WA dairy farmers ‘cream of the crop’ in 2023 milk quality awards

Ferguson Valley dairy farmers Matt and Angela Brett have been awarded their ninth consecutive gold diamond plaque in the State’s 2023 Australian Milk Quality Awards.

The Bretts were presented with their awards in front of a gathering of dairy industry members at the annual Western Dairy Forum at the Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse.

Since 2002, the awards have celebrated farmers who have produced the country’s best milk, based on Bulk Milk Cell Count data provided by processors each financial year.

The 100 farmers with the lowest annual BMCCs received a gold diamond plaque for their farmgate, while the other farms within the lowest 5 per cent of BMCCs received a silver diamond.

Dairy Australia’s National Lead for Animal Health and Fertility, Dr Zoe Vogels, presented the awards virtually from Melbourne and congratulated the WA award recipients.

“Although Victoria had the greatest number of award winners this year, when you work out the award winners as a percentage of the number of farms in each State, WA is the cream of the crop when it comes to this year’s AMQAs,” Dr Vogels said.

“Overall, 11 per cent of WA dairy farms won awards, with eight gold and five silver diamond plaques,” she said.

“It is great to see many farms achieving this for the first time.”

In addition, the graduates of the 2023 Western Dairy traineeship program, in partnership with South Regional TAFE, were recognised at Spring Forum receiving either their Certificate III or IV in Agriculture.

This year a record 28 trainees took part in the program, including 19-year-old Almira Dall who completed her traineeship at Grant and Nikki Evans’ dairy in Jindong.

Ms Dall found the traineeship a rewarding experience and encouraged other young people to give it a go.

“Pretty much instantly I knew this is what I want to keep doing,” she said.

Ms Dall has a strong interest in animal health and has recently been selected as one of 20 young people around Australia to take part in the 2024 Proud to be a Dairy Farmer program — a three-day experience in Melbourne in March with farm and factory visits to Gippsland.

This year’s Spring Forum incorporated the Western Dairy annual general meeting, where director and Hithergreen dairy farmer Scott Hamilton was reinstated for a second three-year term.

Brunswick Junction farm Melville Park, owned by David Doepel and Barbara Connell, was announced as the host venue for Dairy Innovation Day, WA’s largest dairy conference and exhibition, scheduled for May 16, 2024.