Goals And Strategies

Western Dairy’s goals and strategies can be broken down into three key areas:

1. Farm Productivity & Delivery,
   Farm Business Management,
   Natural Resource Management
   
2. .Animal Systems and;
   
3. .Feed base
   
   Western Dairy operation and management (see below)

Farm Business Management

Goal:

To facilitate the delivery of a range of learning and support systems, in order to raise the business management skills, particularly computer literacy, staff recruitment, liaison and management and cash flow budgeting of Western Australian dairy farmers by

Strategies:

• Farmers to have a better understanding of farm business profit drivers
  
• Active participation in the development of The People in Dairy program, in particular the farm employment project, in order to develop and distribute a comprehensive dairy farm employment manual to offer assistance to farmers in developing best-practise farm employment systems
  
• Development and nurturing of a group of young dairy farmers to foster leadership and personal development of this demographic and in particular, to utilise this group as a mechanism for industry RD&E consultation, commenting and contributing to Western Dairy priority planning
  
• Provision of an organised and accredited system of dairy training in WA that reinforces the professional image of the industry, through formal linkages with the NCDEA, SWTAFE, Harvey Ag College and Margaret River Training.
  
• Active engagement with Farmbis WA, in recognition of extra funding opportunities that exist for dairy farmer learning

Natural Resource Management

Goal:

To resource, inform and encourage WA dairy farmers to operate according to best-practise in terms of natural resource management in a manner that will ensure the WA dairy industry is considered a responsible environmental citizen at the highest government and community levels.

Strategies:

• Optimised understanding of nitrogen leaching patterns
  
• To achieve strong linkages between dairy and the broader community and to promote greater engagement of NRM issues, through better utilisation of the DfT coordinator
  
• Increased and ongoing participation in DairyCatch activities, in particular, the dissemination of DairySAT
  
• To maintain and further develop relationships with the Department of Environment to ensure dairy maintains its position as an agriculture-sector leader in the area of Natural Resource Management

Animal Systems

Goal:

To develop practises and strategies that will optimise cow performance, considering health, fertility, lactation length, genotype and milk quality

Strategies:

• To investigate through modelling fertility and lactation lengths and reviews of extended lactation work at Dexcel and Ellinbank, if longer lactations can be a profitable and sustainable option for WA dairy farmers
  
• To investigate milk yield response to various nitrogen applications to ensure best-practise fertiliser management correlates to optimum cow performances
  
• To launch and promote InCalf Farmer Action Groups (FAGs) throughout the WA dairy sector
  

Feedbase

Goal:

To increase the capacity of the WA dairy sector to derive optimum production from new and existing feed sources – both pastures, conserved fodders and grains.

Strategies:

• To investigate through Greener Pastures, the opportunities that exist to increase pasture production and utilisation through strategic use of Nitrogen
  
• To reinforce the learnings from the Vasse Milk Farmlets, in particular the opportunity to increase production through increased stocking rates, by highlighting the stockrates achieved by partner farms; and via the three Profits from Pastures discussion groups
  
• To continue to extend messages derived from the Making Cents of Fertiliser course
  To provide on-going learning through the Profits from Pastures extension course
  
• To promote understanding of feedbase management through farm walks and discussion groups
  
• To re-introduce TopFodder extension packages

Industry Image and Marketing

Goal:

To facilitate and nurture the development of a positive industry image so that individual dairy farmers, farmer organisations, local community, metropolitan community and government perceive dairy as a professional and thriving sector making a strong contribution to the WA economy.

Strategies:

To develop a whole-of-industry -supported marketing plan to ensure a coordinated, united, innovative approach to promoting the WA dairy industry

• To work with Dairy Australia’s marketing and corporate affairs departments in developing resources and material to highlight the success stories of the WA dairy industry that will in turn lead to improved individual and industry self image
  
• To develop products and tools that will showcase the WA dairy industry as an attractive investment option
  
• To ensure that WA dairy farmers are well aware of the value they receive from the Dairy Service levy and that they make the appropriate linkages between Western Dairy and Dairy Australia

Western Dairy Operation and Management

Goal:

To prudently and efficiently manage the affairs of Western Dairy in an open, transparent and consultative manner to ensure WA dairy farmers are provided with timely, relevant and best-practise research, development and extension that will make a strong contribution to sustainable productivity improvements.

Strategies:

• Develop, review and maintain a Memorandum of Understanding with the Western Australian Farmers Federation (WAFF) to ensure research and extension priorities and actions are well aligned with industry policies
  
• Consult annually with industry to ensure strategic and operational planning for Western Dairy reflects fully the wishes and needs of industry
  
• Operate Board meetings according to best practise, including working to an annual agenda (attached); the development of timed and planned Board meetings and the instigation of annual Board and EO reviews
  
• Operate according to a defined succession plan to ensure smooth identification of potential new Board members and to effect a quality transition and induction period for new Board members
  
• To maintain the highest level of book-keeping and administration support to ensure quality accounting procedures and audit-ready record keeping
  

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