demonstrations at the South Gippsland Dairy Expo.
Neil Jess Trav Gemma
Crowds ock to dairy expo
BY JEANETTE SEVERS
THE SOUTH Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo was held at Korumburra Showgrounds on September 4 and 5. JEANETTE SEVERS was there.
George Giliam, of Dumbalk, discusses the Hustler EZ Feed SM150 feeder wagon and Snarler quad bike with Brett Charlton of Gendore Tractors and Machinery, Leongatha.
Entegra’s Jason Davies and Andrew Fisher, from Notman Seeds.
Michael and Jacqui Williams from Yannathan.
ACM’s Tiffany Jones with Richard, Cody and Lachlan Heazlewood, from Korumburra.
Jaimee and Jan Giliam, of Dumbalk, at the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo at Korumburra Showgrounds.
At the Green Mate Agriculture site are Peter Briscoe, Gary Dorling from Bena, Kylie Dixon and Ben Christensen.
Hico at Korumburra’s John D. Win (left) and David Anderson (right) with Phil McKenna and Cathy Bourke from Jetstream Genetics at Nathalia.
Tyrel and Rhys Cox, of Bairnsdale Engineering.
Allen and Courtney Giliam, from Stoney Creek.
John Bowman from Browns Fertilisers in Leongatha with Neil Couper and Anette Lillholm, of Foster North.
Lachlan Moon from TTMI at Leongatha with the Case iH Puma 140.
LARDNER CATTLE SCALES
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TRADING
Tuesday,
Chris
Carriers:
• Full range of granular fertiliser
• Full range of natural lime
• Trace elements
• Organic products
• Bulka & 25kg bags
Jim Hare and Wayne Treacy were working at the DeLaval volunteer milking systems site.
Eric Davis and John Main, of CLAAS Harvest Centre, with a CLAAS disco mower.
Bill Brown from Inverloch and Michael Banik from Korumburra.
At Gibson’s Groundspreads site are Jacob Cecil, Paul Cornelissen and Paul Battersby.
CowBank’s Rod Banks, Luke Fitzpatrick and Kate Rivington with John Salce from McLaren Agricultural Machinery at Warragul.
Jarrod
of Inverloch, looks at machinery at the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo.
Gumboot Gi run and won
BY JEANETTE SEVERS
THE GUMBOOT Gift is a 120m foot race in which participants run in gumboots.
The gift has become a seriously contested handicap foot race, held annually at the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo.
There is a race for men, one for women and another for the Lions Club of Strzelecki members.
The club organises the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo, which is held annually at Korumburra showgrounds.
The prize pool for both the men’s and women’s race is $4000.
The handicap is based on age, with backmarkers aged 18 to 30 years starting on scratch.
It progresses by 8m per decade of age, so athletes aged 70 and above begin the race at the 80m mark.
This year the class of gumboot was tightened, with inspections of footwear to ensure authenticity.
Competitors in this year’s race came from near and far.
In the past two years, the men’s race was won by Craig Rollinson of Gainsborough. Last year, Rob Allen from Wattle Bank was runner-up, while Outtrim’s Martin Lamers finished third. Martin also contested the 2022 gift, finishing second.
This year’s men’s race was wide open, with an injured Craig not in the field.
Martin took his chance and streaked ahead of the field, crossing the finish line in a blur.
He was followed by Conor Cunningham, from Strzelecki, in second place. Brad McIntosh, of Poowong, was third.
Conor and Brad were first-time competitors in the men’s race.
Another large field of competitors lined up for the women’s race.
First-time competitor and Korumburra local Samantha Sherry finished first, well
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ahead of the field.
She was followed home by last year’s winner Sarah Lewis, from Leongatha.
First-time runner Abbie Holbert-Cox, from Warragul, finished third.
There was a major upset in the Lions race, which delayed results.
Eventually, a dead heat was called between Maurice Schwennesen, from Poowong, and Phillip Ould, from Loch.
Poowong North’s Joe Green finished third.
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Lions Club of Strzelecki’s James O’Connor (left) and Frank Hirst (right) with women’s placegetters Sarah Lewis (second), Samantha Sherry (first) and Abbie Holberg-Cox (third).
Lions club race participants (from left) James O’Connor, equal first Maurice Schwennesen and Phillip Ould, Frank Hirst and Joe Green.
