This marks my last report as Murray Dairy chair — I have been privileged to be able to take on this role and represent the dairy industry in the region.
I would like to thank those from across the region that I have had the opportunity to meet with, highlight issues and opportunities for investment and discuss the services of Murray Dairy that are important to them.
There is plenty happening globally, with the Global Dairy Trade Index dropping over the last few months and recently the current New Zealand milk prices have taken two downward steps. This is likely to eventually impact dairy in Australia.
A little closer to home, and it is shaping up to be a great season across our region. Although El Niño is threatening, it will bring a significant change to what we have seen in the past few years.
The most critical conversation has been the proposed changes to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan legislation proposed by Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek.
This continues to be a long and painful adjustment for agriculture and the dairy industry in our region.
October and November is annual general meeting season.
Murray Dairy’s AGM will be held at the Tatura office on October 19, starting with lunch at noon and the meeting from 1pm. All are welcome.
The AGM will mark my last official duties, along with retiring board member Mark Bailey.
On November 28, Dairy Australia will hold its AGM in the Murray region at the Moama RSL. This important event will showcase our region, with both in-person attendance and live-streaming of the event.
This will be followed by a presentation looking at feedbase adaptation in a changing climate, with a panel discussion featuring a number of farmers from our region.
Closing the day will be an evening dinner session focusing on ‘Investing in our next generation’, where we will hear from members of the Young Dairy Network who attended the recent US study tour.
Coming up in November are our regional network events, with presentations of the Dairy Farm Monitor Project results and the Situation and Outlook Report update.
These events will also feature presentations of the 2023 Milk Quality Awards, which are handed out to successful farmers in the region. These awards recognise their efforts in producing a nutritious, quality product for consumers.
In closing, I would like to acknowledge our CEO Jenny Wilson, who is finishing at Murray Dairy on October 25.
It has been a privilege to work with Jenny for most of the eight-and-a-half years that she has been at Murray Dairy. Her leadership and passion for dairy in this region will be hard to replace, and we wish Jenny all the best as she takes up a new role at Gardiner Foundation.
Wishing all readers the best of luck in their endeavours and take care.
Andrew Tyler
Outgoing Murray Dairy Chair