Fonterra’s Proud to be a Farmer program expands nationwide

Almira Dall is one of 25 young primary producers taking part in this year’s Fonterra’s Proud to be a Farmer program.

Hailing from a region better known for its wine, Almira Dall is part of a new generation shaping Western Australia’s dairy future.

Ms Dall travelled to Victoria last week to become one of 25 young primary producers taking part in this year’s Proud to be a Farmer program.

Working in Cowaramup, a short drive from WA’s Margaret River, Ms Dall said her first visit to Victoria opened her eyes to the varied opportunities in dairy.

“It’s been such an amazing week. There was a great mix of the on-farm activities and everything else related to dairy,” she said.

West Australian dairy worker Almira Dall is one of this year's inductees into the Proud to be a Farmer program

Ms Dall studied agriculture at Kelmscott Senior High School in Perth. But despite her primary production training, she only briefly engaged with dairy during her secondary schooling.

“We only covered dairy for a short amount in year 9,” she said.

“It wasn’t until an opportunity to work on a dairy farm came up in November 2021 that I really considered dairy. But I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Run by the Fonterra Australia Suppliers Council but open to all applicants no matter the processor they’re connected to, the industry mentoring program is aimed at attracting and retaining the next dairy generation.

The three-day program includes farm and factory visits as well as workshops led by industry stalwarts on different operating and financial structures, how to progress careers, and farm ownership.

Fonterra Proud to be a Farmer participants in Victoria this week

FASC director Dean Turner runs a dairy farm at Yannathan in south Gippsland and has been part of the program since its inception four years ago.

“Attracting people into dairy, like many parts of the workforce, can be a challenge, and keeping people in farming is also difficult,” he said.

“That’s a big reason why Proud to be a Farmer was established. There’s plenty of opportunities in dairy that aren’t just being a farmer or a share farmer — there’s so many roles in the agricultural side as well as the production side.

“When we started, we had 12 participants, then second year was 15 to 18, then third year 18 to 20 and now this year, we had 25 with 60 applications from across Australia.”