Yvette Williams has always been driven by a deep curiosity about the intricate details of dairy farming, a fascination that began during her early research days and now fuels her work as the research and innovation co-ordinator for the C4Milk Project.
C4Milk, a three-year partnership involving Murray Dairy, Dairy Australia, Gardiner Foundation and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, aims to delve into the effects of crop-on-crop rotations in intensive fodder systems, a topic of significant importance to the dairy industry.
“My role is to co-ordinate the research in the Murray Dairy region. I’m part liaison and driver, focused on achieving specific outcomes and answering key research questions,” Yvette said.
“With C4Milk, we’ve been fortunate to secure research sites in our region, which allows us to guide the direction of the research. We co-ordinate the sites, ensure reporting requirements are met and make sure the science is solid. We’ve designed the experiments well and they’re progressing as planned.”
Yvette’s journey to her current role is rooted in her extensive background in agricultural research.
In 2003, she earned her PhD from the University of Melbourne. Yvette’s thesis was on dairy cow nutrition in the Kyabram region.
She said it was also an opportunity to see how research had impacted on farms.
“I enjoy getting out and being involved in farmer events, especially since Murray Dairy is such a farmer-focused organisation,” she said.
“Observing how farmers react to the information, their questions and the sorts of things they are asking really helps set our direction and shape our thinking.
“It’s also fascinating to see how the information we developed 20 years ago has been adopted — or not — and to understand why.”
After finishing her doctorate, Yvette moved to Perth to work for CSIRO, where she was part of a team developing vaccines to reduce methane output and increase wool growth in sheep.
She then moved on to other roles, including managing research on a farm in New Zealand, before returning to Australia to work with Agriculture Victoria.
Yvette’s career has been marked by a deep dive into understanding the biology of cows and their digestion processes.
“I love understanding how things work, especially in biology, and identifying the issues that need improvement. I enjoy figuring out what can be done to fix them,” she said.
“My work involves writing reports, reading up on the latest research, visiting sites and constantly growing and learning.”
Although Murray Dairy doesn’t conduct research directly, Yvette plays a pivotal role in co-ordinating research activities in the region and ensuring that the questions critical to local farmers are answered.
“We’re like a consortium. My job is to drive the outcomes we want and co-ordinate with the various research organisations to make sure the experiments are well-designed and moving forward.”
C4Milk represents a significant opportunity to address the challenges faced by farmers in northern Victoria, where the landscape of agricultural research has shifted over the years.
With the loss of major research institutions in the region, Yvette’s work involves partnering with organisations like the Birchip Cropping Group and the Irrigation Farmers Network, both of which are carrying out field experiments to test the impacts of break crop strategies on crop yield and quality in the region’s intensive fodder systems.
The project’s focus is on understanding the cumulative effects of crop rotations over multiple years, a crucial aspect of sustainable farming that goes beyond single-year production.
“It’s a marathon, not a race,” Yvette said, emphasising the importance of long-term research in revealing the true agronomic and economic impacts of intensive cropping systems.
For Yvette, one of the most rewarding aspects of her work is the opportunity to engage with farmers directly.
As someone who has spent much of her career behind the scenes in research labs and offices, she now enjoys getting out on the farms, observing how farmers interact with the information and understanding the challenges they face.
“It’s about building relationships and learning from each other. The more we understand these complex systems, the better we can support the farmers who rely on them,” she said.
Yvette’s role also involves a significant amount of public relations work, ensuring that the findings from projects like C4Milk are communicated effectively to the wider community.
“People want to know what’s happening and why. Farmers in particular are eager to understand the science behind the practices they’re being encouraged to adopt,” she said.
As C4Milk progresses, Yvette remains focused on the broader implications of the research for dairy systems across the Murray region. By collaborating with experts and leveraging the latest research, she is helping to shape the future of dairy farming, ensuring that the industry remains sustainable, productive and resilient in the face of ongoing challenges.
“It’s all about staying relevant and keeping up with advances. The more we can understand and adapt, the better equipped we’ll be to support our farmers and the industry as a whole.”