There are a hundred different reasons why Mikaela Daniel loves dairy farming, but ultimately it is her passion for breeding and showing cows that has led her down the path of taking over the everyday running of the family dairy farm at Nathalia.
With parents Phil and Samantha both working off-farm, Mikaela is in charge of the 65ha home farm, which includes milking, calf rearing, feeding, tractor work and silage and hay making during hay season.
The family milks 110 predominantly Holstein cows (they downsized from 150 to a more manageable number for Mikaela), with the cows milked in a 13-a-side double-up herringbone dairy.
They also have a 56ha run-off block nearby which is used to run young stock and grow additional fodder.
Corn and annuals form the basis of fodder production with around half the farm currently sown down to corn.
Mikaela might only be 18, but she firmly believes there is a great future for dairy.
“The ag space is a great place to work in and everyone needs to eat, so there will always be a market for dairy and a space for milk,” she said.
“Being a dairy farmer gives me the ability to be my own boss and I am responsible for all the good and bad things that happen on the farm — and of course I love showing cows.
“Showing has grown from a hobby into a career and in all honesty, I never wanted another job that meant I would be away from cows anyway.”
Mikaela began working on the farm after she left school.
“I think Mum and Dad wanted to see if I liked farming first and after a six-month trial I am still here and I love it,” she said.
Phil helps Mikaela milk in the mornings before he heads off to work and then Mikaela is on her own, feeding the animals and getting the jobs done.
“I am pretty good with most things on my own but I can’t fix something that is broken like a pump,” she laughs.
The family runs a hybrid grazing and compost barn system.
“Dad built the barn around 2015 after we were having heaps of trouble with our laneways and it has been the best thing — the cows love it in there,” she said.
The herd usually stays in the barn overnight, and depending on weather conditions, will either head out into a paddock or stay in the barn.
“It is always cooler in the barn over the summer and the herd is really happy in there,” Mikaela said.
Her passion for cows has always extended across all breeds, which includes the recent purchase of a couple of registered Jerseys to add to the herd.
She always wanted to own a few Jerseys, but her dad was always of the opinion they didn’t really fit in the system.
In fact, many years ago, Mikaela asked her dad to buy her a Jersey at a particular sale they went too.
Phil refused, and instead bought her an Illawarra — Ovensdale Scarlett 351.
This year that cow, as a nine-year-old, was judged Grand and Senior Champion of the 2024 Illawarra Show at International Dairy Week, after entering the show ring for the very first time.
That win has inspired Mikaela and she is looking forward to getting her own team together next year.
“I have had a bit of a break from showing because I have been pretty busy with the farm,” she said.
“I just love showing cows and I don’t care really what breed they are. The Jerseys are settling in nicely and we will see how they go.”
So with a manageable herd of registered cows, a determination to work hard and succeed, Mikaela is looking forward to the years ahead.
“One day I would love to have my own farm, but that is probably a bit unrealistic at this stage.”