Dairying has taken Andrew and Cassandra Kath across three states of Australia.
Starting in Queensland they have worked their way down, settling in Rochester on a 382ha across dairy farm milking 500 cows. The milking platform consists of 262ha and is run in conjunction with a 120ha run-off block.
Andrew is a generational farmer while Cass’s love for cows initially began in the show ring.
In 2006 the couple purchased Andrew’s grandfather’s dairy property in Queensland, milking 70 cows. They upped the herd to 180 but soon realised they were going to outgrow the property.
“We wanted to grow our business but we couldn’t see the economics of investing in Queensland,” Andrew said.
“We had an opportunity to manage a farm in Narromine (NSW), so we decided to move with the core of our herd and machinery down there.
“We have actually done things a little bit backwards and bought a dairy farm first,” he said with a laugh.
Since moving to northern Victoria in 2019, the couple has been astounded by the opportunities which have been on offer, along with the amount of support and resources.
Both Andrew and Cass have the firm goal in mind of making their dairy business work for them.
“We love the dairy industry but we don’t want to be a slave to our business. We have a family and we both want to enjoy things outside of farming, which is better for everyone in the long term,” Cass said.
The Kaths also learnt some hard life lessons at the farm they previously worked on which nearly broke them, so they were pretty keen to start afresh.
“We were desperate to find somewhere to go and we were lucky a share farming opportunity in Rochester with Greg Ault popped up. Greg is passionate about the dairy industry and things are going really well,” Andrew said.
The couple originally started on a 60-40 share farming basis but that altered in July 2021 to 50-50 after they purchased the milking herd. Greg was very hands-on for the first couple of years but has started to take a step back.
“Communication is very important. We started out with weekly meetings but now it’s monthly and it is working well.”
The mixed herd is predominantly Holstein with about 30 Jerseys and 30 Brown Swiss thrown into the mix. All breeds are kept pure.
The couple also enjoys showing cattle when the opportunity arises throughout the year.
The herd calves three times — in autumn, spring and summer with grazing over winter and spring and access to a TMR over summer and into autumn.
“A PMR is probably the hardest system of all to make work, but through Our Farm Our Plan we have really been able to nail down our goals and what we want to achieve,” Andrew said.
Both Cass and Andrew cannot believe the support available to dairy farmers through Dairy Australia and regionally through Murray Dairy.
“We have farmed in three states and we have never come across this level of industry support. There are so many opportunities through different Murray Dairy programs to learn and improve your skills, which is so important,” Cass said.
The couple has joined a Dairy Business Network (DBN) out of Kyabram and is enjoying the insight and diversity that opportunity is bringing to the business.
“The DBN has provided a really great mentorship for us. There is such a diverse group of farmers — some are generational, some aren’t, some are big and some are small and we have been able to learn and shape our own business in some ways from this experience,” Cass said.
Andrew and Cass believe there are many opportunities in northern Victoria and they can’t believe the quality and quantity of feed they have been able to grow, with access to affordable irrigation water and a bore.
This season has been a ripper one as far as conserving fodder goes, which is a key goal for the couple; they are producing about 1700 dry tonnes of silage including 960 tonnes of vetch at 21 per cent protein and 9/ME which was their target figure.
“It is reassuring to know we now have about 18 months’ supply of silage on hand,” Andrew said.
Both Andrew and Cass completed the Dairy Australia Feeding Pasture for Profit program and the Advanced Nutrition in Action course. ANA showed the couple the importance of chasing quality feed while FPFP was more about growing fodder.
“We both got a lot out of the ANA course; for Andrew it was more about the quality of feed, while for me it was a bit more about the importance of body condition score, splitting up animals into groups and feeding our stock as best as we possibly can,” Cass said.
As part of their business plan not to be a slave to the farm, the couple has invested heavily in creating a flexible roster for their employees. They make sure all their employees have completed a Cups On Cups Off course.
“We have just started to employee my nephew full-time and we want him to get involved in the Young Dairy Network. Both Cass and I were involved in that in Toowoomba and back in its heyday there was about 50 people involved in ours. It was a great way to meet people and learn the industry,” Andrew said.
Andrew and Cass are looking forward to their future in the industry and are excited by the opportunities they can see, not just for running a successful dairy business but also being able to incorporate lifestyle and family into the mix as well.