Lions Club of Strzelecki’s James O’Connor with men’s placegetters Conor Cunningham (third), Martin Lamers (first) and Brad McIntosh (third).
Samantha Sherry is ahead of a strong field of competitors in the women’s footrace.
Martin Lamers is a blur as he approaches the finish line well in front of the field in the men’s race of the Gumboot Gift.
Trail leads to Udder Truth
BY JEANETTE SEVERS
THE KORUMBURRA Showgrounds has been the venue for The Udder Truth trail for several years.
The Udder Truth showbag is an initiative of the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo, held in September at Korumburra showgrounds.
The Udder Truth showbag encourages all attendees at the expo with a prize pool of $5000. Chief sponsor is South East Organic Fertiliser.
The Udder Truth builds on a history of competition events for attendees at the expo.
Cow lotto enabled people to nominate a square on the showgrounds oval. If the cow wandered to their square and did her
business, they won.
The cow was provided by expo organising committee president Cliff Wallace.
For a couple of years, Gippsland Jersey sponsored a milking competition, providing the cow.
In the past few years, the Gumboot Gift has attracted a strong field of competitors.
The Udder Truth is long lasting and encourages attendees to visit exhibitors to learn about their products and services. Adults and children alike take part.
When all questions are answered and stamps collected from exhibitors, the contestant leaves their completed entry with the Lions Club of Strzelecki.
The winners are announced after the twoday expo is complete.
Georgia and Aiden Haw, from Bena, and Cheryl Green, from Loch, were following The Udder Truth trail at South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo.
Exhibitors at the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo are encouraged to be involved in the Udder Truth showbag.
Twenty- ve years of lunches
BY JEANETTE SEVERS
THELMA HUTCHINSON has been cooking food at the South Gippsland Dairy and Farming Expo for the past 25 years.
For 23 of those years, Thelma has been in charge of the volunteer catering team.
She is ably supported by the other 25-year volunteer, Faye Loughridge, and a large group of helpers.
“Faye is also the scrambled eggs lady,” Thelma told Dairy News Australia
The catering responsibilities have varied over time.
When the expo was at Poowong for its first 13 years, the catering was undertaken by a number of community groups and Thelma had to manage that.
“People would nominate themselves for twohour shifts,” Thelma said.
The expo moved to Korumburra in 2013.
“Some of the sponsors used to have events in their marquees every year,” Thelma said.
“Our catering team would provide platters for them. We would take food across in baskets and lay it out for them.”
This year’s expo catered for the general public through the canteen, as well as a breakfast for sponsors on the second day.
The catering team also created lunch for a childcare centre’s children and teachers each day.
The local childcare centre took three groups of children through the expo.
Thelma has seen diet preferences change through the years.
“People will drink more water than soft drink these days,” she said.
This year’s expo saw the catering team provide meals from 400 bread rolls, 15 loaves of bread, 300 hamburger patties, 15kg of sausages, 15kg of
Gippsland Dairy Industry Strategy Consultation
a
onions, 24 2kg
of
and
The Gippsland Dairy Industry Leadership Group is seeking involvement from Gippsland dairy farmers and service providers in the development of a Gippsland Dairy Industry Strategy.
A series of consultation workshops will be held to explore key drivers for priorities in a Gippsland-specific dairy strategy and draw on the experiences of those participating in the consultation. A Gippsland Dairy Industry Strategy will aim to:
• Promote Gippsland’s strengths for attracting investment in dairy.
• Provide a strategic document to influence planning and decision making by government, private enterprise, and regional planners.
• Detail areas of focus to ensure a prosperous and responsive Gippsland dairy industry over the next ten years.
This strategy development is financially supported by contributions from Gardiner Foundation, GippsDairy, Latrobe Valley Authority, and West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority. All feedback collected on Gippsland priorities will also help inform the development of Dairy Australia’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.
Scan the QR code to contribute themes for the Gippsland Dairy Industry Strategy by completing a short survey, and register for an upcoming consultation workshop.
bags of chips, 40 dozen eggs and
large quantity
cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, tea, coffee, cold drinks
sauce.
Thelma Hutchison and Faye Loughridge (front) have been feeding exhibitors, volunteers and the general public for the past 25 years. Thelma has been co-ordinator of the catering committee for 23 years. This year they were assisted by Denise Lacey, Joe Green, Peter Levey, Lynne Schwennesen, Julie Henshall, Alison Jones and Dianne Crawford, among others.