Sarah Chant has had some tough years as a young female farmer making her way in the industry, but this season might be the toughest.
While thankful that part of her farm at Warrion, 20km north of Colac, is under irrigation, Sarah admits that margins are getting tight.
“Hopefully we start getting paid a bit more,” she said.
“The milk price looks good on paper, but it hasn’t kept pace with the costs of everything. When Mum and Dad were running the farm, a load of grain was $9000, now it’s $14,000 or $15,000.
“Power has doubled, a lot of things that went up over COVID never went back down. You can’t pay staff $20 an hour any more if you want someone good.
“The margins are getting tighter and tighter.”
She’s not alone in feeling the pinch.
“I know a lot of dairy farmer friends in their early 40s and they’re starting to wonder why they do it.
“They’re good farmers and they love farming, but you work seven-days-a-week and don’t have much of a social life, so you want to make some money.”
Despite the current challenges, Sarah isn’t about to give up.
Quite the contrary, she loves farming and would like to expand her business when conditions get better.
“If I gave up farming here, I’d just end up milking for someone else. I love being with the animals all day and being outside,” Sarah said.
The 202ha farm with 53ha under irrigation is supported by a 40ha block 5km away for silage and young stock.
She’s now milking 270 Jerseys and one Brown Swiss.
“The irrigation using underground bore water gets us through the summer,” Sarah said.
“This season is bad enough as it is. I don’t know where we’d be without irrigation.”
The Warrion Jerseys stud was founded by Sarah’s grandparents in 1972 and continued by her father Steven.
When Steven died in 2016, Sarah stepped up.
“When I took over, the hardest thing was the decision-making,” she said.
“I’d been on the farm for years, but taking over was quite a shock — sink or swim. I’d stew over every decision, but it’s second nature now.”
Sarah was just 24 when her father died.
“He’d been sick with cancer for a few years, so I had been doing the day-to-day management for 12 to 18 months, but he was still making the decisions until the day he died.
“It wasn’t all smooth sailing, but a lot of local farmers and friends of Dad’s would step in if I needed advice and call and check on me.
“I got a lot of industry support. Agronomists and nutritionists called in more often than usual to keep an eye on me and Jersey club members would be on the phone.”
While the Colac and Western District Jersey clubs have now merged, Sarah said her involvement had been “like a second family” and the community support continues today.
Another solid rock has been long-time employee Joel Kirkman, who has worked on the farm for 16 years, now supported by a part-time milker covering four milkings per week.
Joel takes care of pasture management and Sarah oversees the livestock.
Anything under irrigation is put into perennials.
Annuals are used on the dryland and brassicas and lucerne at the outpaddock for silage.
Paddocks are renovated through summer crops and then put back to perennials.
They usually grow 10ha of summer crops, but put in extra this year.
“We usually do 1200 rolls of silage, but only did just over 600, so we needed extra summer crops to try to fill the gap.”
Most years Sarah will buy one load of vetch hay — this year she’s had seven and the prices are up.
“Last year hay was expensive, but then we’ve had another bad harvest, so it’s now very expensive and getting hard to find.
“We’re hoping for the usual Anzac Day autumn break. If we get it too late, it will be too cold and the grass will struggle to grow.
“Everyone is in the same boat and struggling in this part of the state.”
Sarah has sold her small beef herd and any dairy cows that aren’t carrying themselves will be gone.
“You can’t afford to buy hay to feed animals that aren’t pulling their weight,” she said.
“You have to make a choice — do you cut production back or feed them through it. I’d rather continue feeding them well.
“If I don’t feed them well now, they will struggle to get back in calf.
“I’d rather spend the money and keep the weight on them.”
Breeding and raising calves are Sarah’s favourite parts of farming.
“We’d be classed as more of a type herd, but we’re trying to keep up production.
“I breed for longevity and an all-round cow that milks well and still looks good. I want the golden cow that we’re all trying to breed.”
The low-lying 15 double-up dairy was built by Steve, who wasn’t a tall man, and even a basic six-footer has to duck to enter.
Cup removers were added a few years ago, which has made life much easier.
“We’ve gone from a two-person dairy to a one-person dairy which has freed up a lot of labour,” Sarah said.
“After Dad passed away, I remember doing nine to 10 months without missing a milking because there had to be two of us.
“I don’t have to do every milking any more, which means you can manage a bit more instead of just doing the work.”
A new robotic calf feeder has also reduced pressure and saved labour.
Sarah recently hosted a World Jersey Conference tour, enjoying showcasing Australian Jerseys in the hope of increasing export opportunities of embryos or heifers.
She remains a big fan of the breed.
“I appreciate the size of Jerseys. I’m not very tall and here by myself sometimes, so having a smaller cow is much more manageable, and it’s easier when calving,” she said.
“They’re also a more economical breed.”
Steve was milking 230 to 240, Sarah has pushed it to 270 to 280 this year.
“We’re getting to our limit with the size of the land, dairy and yards, but my partner might come here in a few years, and we will look at a new dairy and adding some more land if we can.”