It has been a great year for BWB Management, taking out four of the eight Tasmanian dairy awards for 2025, including Dairy Business of the Year with Juniper Lea, managed by Luke Davey-Baldock.
BWB Management oversees the management of seven family syndicate-owned dairy farms in northern Tasmania.
The syndicate milks about 7000 cows on pasture-based systems with an aim of 460 to 480 kilograms of milk solids per cow off 1.2 tonnes of grain.
BWB Management is directed by Andrew Beattie, John Wilson and Rob Bradley, and one of their main aims is to provide career pathways within the dairy industry.
Luke Davey-Baldock is a prime example of the success of this model.
Luke’s agricultural career began in 2000, where he completed a dairy traineeship and apprenticeship.
Luke moved to the livestock grazing industry in 2009, working as a farm hand and farm manager in the Midlands of Tasmania.
Luke returned to the dairy industry in 2016 to work as a 2IC at Dalmore Dairy at Dairy Plains.
BWB group purchased Dalmore Dairy in 2018 and retained Luke as the 2IC.
Luke showed promise and was provided with mentorship and training, working his way up quickly to the farm manager role in 2019.
In 2021, Luke took on the challenging role of the inaugural farm manager of Juniper Lea, a newly converted dairy at Dairy Plains.
Under Luke’s management, Juniper Lea has increased production 12 per cent year-on-year since the conversion, and is now milking 1000 cows, with further increases planned.
BWB Management works with Luke to get the best out of his farm and people, while achieving his own goals.
BWB Management provides flexible pathways for its managers and has allowed Luke and his family to gain equity and capital growth within the Juniper Lea business.
The key aim is alignment of interest between the owners and management.
This latest award comes on top of previous Tasmanian Dairy Business of the Year wins by BWB Management farms, Clear Springs in 2019 and Dalmore Dairy in 2024.
In addition, Juniper Lea was a runner-up in 2024, Dalmore Dairy was a runner-up in 2021 and 2022 and Clear Springs was a runner-up in 2025.
BWB Management won the following:
- ANZ Dairy Business of the Year Award: Juniper Lea, managed by Luke Davey Baldock, Dairy Plains
- Blackley Pipelines & Irrigation Dairy Employee of the Year Award: Daniella Ashworth, Juniper Lea, Dairy Plains
- Mondelez Young Dairy Farmer Encouragement Award: Jaydon Harvey, Springfield Dairy, Wilmot
- Future of Dairy Scholarship (sponsored by the Lawrence family): Montanna Gilroy, Forester Lodge, Waterhouse.
The Tasmanian Dairy Industry Awards are conducted by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) as part of the DairyHIGH 2 project which is funded by Dairy Australia and TIA.
The free benchmarking program considers a range of efficiency and performance indicators of dairy farming businesses factors including financial, management, pasture, herd size and environment.
DairyTas chair Luke McNab said it was wonderful to bring Tasmania’s dairy industry together to celebrate high performers in the industry and join together to reflect and celebrate the past year.
“It has been fantastic to recognise those businesses and individuals throughout the industry that have performed across these key areas in 2025,” Mr McNab said.
“This event not only highlights success but fosters a sense of community and collaboration, ensuring that we continue to grow and thrive together in the coming years.”
Other results
- Fonterra Share Dairy Farmer of the Year Award: Mercede and Aaron Kay share farming for Vivienne and the (late) Michael Quilliam, Togari (see page 14 for the story).
- Safe Farming Tasmania Dairy Farm Safety Award: Compass Agri.
- Lely Australia Responsible Dairying Award: Gunningham Farms Pty Ltd.
- Aurora Energy Workplace of Excellence Award: Rosemount Ag Pty Ltd.