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  • From: Ron Malor <rmalor AT bigpond.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Post deregulation of the Dairy industry in Australia
  • Date: Fri, 05 Apr 2002 13:32:57 +1000


Hi All,

Down here many dairy farmers have already diversified into other grazing enterprises - primarily fat lamb (be nice if I could export them to the US without a 40% tariff though - so much for free trade) and cropping where the ground permits it. Mainly poppies and pyrethrum daisies. Although many are testing out other crops such as wasabi, peppermint, ginseng etc. Generally most dairy farmers have scrambled to get half decent contacts with the local processors such as Bonlac. Obviously value adding is another major option. However such dairy enterprises as cheese making require a lot of up front capital and heaps of skill - both technical and marketing. I'm managing to make a (very) modest living by (amongst other things) agisting dairy heifers, who are hopefully in the family way, giving them lots of TLC over winter, and keeping a tight eye on the spring calving. Definitely not buckets of money but enough to enable other things that I want to do on the property. The heifer owners appreciate that they don't have to come out to check the stock for months on end and are prepared to pay accordingly.

Regards,
Ron...


At 21:39 04/04/2002 -0500, you wrote:
The Dairy Industry is still reeling from the imposition of Commonwealth
Governmentlegislation two years ago deregulating the price of farm gate
milk.
An income shortfall of some 30% per annum is considered conservative for
most families.
Loss of farms and aging farmers is creating problems for the
future,particularly in rural communities dependent on the industry.
This generation of farmers cannot foresee the need for change in order to
sustain their bussines. Value adding through diversification is beyond the
perception of most dairy farmers.
How do non farming strategic planning practitioners bridge the impasse?


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Ron Malor

'Redbank Grazing'
South Mole Creek
Northern Tasmania




  • Re: Post deregulation of the Dairy industry in Australia, Ron Malor, 04/04/2002

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