Matt and Alli Reid win The Weekly Times Coles 2020 Dairy Farmer of the Year

A Victorian dairy-farming couple from Carlisle River near Colac have been named Australia’s best. See why and meet the finalists here.

AUSTRALIA’S top beef, cropping, dairy, horticulture, innovative and sheep farmers have been recognised at The Weekly Times Coles 2020 Farmer of the Year Awards. The following three producers vied for the title of Dairy Farmer of the Year.

Matt and Alli Reid in their dairy at Carlisle River, where they strive to reduce risks and maximise return on assets.

WINNER: MATT AND ALLI REID

Otway Milk

Carlisle River, VIC

MATT and Alli Reid leave no stone unturned in an effort to maximise returns on their dairy farm in southwest Victoria.

At Carlisle River, near Colac, the pair run a finely tuned dairy operation milking 675 cows in a system more focused on profitability than it is on production.

Since relocating from drought-ravaged irrigation districts of northern Victoria less than 20 years ago, the Reids have more than doubled the size of their business, switched from supplying the global to domestic fresh milk market to reduce risks associated with fluctuating prices, lifted annual returns on assets to almost 10 per cent and are on track to more than triple their admittedly low equity.

Their return on assets last season was a whopping 9.7 per cent — almost double the 5.8 per cent average return of southwest Victorian dairy farms.

Matt and Alli say farming with low equity is tough and comes down to discipline. Managing risk has been an essential part of the Reids’ success so far, and they have sought to limit their exposure to fluctuating inputs.

Whether it be through feed, energy and milk supply contacts or growing as much pasture as possible “every decision is made with reducing risk in mind”. “We have spent a lot of time investigating methods of reducing risk and increasing the speed of getting to a point where life is easier,” Matt says.

“We started off with 15 per cent equity, we’re currently in the 30s but we can see our way to 50 pretty quickly.”

Working on the basis that they don’t know everything, the Reids employ experts to fill knowledge gaps, are fastidious when it comes to planning and financial oversight, work hard to provide the best and safest working environment for their five staff, and try to capitalise on industry trends such the A2 milk phenomenon.

“We want to be in that spot where preparation and opportunity meet,” Matt says. “If you understand the market that you supply, understand the risks that market entails, are good at what you do, use the experts when they are needed and track your performance (you can do well out of dairying).

“We’ve always been positive people and taken responsibility for our own destiny. That’s what it comes down to.”

It’s that positive outlook, backed up by an impressive track record, that makes Matt and Alli Reid outstanding winners of The Weekly Times Coles 2020 Dairy Farmer of the Year.

READ MORE ABOUT MATT AND ALLI REID

Brothers Doug Raphael, with Amy and son Jayden, and John, with daughters Amy and Jo, have made on-farm changes to boost cow and soil health. Picture: Katrina Partridge

FINALIST: RAPHAEL FAMILY

Glen Eden Holsteins

Muswellbrook, NSW

LESS is certainly more for the Raphael family.

When the dairy farmers, from Muswellbrook in the NSW Hunter Valley, set the ambitious goal of their Holstein herd producing 10 million litres of milk off grass, few could be forgiven for thinking that, to achieve this, a significant increase in fertiliser applications would be needed.

But the Raphaels did the opposite – in fact they cut back their use of urea to a third of their normal application rate.

The result has surprised even them. Not only is their herd healthier and more fertile, but their country grows just as much grass as ever.

John Raphael, his wife, Catherine, his brother, Doug, and Doug’s wife, Amy, run the 1000-cow Glen Eden Holsteins herd on 270 hectares of their own country and 150 hectares of leased land, just outside the coalmining town.

The switch to less fertiliser came after John had noticed issues with the herd, particularly with fertility and also the longevity of the cows.

“We were putting on large amounts of urea … we engaged a soil biologist to look at the health of our soils and found there was no biology left – the decision to move back from using high rates of urea was not hard in the end,” John says.

Since their brave move, 10 per cent more of the Raphaels’ cows are getting in calf, organic carbon levels have lifted and, impressively, there are now more than 25 tonnes of worms per hectare in the soil.

The irony of their focus on soil health is not lost on John, who has watched as coal mines encroach on the dairy industry in the district.

“We have some of the best soil types in Australia here and it’s what makes it possible to run a dairy operation efficiently,” he says. “The alluvial soils area is as good as you would get anywhere and allow us to grow good quality pasture.”

Milk production currently sits at between 8.9 million and 9.4 million litres a year, which is sold to Dairy Farmers Australia for use in its milk, yoghurt, cheese, cream and custard range.

“We would like to get to 10 million litres and that would involve running a few more cows and for the seasons to be right,” John says. “We have two things we concentrate on to get to this goal – to grow grass and to get the cows in calf.”

It’s definitely the right whey forward.

Matt Glowrey pictured with his son, Dallas, has a fresh approach to feed production and quality control. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

FINALIST: GLOWREY FAMILY

Swan Hill, VIC

FROM little things, big things have certainly grown for the Glowrey family of dairy farmers in Victoria’s marginal Mallee farming district.

Originally starting out in the 1950s with 12 cows on 100 hectares and supplying milk to a Greek cafe in Swan Hill, the Glowreys have built a powerhouse business that now milks up to 1900 cows on 570 hectares.

According to third-generation dairy farmer Matt Glowrey, the meteoric rise from family farm to family corporate business has been the result of resourcefulness, lateral thinking and plenty of hard work.

The business, which employees 10 full-time workers across a range of disciplines from accounts management to human resources, artificial insemination and milking cows in one of two massive dairies at opposite ends of the farm, places a strong emphasis on genetics, having a healthy and productive herd and growing the most cost-effective feed possible.

The Glowreys’ herd is 100 per cent Holstein, with genetics sourced from the US. Each year, Matt meets with genetic companies to discuss bulls and choose traits they want to focus on, whether it be fertility, herd health or production.

The family takes a unique approach when it comes to feed production, in an effort to keep costs down. Rather than buying land to grow the feed, they have their own silage and haymaking equipment and buy “standing crops” planted by other farmers. From this they make up to 5000 tonnes of silage and 4000-5000 large square bales of hay annually to feed their herd.

In the dairies, the Glowreys have a strict process to maintain the quality of their milk, which is sold to Lactalis, the world’s largest fresh dairy company. Matt says cows are checked for mastitis weekly – “more if needed” – and the family is “very particular about the cleanliness of our plant”.

It’s a labour of love producing results all the more impressive when you consider the Glowreys farm in a non-traditional dairying area.

“In some ways, I think it has been a good thing for our family business that we haven’t been in a dairy district,” Matt says. “We look at something and think why not, rather than why.”