Tommerup Dairy Farm celebrates 150 years of operations

Kay and Dave Tommerup are celebrating 150 years of their family in dairy. Here’s how they shifted gears to reach the milestone.

A Queensland farm that came close to closing three years ago has celebrated its sesquicentenary – making it one of the oldest dairy operations in the Sunshine State.

Tommerup’s Dairy Farm – located at Scenic Rim, about 100km south of Brisbane – nearly closed in 2021 when their processor offered less than 50 cents a litre for milk that at the time cost 95 cents a litre to produce.

Kay and Dave Tommerup decided to radically change their dairy operation – switching from conventional farming to tourism and value-adding their produce.

The couple said the gear shift had paid off through a range of business moves such as offering farm stays, running group tours and attending farmer markets.

Kay’s hand-rolled butter infused with red-gum smoked salt is now in hot demand in top restaurants across the country.

“The focus of everything we do and every experience we offer, is our dairy, our farm, and our desire to build a farm business that can be taken on by our children, and their children on this beautiful property,” she said.

“We’ve gone from a dairy farm being propped up by tourism dollars, to a dairy farm leveraging the benefits of agritourism to add higher value to our farm product and now we have a legacy for future generations.”

Kay and Dave Tommerup at Tommerup’s Dairy Farm at Kerry in the Scenic Rim. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Last weekend, the Tommerups celebrated 150 years of the family farming at Scenic Rim with a country dance – inviting locals as well as visitors to the celebration.

“Five generations have milked cows on our beautiful farm, every single day in the same dairy

for over 100 years,” Kay said.

“For Dave, giving up that tradition wasn’t an option, no matter what the numbers said.”