As Australian dairy farms have expanded and herd sizes grown, the demand for skilled labour has increased —but finding local workers can be challenging. In this episode, we explore how employing overseas staff through various visa options and the Dairy Industry Labour Agreement can help fill the gap.

Migration agent Fadi Malek, who is Director of Global Skilled Employment Services and NSW dairy farmer Andrew Farr join us to unpack the process of registering, recruiting, and employing international workers. While not a one-size-fits-all solution, overseas labour—when managed well—can be a rewarding option for both employers and employees.

Join us in our milestone 50th podcast, to learn about the opportunities, challenges, and practical steps involved in bringing skilled workers to your farm.

Topics include:

• Types of visas – what might suit your situation
• Worker rights and pay rates
• Dairy Industry Labour Agreement (DILA)
• Registering as a potential overseas labour employer
• Effective working relationships and cultural considerations
• Assistance with recruitment and immigration processes

Learn more:

The People in Dairy – Hiring people from overseas.

Dairy Australia fact sheets:

Dairy Industry Labour Agreement (DILA) – What you need to know.

DILA - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Global Skilled Employment Services.

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit – further information and resources are available here - Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include;

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter - Connect with us | Department of Primary Industries

Transcript here

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.

Producing milk with less lactose – why might this be important? Our guest this month is Juan Garguilo, one of my NSW DPIRD colleagues. Juan has been involved in a number of research projects as part of the NSW Dairy Up R& D initiative and if you are a long-term listener of this podcast, you will have heard his Argentinian accent before!

Juan, in conjunction with other well known dairy researchers, Professor Yani Garcia (University of Sydney) and Russ Hovey (University of California – Davis) has analysed the lactose content in milk – lactose being a milk solid that you don’t normally hear too much about. Understanding and manipulating lactose content of milk may have farm level and industry level benefits as described by Juan in discussion with Zita Ritchie in this podcast.

Project Update – Producing Milk with less lactose

DairyUp website

Journal of Dairy Science paper

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit – further information and resources are available here - Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include;

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter - Connect with us | Department of Primary Industries

Transcript here

Produced by Video Lift

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.

We are now entering milk pricing season in the Australian dairy industry, which means there will be plenty of headline news as we head into milk processors announcing prices on the 1st June as required under the mandatory Dairy Code of Conduct.

Joanne Bills, Director of the Global Insights team with Ever.Ag (Freshagenda) outlines their forecast around milk pricing with particular reference to the NSW industry and we also discuss some of the implications of the Trump Administration’s tariff announcements on the Australian dairy industry.

Milk Value Portal (MVP)

Fresh Agenda Quarterly Insights Report (MVP)

Farmgate Milk Value tool (MVP - calculator)

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit – further information and resources are available here - Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter - Connect with us | Department of Primary Industries

Transcript here

Produced by Video Lift

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.

Over 170 dairy farms across SE QLD and the North Coast of NSW were impacted by severe flooding and wet conditions as a result of Tropical Cyclone Alfred in early March this year, 2025. This resulted in losses of power, pasture and crop and other feed losses, for some farms a period of time where milk was unable to be picked up and infrastructure damage on farm and off farm such as land slips impacting road access to farms.

Herd health is always a major issue in this situation and this month we focus particularly on the impact of mastitis, lameness and the conditions for people on the farm. While the floods have receded, the management of these conditions continues and I am very pleased to have veterinarian Dr Mark Humphris and Riverina dairy farmer, Ruth Kydd join me in discussion today.

NSW Rural Assistance Authority – Natural Disaster Transport Subsidy

NSW Rural Assistance Authority – Natural Disaster Relief Loan

QLD Freight subsidies for disaster affected Primary Producers - Freight Subsidies for Disaster Affected Primary Producers QLD | business.gov.au

QLD Rural & Industry Development Authority – Disaster Assistance Loan - Disaster Assistance Loans | Queensland Rural and Industry

QLD Rural & Industry development Authority – Disaster Assistance (Essential Working Capital Loan) - Disaster Assistance (Essential Working Capital) Loan |

Fact sheets – Dairy Australia:

“Managing Lameness in Wet Conditions” and “Mastitis Control in Wet Conditions”

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit – further information and resources are available here - Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter - Connect with us | Department of Primary Industries

Transcript here

Produced by Video Lift

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.

