The Business of Dairy – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Business of Dairy

NSW DPI

Business

Education

Government

Frequency: 1 episode/31d. Total Eps: 59

The Business of Dairy podcast will look at aspects of management of dairy businesses from both within the farm gate and outside the farm gate, speaking to farmers and service providers with skills, information and knowledge of value to you and your business. We will bring to you monthly discussions on topics that will grow your knowledge and understanding of management areas that will drive strong farm business performance into the future. This series is brought to you by the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit with funding and support from the Hunter Local Land Services.

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Score global : 68%

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Survivability and trends in the Australian dairy herd

Season 5 · Episode 10

Monday, April 13, 2026 • Duration 32:05

Australia’s dairy sector is rich in performance data, and herd recording remains a key source of insights for on-farm decision-making and tracking national herd trends. In this episode, host Sheena Carter is joined by Michelle Axford (DataGene) to explore key takeaways from DataGene’s latest Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Report, including emerging trends in herd performance and how genetics and new research are shaping herd improvement.

Resources:

Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Report 2025

DataGene website

DataConnect

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit – further information and resources are available here - Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter - Connect with us | Department of Primary Industries

Transcript here

Produced by Liam Driver

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.

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Tegan Gilfillan – Growing with the herd

Season 5 · Episode 9

Sunday, March 1, 2026 • Duration 30:19

Starting out as a milker and rising to herd manager of 900 cows, Tegan Gilfillan’s career is a true dairy success story. With more than 18 years spent on the one farm, Tegan has grown alongside Speldon Partnership, owned and operated by the Maslen family in the New South Wales Mid Coast region. Today, she leads both livestock and people, managing a large herd and a committed team of staff. In this episode, Tegan shares her journey and speaks candidly about the importance of people in a dairy business, developing strong teams, and the role the Maslen family has played in supporting her growth.

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit – further information and resources are available here - Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter - Connect with us | Department of Primary Industries

Transcript Here

Produced by Liam Driver

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.

Producing milk with less lactose - why?

Season 4 · Episode 12

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 • Duration 17:05

Producing milk with less lactose – why might this be important? Our guest this month is Juan Garguilo, one of my NSW DPIRD colleagues. Juan has been involved in a number of research projects as part of the NSW Dairy Up R& D initiative and if you are a long-term listener of this podcast, you will have heard his Argentinian accent before!

Juan, in conjunction with other well known dairy researchers, Professor Yani Garcia (University of Sydney) and Russ Hovey (University of California – Davis) has analysed the lactose content in milk – lactose being a milk solid that you don’t normally hear too much about. Understanding and manipulating lactose content of milk may have farm level and industry level benefits as described by Juan in discussion with Zita Ritchie in this podcast.

Project Update – Producing Milk with less lactose

DairyUp website

Journal of Dairy Science paper

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit – further information and resources are available here - Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include;

New Season Milk Price Outlook

Season 4 · Episode 11

Thursday, May 1, 2025 • Duration 33:45

We are now entering milk pricing season in the Australian dairy industry, which means there will be plenty of headline news as we head into milk processors announcing prices on the 1st June as required under the mandatory Dairy Code of Conduct.

Joanne Bills, Director of the Global Insights team with Ever.Ag (Freshagenda) outlines their forecast around milk pricing with particular reference to the NSW industry and we also discuss some of the implications of the Trump Administration’s tariff announcements on the Australian dairy industry.

Milk Value Portal (MVP)

Fresh Agenda Quarterly Insights Report (MVP)

Farmgate Milk Value tool (MVP - calculator)

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit – further information and resources are available here - Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter - Connect with us | Department of Primary Industries

Lameness and Mastitis in the Wet – Mark Humphris and Ruth Kydd

Season 4 · Episode 10

Monday, March 31, 2025 • Duration 45:34

Over 170 dairy farms across SE QLD and the North Coast of NSW were impacted by severe flooding and wet conditions as a result of Tropical Cyclone Alfred in early March this year, 2025. This resulted in losses of power, pasture and crop and other feed losses, for some farms a period of time where milk was unable to be picked up and infrastructure damage on farm and off farm such as land slips impacting road access to farms.

Herd health is always a major issue in this situation and this month we focus particularly on the impact of mastitis, lameness and the conditions for people on the farm. While the floods have receded, the management of these conditions continues and I am very pleased to have veterinarian Dr Mark Humphris and Riverina dairy farmer, Ruth Kydd join me in discussion today.

NSW Rural Assistance Authority – Natural Disaster Transport Subsidy

NSW Rural Assistance Authority – Natural Disaster Relief Loan

QLD Freight subsidies for disaster affected Primary Producers - Freight Subsidies for Disaster Affected Primary Producers QLD | business.gov.au

QLD Rural & Industry Development Authority – Disaster Assistance Loan - Disaster Assistance Loans | Queensland Rural and Industry

QLD Rural & Industry development Authority – Disaster Assistance (Essential Working Capital Loan) - Disaster Assistance (Essential Working Capital) Loan |

Fact sheets – Dairy Australia:

Drought Forecasting and Seasonal Conditions

Season 4 · Episode 9

Saturday, March 1, 2025 • Duration 31:24

Too hot, too dry, too wet - seasonal conditions can be challenging to manage for those on the land. Forecasting for the season ahead can be difficult but is important when planning what you will do now or in the coming months. The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Climate team have some excellent freely available resources including a recently released Drought Forecasting tool. Kel Langfield and Jen Wurtzel from the team step us through these tools and how they can be used by farmers and their advisors. Please use the links in the show notes to access these tools and other information, noting that the State Seasonal Update report is released at the beginning of the month and the drought forecast maps are updated twice a month.

