At 27, WestVic Dairy’s newest and youngest board member Brooke Lane wants to encourage more young people to look at a career in the dairy industry.
Brooke has experienced first-hand the stigma that can be attached to the industry and she’s determined to play a part in repositioning dairy as a career of choice.
But not everyone agreed with her move into the industry.
When she was in Year 10, Brooke wanted to do a dairy apprenticeship, but her mother was having nothing of it, even though they lived on a hobby farm just 800 metres from her current dairy farm.
“She didn’t want her daughter to become a dairy farmer, but I proved her wrong a few years later,” Brooke said.
After working in an office for a year after finishing Year 12, Brooke got the chance to enter the dairy industry with her partner Clint Theodore and she hasn’t regretted the move.
“It’s a great lifestyle, even though my mother still complains that I work too much,” she laughed.
Brooke has been on the Alvie farm near Colac for nine years; Clint had arrived two years earlier as farm manager.
They bought 220 cows from the existing herd and went 50:50 sharefarming in 2014. They built the herd up to 300 cows over the next five years and went into a lease in 2019 for the 172-hectare farm.
The fully registered Friesian herd has grown to nearly 400, and they are also developing a purebred Speckle Park beef herd.
“I started cross-breeding for beef about five years ago and got more serious about it in the past three years,” Brooke said.
“It’s a good side interest and good for diversification of income.
“It’s part of a long-term plan, potentially a retirement fund rather than investing in super. It takes a long time to build up a purebred herd.”
Brooke and Clint are happy with their leasing arrangement with three farm owner investors.
Traditionally the land near Lake Corangamite was used for dairy but it was very rundown when purchased.
After the new owners and Clint came in, the old dairy was stripped and new laneways, fences and centre pivots added along with an emphasis on making the farm clean and functional.
The current 20-a-side swingover dairy will soon be updated to a 20 double-up.
“It’s very worn down,” Brooke said.
“It was put together from second-hand pieces and it’s far too slow — milking takes close to three-and-a-half to four hours twice a day.”
Luckily, the farm has four full-time staff — two permanents and two backpackers until January 2 — and Brooke already has interest in filling those positions.
“We did long hours and did everything ourselves for seven to eight years and then once we started having kids, we realised there’s more to life,” she said.
The land is volcanic, free-draining soil that is rich in nutrients and doesn’t need much maintenance.
It is a 100 per cent grass-based operation with no summer cropping. They lease some land to a local potato grower as part of paddock rotations.
“We did it last year and again this year,” Brooke said.
“It’s a handy cash flow. If we put in another product, it wouldn’t really add to our business or our feed base and we use paddocks that need renovating. It’s a win-win for both parties.”
The cows produce about 11,000 litres on average and 700 to 710 kg/MS.
“They’re really big cows, well-bred and well-fed. I’m really happy with where we have been able to get them,” Brooke said.
“When we purchased the herd, they were like big giraffes, not pretty to look at, they had big udders but produced a lot of water and they could not get in-calf.”
Brooke and Clint embarked on a new breeding program.
“We put in collars in January 2016 and started breeding for fertility and a slightly smaller stature.
“They’re still big cows, but they’re not giraffes and they have more sustainable udders.
“The main issue was fertility and we’ve addressed that problem with the collars, using sexed semen with heifers and through good bull selection.”
Brooke, who had been working with the Fonterra Australian Suppliers Council for nearly three years, was hesitant to apply for the WestVic Dairy role but was encouraged by some colleagues.
“I hope I can contribute a different critical layer of thinking,” she said.
“I think before I say things and analyse the situation before I contribute.”
Brooke hopes her elevation to industry representation at a relatively young age will inspire others.
“I’m really passionate about getting young people from schools or other careers into the industry.
“There are massive opportunities and it’s important to get education out there, particularly into schools.
“I think the industry really lacks in attracting young people and I hope I can help with that.”
Brooke wants to overcome stigma connected to dairy.
“We need to promote awareness of what the industry can do for your career and the lifestyle it can provide.
“People don’t have to have the finance to buy into a farm — they could have a great career and end up in a good financial position from being a farm manager or in many other jobs.
“There’s still a taboo around being a farm hand but there’s no farms without farm hands. We’ve got to get rid of that stigma.”
Brooke believes the lack of young, aspirational people coming into the industry is the major threat to its future, but she still has a positive outlook.
“Dairy is an important food source and there’s still going to be demand, so I don’t see a massive downtrend.
“But getting the right people with the right agendas into the right roles in industry leadership is critical to reflect what farmers want on the ground.
“Unless you’re out there in the gumboots and overalls, you’re not going to know.”