Gardiner Dairy Foundation and United Dairyfarmers Victoria New Zealand study tour: Kristen Davis
Kristen Davis was one of eight winners of the Gardiner Dairy Foundation and United Dairyfarmers Victoria New Zealand study tour - originally scheduled for March 2020.
KRISTEN Davis was set to make two dairy treks to The Land of the Long White Cloud last year.
But with the swift implementation of coronavirus travel restrictions on either side of the Tasman Sea, she was fortunate to fit in one short sojourn.
Ms Davis was one of eight winners of the Gardiner Dairy Foundation and United Dairyfarmers Victoria New Zealand study tour, which was scheduled for March 2020.
She visited Hamilton in early March 2020 for an artificial insemination course, like many plans last year, the second jet plane journey never transpired.
“I was lucky with the first trip. It was at that time when the travel restrictions were just coming in place,” Ms Davis said.
“Hopefully, we can return this year. Obviously, it’s hard to plan at the moment but it will be good to go back to New Zealand when it’s possible to further explore their dairy industry.”
Ms Davis grew up in the Yarra Valley and has family ties to the beef industry. But while at university, she discovered a passion for dairy and the career opportunities within it.
“You could say I had a non-traditional path into the dairy industry,” Ms Davis said.
“I started a Bachelor of Agriculture at the University of Melbourne on a pathway to becoming a vet but could see there were so many opportunities in dairy worth exploring.”
Ms Davis has undertaken internships with the National Centre for Dairy Research at Ellinbank as well as DataGene whilst completing a Master of Agricultural Sciences majoring in Animal Science.
She found herself developing a passion for herd improvement as she began her sales career working for Herd Improvement Co-Operative Australia at its Korumburra, Warragul and Maffra sites.
She has since started work with Dairy Australia as a Regional Extension Officer at GippsDairy, where she said she hoped to “bring her passion and experience of reproduction, genetics and herd improvement to help Gippsland dairy farmers make informed data driven decisions.”
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