Profitable farming in a lower milk price year, Smithton - DairyTas & TIA

Much has changed in our dairy systems over the past 3 years. Milk price has been very good, but cost of production has also risen. In a year where milk price has reduced we need to take the time to analyse what we are doing on farm to make sure we are getting the most out of resources.

Join the TIA and DairyTas teams as they host visit Irish Farm Profitability Programme Coordinator for Teasgasc, John McCabe as we discuss the drivers of profit in pasture based systems in Tasmania as well as around the world.

John is the coordinator of a farm profitability programme in conjunction with Aurivo Cooperative who are a major milk processor in the north west of Ireland, working with their 20 discussion groups, running public events, carrying out supplier data analysis and supporting dairy farmers in the technical aspects of running a profitable and labour efficient dairy farm.

He has helped farmers to implement pasture-based systems on marginal land types for the past few years. He also spent four to five years working in the South of the country in a similar role with a large milk processor. He has first-hand experience in driving the uptake of research on dairy farms. After completing his studies at University College Dublin, he spent two years working on and managing dairy farms in the UK and Ireland.

John's work within Ireland places him well to comment on how we as Tasmanian Farmers can manage our way through a lower milk price year.