Milk Quality Awards 2023: Victoria victorious in dairy league table

Victoria has blitzed the competition in the 2023 Milk Quality Awards. See here which farmers made the top 100 around the country.

Victoria has taken the lion’s share of Australia’s top performing dairies, with more than 70 farms in the top 100 league table for 2023.

Announced today, the 2023 Milk Quality Awards featured 74 farms from the Garden State for producing the nation’s best milk based on Bulk Milk Cell Count (BMCC) data.

Tasmania came a distant second with 11 farms in the top 100, followed by Western Australia with eight farms, then NSW and South Australia with three each.

Picture: Zoe Phillips

Queensland secured only a solitary placing each in the top 100.

The 100 farmers with the lowest annual BMCCs are presented with a gold diamond plaque for their farmgate from Dairy Australia, while the other farms within the lowest 5 per cent of BMCCs nationwide receive a silver diamond.

Dairy Australia animal health and fertility national leader Zoe Vogels said the awards were part of the organisation’s commitment to support on-farm decision making.

“Achieving good milk quality is a win-win for farmers, processors, retailers and the community,” Dr Vogels said.

“The whole dairy industry benefits from high quality milk. Farmers see improved milk production from healthier udders, receive higher milk premiums and a have lower herd health treatment costs.

“Dairy processors see increased product yields and prolonged shelf life of their products.”

Of the specific dairy regions, WestVic Dairy – which covers the Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton, Camperdown and Colac regions – boasted 47 in the top 100 farms this 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.

See all the Australia’s Milk Quality Award 2023 Winners below:

Dairy NSW

P Borham

CN, PM, KJ & LM McDonald T/A Underbank Partnership

DF & JM Warner

DairySA

TC Bruhn & AC Giles

CJ & CE Dale

DO & KM Hunter

DairyTas

N & S Bennett

JR & JL Beme

N & S Crole and MT & JL Braid

Dunbar Family Trust

F & E Edwards and L Burlace

M & J Goss

AN & EM Grey

Mount Patrick Estate

Mulder Enterprises P/L

Smokersbank P/L

SJ & S Van Eldik

GippsDairy

DW, CG, FC & DL Armstrong

J & S Ashby

PF Crea

SB & IF Derrick

BM & TM Elliott

MJ & JL Fusinato

LM & TD Grabham

JP & HL Harvey

GWH & JM Jenner and T & R Jenner

PJ & CA Johnston

NC & V Joiner

Leathorn Clyne Trust

RP & GM Moss and SP & TK Moss

GA & LM Paul

RW & SI Summerfield

RB & JM Templeton and M & N Templeton

PR, HM & MR Thomson

LP & GD Van Boxtel

SD & KA Whitten

Murray Dairy

LA, CM, AA & KR Chesworth

L & LG De Fazio

M, S, KJ & FI Fitzsimmons

ID & AM Holloway

R & R McLean

Romans Ag P/L

LG & MH Schintler

S Hall

Subtropical Dairy

DG, AL, GR & MD Zischke

Western Dairy

M & A Brett

BA, CW, LA & YR Elson

LJ & VE Fitzpatrick

KJ & SM Gardiner

Stenelees Pastoral Co

Ranchway P/L

WA College of Agriculture, Denmark

Walsall Dairy

WestVic Dairy

Abbeydorney Dairies

Alnor Partners

Ballangeich Run

CD Baulch

TJ & CJ Beasley

Bidgemah Trust and V Burleigh & L Davison

AH & VM Bond

JT & AL Burleigh

Claine Farm Trust

BJ & RM Couch

WJ & VL Crole and A & A Crole

Dixie Park - Glennen Family

CA & AL Duro

Farmhouse Dairy Co

PA & KM Finlayson

M & L Gardiner

DG & RS Hallyburton

Willie Hawker Family Trust

RJ & LJ Hawtin

PC & SL Hinkley and MD & SA Hinkley

B & D Howard

AJ, JD & JW Kenna

H & O Kilpatrick

AH Lucas

BW & LG McDowall

GA & J McNamara and N & C McNamara

Madden Dairy P/L

R Morey

RS Nelson

New Life Dairies

CP & MJ Nijskens

PJ O’Bryan and FK O’Bryan

TMJA Parish Family Trust

JA & CM Pouw and A & E Pouw

Ravenshill Farm

I, M & L Seabrook

M & M Seabrook

JN Sloane

Sloane Dairying, Farm 2

CW & AM Smart

RJ & EH Swayn

TA Taylor

PW & LN Thornton

SJ & AE Watson Pty Ltd

FJ, JA & EL Whiteside and SJ & JA Thow

GL & VM Wickham

Windy Lea Family Trust