Email the team: seasonal.conditions@dpird.nsw.gov.au

DPIRD Climate webpage

State Seasonal Update

Drought forecast

Combined Drought Indicator

Farm Tracker App

My Farm Dashboard

Survey - Have Your Say

Seasonal Conditions Information Portal

Tips and tricks for dairy developments in NSW

Season 4 · Episode 8

Friday, January 31, 2025 • Duration 31:43

Are you a farmer or interested party looking to undertake a development on your dairy farm? Planning farm developments is complex and involves planning and assessment requirements which can be tricky to navigate. This month my colleague Zita Ritchie discusses the recent release of the NSW Dairy Development Guidelines with Clare Fitzpatrick who is a renowned and respected planning consultant within the dairy industry.

The guidelines are designed to help anyone involved in decision making around planning, design, construction and operation of a dairy development. They also contain an excellent farmer checklist highlighting key areas to consider when planning a development and a checklist for a development application.

A link to the guidelines is provided in the show notes.

NSW Dairy Development and Environmental Guidelines 2024 - New developments and facilities | Department of Primary Industries

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit

For more information visit Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

Ups & Downs of NSW Dairy Farm Monitor 2023-24

Season 4 · Episode 7

Wednesday, January 1, 2025 • Duration 32:57

The 13th year of the Dairy Farm Monitor Project in NSW was one in which strong milk prices managed to hold gross farm incomes relatively stable. Increases in operating costs reduced average Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) relative to the previous year, with the most noticeable impact coming from purchased feed costs.

On average, profits for the 36 NSW Dairy Farm Monitor Project (DFMP) participants remained strong at $2.12/kgMS and above the long-term average of $1.36/kgMS, for the fourth consecutive year. This translates to an average return on total assets of 4.5%. This month I discuss the ups and downs of NSW DFMP relative to the previous year with my colleague Zita Ritchie, including some commentary on the GHG emissions profile of the group of farms.

NSW DFMP Annual Reports, Regional Infographics and Interactive Report

NSW DPIRD “NSW Dairy Industry Overview”

Previous podcasts related to economics of intensive dairies:

Episode 27 “Intensive Dairies – Drivers of Adoption and Profitability”
Episode 39 “Intensive Dairying – Profitability and Risk Insights”

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address

Impacts and adaptations for our 2050 climate

Season 4 · Episode 6

Saturday, November 30, 2024 • Duration 31:13

Very hot – that is the forecast for the summer ahead. Heat has immediate impacts on the performance of our dairy herd and pastures, but it also impacts other industries we rely on such as the broadacre cropping industry. Extensive work has been undertaken by the NSW Department of Primary Industries Climate Vulnerability Assessment program and also our own Dairy Unit through the Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program to understand what the on farm climatic impact will be in NSW dairying regions by 2050.

Our guests this month, James Lawson – Project Officer with the Climate Vulnerability Assessment team and Blake Cheer from the Dairy Unit explain the outlook for the coming 25 years, what we are likely to see and how we can start to manage these conditions on farm and share some useful resources to help inform your decision making now and into the future.

Climate Vulnerability Assessment website

THI Forecasting Tool (Northern Australia Climate Program)

NSW State Seasonal Update

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

Revisiting profitable pasture management and silage production

Season 4 · Episode 5

Thursday, October 31, 2024 • Duration 26:27

Feed costs are the highest operational costs in a dairy business, so it is vital that we manage these well in order to enhance our farm’s profitability. We are currently well into a somewhat mild spring here, in most regions of New South Wales, so thought it would be a good opportunity to revisit some earlier podcast episodes on key aspects of profitable pasture management and silage making.

The extracts come from a couple of very popular episodes and even though they are a couple of years old, the messages and key principles discussed are as relevant as ever.

The first episode was Episode 3 – Lowering total feed costs with good spring pasture management with NSW agronomists Josh Hack and Peter Beale. Aspects such as the importance and economics of nitrogen use and the principles of good grazing management to help capture true pasture surpluses are discussed. Please note that urea prices discussed in this episode were from a couple of years ago when urea prices were abnormally high.

The second episode comes from Episode 24 – The economics of silage making with agronomist Neil Griffiths. It follows on logically from the previous episode. Neil highlights the importance of timing when making silage in relation to producing high quality and profitable silage. This includes capturing silage with high energy content and minimising wastage.

Links to the original episodes have been included in the show notes for this episode which include links to some very useful resources.

Podcast links:

Podcast Episode 3 - Lowering total feed costs with good spring pasture management

Podcast Episode 24 - The economics of silage making

The Business of Dairy – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Business of Dairy – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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