Focus Farms Project
Focus Farms Project
Murray Dairy with assistance from the Gardiner Foundation has established 4 focus farms to be monitored over a 2 year period.
The four Focus Farms are Mark and Narelle McDonald, Tallangatta South, Colin and Ross Read, Toolamba, Andrew and Rebecca Phillips, Naring via Cobram and Leigh ”Skeeta” Verhey and Angela Turner of Koondrook.
The Focus Farms project will help farmers better understand their farm business systems and analyse the impact of on farm development and decision making options including risk
management on farm.
Business goals are production or finance directed, with elements of lifestyle balance, succession planning and farm development included.
Each Focus Farm is supported by an experienced farm consultant who facilitates a support group of 15-25 people consisting of local farmers and service providers invited to participate by the Focus Farm owner. The support group’s role is to explore options in the steps leading to reaching the goals set by Focus Farm owners and offer suggestions for management alternatives.
Each Focus farm and support group will meet regularly up to 10 times a year. Opportunity is also provided for greater dairy community to attend open days to discuss farm performance and management changes.
Each year the goals and strategies selected are analysed and reported on through industry publications, Rural Weekly papers, Murray Dairy Website and information circulation lists. Thereby improving the overall performance of the farm as well as improving skills and knowledge of owners, support group members and participants who attend the open day meetings.
The Focus Farm project also provides opportunities for four service providers to be mentored by an experienced consultant to develop there facilitation skills and knowledge of all aspects of the dairy farm business.
For further information please contact Tori Rath on 03 5833 5927.
