Tuesday 16 October 2012
Australia
Dairy investment
HERRICK dairy farmer Andrew Lester is excited about the level of investment happening in the Tasmanian dairy industry at the moment. "It's the best thing that's happened in the industry for a long time," he said.
"We've got ample processing capacity and a bit more competition."
The farmer, who also heads up the the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association dairy council, just expanded his 384ha mixed-farming operation by increasing the irrigation area to 150ha.
As a result, he's been able to milk 40 more cows, but the best thing is he's been able make more milk for less money due to the extra water.
"We are low cost operators and that's one of the best things about farming in Tasmania," he said.
In regards to the 'filling the factories' project, which aims to grow production by 40 per cent over the next three to five years, Mr Lester said milk price would play a large role in whether farmers grew their herds.
"It will be a struggle to get 40pc more milk and it's going to come down to prices," he said.
He said labour was another big issue that needed to be addressed for milk production to grow.
Source: farmonline.com.au
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