Dairy Australia names the top 100 farmers for low cell counts

Sam Martin has secured a spot in the top 5 per cent of Australian dairy farmers. See how he did it, and who made the industry’s top 100 list.

South Australian farmers Sam and Nadia Martin have notched up a number of awards through their work in dairy.

But the Wall Flat farmers say, much like whey, it’s just a by-product of putting in the right animal husbandry measures. The Martin family milks 500 cows in the region sandwiched between Murray Bridge and Mannum, east of Adelaide.

They were recently named in the 2022 Quality Milk Awards for achieving in the top 5 per cent of cell counts nationally.

“We didn’t have a single focus on cell counts,” Mr Martin said.

“We’ve done a lot of animal husbandry work, taking a lot of advice and getting the cattle up to an increasingly better standard.

“The cell counts flow on from that work.”

Sam Martin on his SA farm after his 2016 award win.

Mr Martin returned to his family’s farm eight years ago and in 2016 was named Lion Dairy Farmer of the Year.

In recent times, he has expanded his herd from 350 to 500 head and now employs several full-time workers.

“You don’t go into farming for the awards but what we’ve got to do more of in the dairy industry is promote our work,” Mr Martin said.

“We have one of the cleanest, greenest dairy sectors in the world but we’ve got to keep on promoting that, otherwise the public won’t be aware.”

Victoria dominated the winners’ list in Dairy Australia’s annual Australian Milk Quality Awards last week, with most winners hailing from Victoria’s South West.

Organisers confirmed Western Australia also claimed a spot on the league table with M & A Brett, who supply Brownes Dairy, making it into the top 100.

AUSTRALIAN MILK QUALITY AWARDS TOP 100 FARMERS REVEALED

More than half of Australia’s top 100 dairy farms for 2022 originate from southwest Victoria, with the release of the industry league table last Wednesday.

The winners in Dairy Australia’s annual Australian Milk Quality Awards include 53 farms in the WestVic Dairy catchment area.

More than 20 farms are located in Gippsland and 11 farms in the Murray Dairy region, covering northern Victoria, made the gold standard.

Dairy Australia managing director David Nation said the awards were presented to farmers with the lowest bulk milk cell count from data provided by processors for the 2021-22 financial year.

Those in the top 100 receive a gold plaque for their farm gate while those in the top 5 per cent receive a silver plaque.

“Australian dairy products are well regarded domestically and internationally, and that is due to the high-quality milk we produce,” Dr Nation said.

“It’s important we continue to recognise those in our industry who achieve exceptional results across the whole year.”

The Milk Quality Awards are part of Dairy Australia’s national mastitis control program, Countdown, which started in 1998.

In recent years, the Countdown program has been replicated by both Ireland and New Zealand to bring cell count figures down in those respective industries.