Too hot, too dry, too wet - seasonal conditions can be challenging to manage for those on the land. Forecasting for the season ahead can be difficult but is important when planning what you will do now or in the coming months. The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Climate team have some excellent freely available resources including a recently released Drought Forecasting tool. Kel Langfield and Jen Wurtzel from the team step us through these tools and how they can be used by farmers and their advisors. Please use the links in the show notes to access these tools and other information, noting that the State Seasonal Update report is released at the beginning of the month and the drought forecast maps are updated twice a month.

Email the team: seasonal.conditions@dpird.nsw.gov.au

DPIRD Climate webpage

State Seasonal Update

Drought forecast

Combined Drought Indicator

Farm Tracker App

My Farm Dashboard

Survey - Have Your Say

Seasonal Conditions Information Portal

Climate Dogs

BoM Outlooks

Climate Forecasts and Monitoring

Seasonal Climate Forecasts in Australian Agriculture Case Studies

Drought Hub

LLS

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit – further information and resources are available here - Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter

Transcript here

Produced by Video Lift

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.

Are you a farmer or interested party looking to undertake a development on your dairy farm? Planning farm developments is complex and involves planning and assessment requirements which can be tricky to navigate. This month my colleague Zita Ritchie discusses the recent release of the NSW Dairy Development Guidelines with Clare Fitzpatrick who is a renowned and respected planning consultant within the dairy industry.

The guidelines are designed to help anyone involved in decision making around planning, design, construction and operation of a dairy development. They also contain an excellent farmer checklist highlighting key areas to consider when planning a development and a checklist for a development application.

A link to the guidelines is provided in the show notes.

NSW Dairy Development and Environmental Guidelines 2024 - New developments and facilities | Department of Primary Industries

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit

For more information visit Dairy | Department of Primary Industries

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

DPI Intensive Livestock Twitter feed

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter

Connect with us | Department of Primary Industries

Transcript here

Produced by Video Lift

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.

The 13th year of the Dairy Farm Monitor Project in NSW was one in which strong milk prices managed to hold gross farm incomes relatively stable. Increases in operating costs reduced average Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) relative to the previous year, with the most noticeable impact coming from purchased feed costs.

On average, profits for the 36 NSW Dairy Farm Monitor Project (DFMP) participants remained strong at $2.12/kgMS and above the long-term average of $1.36/kgMS, for the fourth consecutive year. This translates to an average return on total assets of 4.5%. This month I discuss the ups and downs of NSW DFMP relative to the previous year with my colleague Zita Ritchie, including some commentary on the GHG emissions profile of the group of farms.

NSW DFMP Annual Reports, Regional Infographics and Interactive Report

NSW DPIRD “NSW Dairy Industry Overview”

Previous podcasts related to economics of intensive dairies:

• Episode 27 “Intensive Dairies – Drivers of Adoption and Profitability”
• Episode 39 “Intensive Dairying – Profitability and Risk Insights”

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

DPI Intensive Livestock Twitter feed

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter

Transcript here

Produced by Video Lift

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.

Very hot – that is the forecast for the summer ahead. Heat has immediate impacts on the performance of our dairy herd and pastures, but it also impacts other industries we rely on such as the broadacre cropping industry. Extensive work has been undertaken by the NSW Department of Primary Industries Climate Vulnerability Assessment program and also our own Dairy Unit through the Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program to understand what the on farm climatic impact will be in NSW dairying regions by 2050.

Our guests this month, James Lawson – Project Officer with the Climate Vulnerability Assessment team and Blake Cheer from the Dairy Unit explain the outlook for the coming 25 years, what we are likely to see and how we can start to manage these conditions on farm and share some useful resources to help inform your decision making now and into the future.

Climate Vulnerability Assessment website

THI Forecasting Tool (Northern Australia Climate Program)

NSW State Seasonal Update

This podcast is an initiative of the NSW DPI Dairy Business Advisory Unit

It is brought to you in partnership the Hunter Local Land Services

Please share this podcast with your fellow farmers and colleagues and feel free to contact us with suggestions or comments via this email address thebusinessofdairy@gmail.com

Further NSW DPI Dairy channels to follow and subscribe to include:

NSW DPI Dairy Facebook page

DPI Intensive Livestock Twitter feed

NSW DPI Dairy Newsletter

Transcript here

Produced by Video Lift

The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.