Warrnambool’s Kyella McKenna has seen how some of the world’s best dairy farmers work and she wants to emulate their success.
Kyella, 22, was selected on the Australian team to take part in the European Young Breeders School program and says it exposed her to some of the most elite breeders and best farmers.
“In Europe they are elite and their efficiencies are second to none,” she said.
“Farmers in Europe don’t have government support and they don’t have a lot of land so they have to be at the top of their game. I think we could really learn from them in our systems.”
Kyella was mostly based in Belgium for the two-week program and competed in Battice, but also toured farms in The Netherlands.
She was selected based on her cattle showing skills and also as part of an industry investing in future leaders.
For Kyella, the program was part of her ongoing commitment to learning from the best as she aims to forge a career in dairy.
“My parents were relief milkers when I was growing up but I didn’t grow up on a dairy farm,” she said.
She enrolled in an agriculture program at Emmanuel College in Warrnambool and started showing cows, which led to her first job at 14 milking cows for a local farmer.
“He gave me my first heifer was I was 16 and I still have a small group of Holsteins,” she said.
“Because I haven’t grown up on a family dairy farm, I’ve been able to move around different farms and take the good parts from every different system.
“That benefits me because I have all these great ideas coming from different people.”
Kyella is studying agribusiness at Marcus Oldham in Geelong and will graduate in December. She also went to the United States as part of a uni trip.
“It’s great to experience and compare other parts of the world and bring that knowledge back to develop my career,” she said.
The Australian team to the European Young Breeders School was sponsored by Holstein Australia and Jersey Australia, and Kyella is also supported at university by a Dairy Australia farm manager’s scholarship.
“I wouldn’t be able to do what I am without the support of the industry,” she said.
“All the farmers give you time, they really care about the kids that come through and I want to give that back by becoming a leader in the dairy industry.”
The European tour was a big step in her career advancement.
“Going to Belgium helped me to make new relationships with some of the most amazing people in the industry and to compare how we do things. It will be really good for my development.”
She expects to take up an internship in Canada in 2024.
“I want to continue to learn overseas and I would be working with some amazing studs which would be great for my passion for genetics.
“I want to be a future leader in the industry. Dairy is where my heart is and I think it always will be.
“I’ve been given so many opportunities by farmers who have believed in me and invested in a kid that came from nowhere. It’s time to give back.”