Dianna and her partner Steve Shipton milk 180-200 Friesians on their 263ha farm at Coolagalite, near Cobargo, in NSW supplying Bega Cheese.
They have been involved in dairying full time since 2000 and remain passionate and committed to the industry.
“Steve loves growing grass, I love seeing the cows kept in good order,” Ferguson says.
Her great grandparents started milking on the farm about 70 years ago. She and Shipton started working on the farm in 2000 and bought into the property in 2004, firstly through purchasing cows, plant and equipment and then buying the property in 2010.
They milk off less than half the dryland farm, the rest is used for dry cows and heifers and some cropping. Ferguson grew up on the coast at Tathra and studied and worked in Canberra for six years before meeting Mr Shipton, who was a diesel mechanic and had come off a beef farm.
From age eight most of her school holidays were spent at the Cobargo farm. “Some of my fondest memories are there,” she adds.
In 2000, the couple was returning to the farm to help out which solidified their passion.
“That became our number one. We both love the cows and the land and work well together,” she says.
“Whether it’s the cows and their genetics or a passion for working with the soils, there is a lot of reward in what we do on the dairy. It gives you a lot of fulfilment.”
Since taking over the farm they have concentrated on increasing production.
The farm today has a strong in-calf rate and a peak of 33 litres per cow in spring and averages of 28-29 litres across the year.
“When you work hard and get cows in calf and produce milk like that, that is one of our proudest moments,” says Ferguson.
“We like to maintain their condition and have good feed throughout their lactation,” she says. The farm uses some purchased high quality tested concentrate and fodder feed, but aims to make as much home-grown feed and silage as possible depending on conditions.
She admits the intensity has been challenging but at the same time rewarding.
Dairying remains the predominant farming practice in the region, with about 80 local farms supplying Bega, and Ferguson is confident about the future.
She represents her area on the Far South Coast Dairy Development Group which likewise has gained momentum in recent years as optimism grows in the industry.
Their farm has been involved in succession planning and an environmental program with Bega Cheese that has led to new laneways, biodiversity areas, creek crossings and revegetation works.
“When it rains and you’ve got grass and cows in good order, it is very rewarding. That’s what keeps you going,” she says.
• Editor’s notes: This story was run in the last issue of Dairy News with the wrong photo. The error is regretted.
