Sharing secrets to success

Now they’re keen to share their positive story of their sharefarming journey to show that it can be a great way to enter the dairy industry.

Greg and Kim have been on the farm owned by the Richmond family for six years and have become staunch advocates for the sharefarming system.

Greg grew up in the area with his dairy farming parents and used to drive past this farm on the bus on his way to school.

Greg’s family farm was sold in 2014 and he met Kim while studying agriculture, both worked in northern Victoria for a few years until the sharefarming opportunity came up in 2018.

Kim had grown up on a farm in southern NSW and worked in ruminant nutrition for a stock feed company, while Greg had several on-farm jobs including operating his family’s dairy farm with his brother.

He had known the Richmond family since working on their mixed enterprise farm at Little River.

They wanted to expand into dairy and in 2018 spoke with Greg and Kim about sharefarming together.

“They are a progressive family and I looked back fondly on my time working there and often spoke to them about opportunities,” Greg said.

Greg had worked on a 600-cow corporate farm and Kim had worked around large farms and they were excited about the opportunities that dairy could provide.

“Sharefarming can have a fairly negative rap in the industry at times,” Kim said.

“In my prior role, you always heard the negatives about sharefarming and relationships, it was never about the good things.

“That’s why we like to tell our story. It has been a great thing for us and a fantastic way to get into the industry on a reasonable-sized farm.

“It can be a really positive thing.”

Another driver at the time was the dairy industry downturn.

“From an investment point of view, it was the perfect time to get in,” Greg said.

“We were confident the business would bounce.”

The milking platform is 590 hectares, but the land covers a total of 1100 hectares with grazing areas and run-off blocks.

The Wilsons and their 10 full-time staff now run between 1100 and 1200 medium-to-large mostly Holstein cows, with a few cross-breds and Ayrshires.

They bought 700 cows off the previous farm owner.

“We quickly grew our herd,” Kim said.

“We realised we needed to milk more cows to service debt and to grow our business.

“Soon after we started here, the Richmond family bought the farm next door so that gave us good scope to grow,” Greg said.

The two farms have been combined to run as one business and the second dairy will be in use in the next 12-18 months.

“We will have two functional 60 and 50-bale rotary dairies, so we think 1400-1500 cows is probably the sweet spot,” Greg said.

Starting to run the second dairy wasn’t an option for a couple of years during COVID-19 because they couldn’t get enough staff, but they now have a good team, half made up of locals and half backpackers.

The cows are producing 600-650kg MS, something they continuously try to improve through feeding and breeding.

“We just try to breed a better cow that is sound and will have longevity in our herd,” Greg said.

“We’re pasture-based and focus on grass first and foremost and then supplement feed with grain and silage when needed.

“We’re generally lucky with growth, but this year is a challenge. It has been a tough autumn, but we try to be prepared for dry periods. We’ll come out of it all right.”

They calve four times a year, all to timed AI, with the herd split for two calvings in autumn and two in spring.

They continue to see the importance of partnerships and relationships, and not just in the sharefarming agreement.

“We’re fortunate because we both had trust in one another,” Greg said.

“There have been some frank and robust discussions, especially in the early days, but they came from a good spot because it was about getting better at what we’re doing.

“It’s a real partnership. To make it work, you’ve got to speak your mind and have respect at all times.”

Kim adds that it’s important not to have an “us and them” attitude and to look to achieve things together.

“It was a huge risk, but it’s something we wanted to do and we’re really enjoying the industry,” she said.

“Once you commit to it, you have to make it work.”

While they are committed to the partnership, they also have long-term plans to buy land, even if it’s an outpaddock attached to the business.

“We don’t have a timeframe on it from either side; we see sharefarming as a long-term venture,” Kim said.

The award was based on their positive relationship and identifying and managing risks.

Having fodder reserves and going into a fresh milk contract with Coles three years ago have helped to address risks.

“We were lucky to get that,” Kim said.

“We tried once and they gave us things to work on – mostly increasing the fat percentage, which was about feeding the cows more consistent balanced rations.

“We weren’t ready the first time. We hadn’t bedded down the business enough to know we could meet those targets, but we fixed things and it has been a fantastic contract for us.”

While they have achieved some great things, Greg and Kim keep coming back to relationships in the sharefarming agreement and beyond.

“It’s partly due to the great relationships we have with industry people right through our business, ag contractors, vets, semen reps that add great value to our business,” Kim said.

Building a great team of staff around them is also key to their success.

“We became aware quite early how important relationships are and we have continued to build on that.”

They both advocate for the sharefarming system – with some sage advice.

“Do your groundwork first on the arrangement and make sure there’s no grey area,” Greg said.

“Approach it as a team and have a real understanding of what you’re getting into, and have a clear understanding of who is responsible for what and your expectations.”

“It all comes down to relationships and being able to communicate.”