Women inspiring women

This year Gippsland’s women in dairy joined together on Friday, November 29, at Moe, to share lunch and to hear from a panel of inspiring speakers.

Led by GippsDairy’s Kim Price, dairy farmers Chris Anderson, Lyn Hornby and Thelma Hutchison, discussed their histories in the industry and provided advice about longevity.

Chris grew up in Heyfield, moving to Melbourne to work as a computer programmer and systems analysis.

She returned to the family dairy farm when she married Graeme Anderson.

Chris’ father built one of the first 28-unit rotary dairies with a steel deck in 1974, on their farm.

Chris said Graeme was keen to be a dairy farmer, so long as the role took second place to his sport interests — local cricket and football.

Chris and Graeme raised three children and that focus on sport continued for the family and expanded to include local theatre. As adults, one of their sons has taken over the farm.

Thelma Hutchison was a kindergarten teacher before she began working as a sharefarmer with her new husband, John, in 1977.

Five years later, they purchased John’s parents farm and continued dairy farming until 2009.

Thelma has mentored many young people in the dairy industry.

When they were in their late 40s, Lyn and Les Hornby decided to change their careers and they leased a dairy farm at Mountain View.

Lyn and Les have sharefarmed on a number of dairy farms in South Gippsland, and now milk 600 cows on a leased farm near Lang Lang. They also own a dairy farm at Monomeith.

Lyn remains hands-on with their farm business, raising calves and managing the administration and finances, while mentoring the next generation in the industry.

The three women discussed the challenges of balancing budgets against unexpected weather conditions and machinery and maintenance needs on the farm.

“Know your area of expertise and trust people to do their job,” Lyn said.

“Plan jobs around the environment and weather conditions.”

Lyn gave her insights into dealing with situations where the milk cheque doesn’t cover the expenses for that month and the next consignment of calves are not ready to sell.

“I learned the value of phoning people and telling them they were going to receive a part-payment,” she said.

Chris said when Graeme and herself had to make important decisions, they would go away from the farm for a couple of days, giving themselves the space and time to have deep conversations.

“There is always going to be a crisis, so you manage a dairy farm in that environment,” Chris said.

Thelma said dairy farming taught her there were differing learning and communicating styles, even among family members.

She would manage tasks by making a list of jobs that needed doing and allowing people to nominate themselves to them.

But Thelma would insist on every job being shared.

“Most jobs on farms need more than one person to do them. On your rosters, make sure there are at least two people working on a job,” Thelma said.

“Having at least two people working on a task is also a safety aspect of farming.”

Thelma said a quad bike was the best investment she made on the farm.

It enabled her to travel across the farm, regardless of weather or conditions.

With her background in the computer industry, Chris appreciates how data systems and technology can help farmers manage their dairy businesses.

“Know your bottom 10 per cent of cows, and sell them in a tough year,” she said.

“Technology has taught us which are our profitable cows and gives us the tools and knowledge to make better decisions for our business.”

All three women recommended having personal interests that take them away from the farm every week.

Lyn is a member of a walking group and enjoys gardening.

“Stay true to yourself and your values, feel safe and supported to express your concerns,” she said.

“Get involved in the community,” Thelma said.

Chris recommended counselling as a matter of course.

“It’s important for everyone to acknowledge they need to talk with other people, spending time at activities we enjoy, and making sure we’re checking in with each other,” Chris said.

The women in dairy group is three years strong and a joint initiative between dairy farmers, GippsDairy and industry service providers.

The organising committee includes dairy farmers Belinda Griffin, Rose Atherton, Leesa Williams, Rosalie Coleman, Sarah O’Brien, GippsDairy’s Karen McLennan, Dairy Australia’s Robyn McLean, Allison Potter from Bulla Foods, and Jen Williams from Bega Cheese.

The organising committee aims to hold a few social activities throughout the year based on local area requests, and host the major end-of-year gathering.