• Home
  • Dairy Farming

Dairy Farming

Dairy Farming in Australia


Introduction to Dairy Farming in Australia

For a long time now, Australian dairy farming has developed to be a vibrant, most innovative and a more successful industry in this nation. The farming contributes approximately $13 billion to the Australian economy.

Dairy cows were recorded to arrive in this country in the year 1788, the time when the first fleet was observed in New South Wales. It is said that 2 bulls and 7 cows escaped from England and made a very long trip to the nearby bushland.  Here they multiplied and made up to a herd of 61 for a period of six years.

The Australian farmers then adapted to the environment more quickly from where they started the process of making products like cheese and butter in the summer and spring seasons when the cows are said to produce a lot of milk. The products were then preserved with the use of salt for consumption during the winter and autumn periods.

The dairy industry ever since has been observed to be growing so fast. By the year 1800, Australia had recorded to be in possession of approximately 710 cows and 320 bulls. Coming to the year 1805, an Australian by the name Dr John, constructed the first ever commercial dairy as another land company called Van Diemen built the only Austrian commercial cheese industry in a place called Tasmania in the year 1820. Thereafter, a number of NSW farmers started sending the dairy farming products to this company by using the sea.

Reaching the year 1832, a person by the name John Fawker moved to Melbourne together with 2 calves and 2 cows. The conditions in the place where so favourable and ideal for dairy farming such that the herd grew so fast and made up to a population of 155 within a single year. By the start of the year 1850, the total number of cattle in this area was 347,000.The population multiplied so fast, such that by the year 1891, there were approximately 1,000,000 dairy cattle in Australia.

Many Australian dairy farmers normally started at a low level of small subsistence farms which only were capable of producing food that was just enough for their respective families’ needs. However, a big change was recorded as result of the population that was increasing each and every day. This made the demand for food to increase consequently at the same rate.

The small farms were forced to adapt to the commercial farms as a result. This is made it possible for providing the Australians within and outside the country. These farmers are currently hiring skilled labour to carry out their operations. At times they are observed to be sharing their farms with other families as one way of enhancing the running of business farms. Also, farmers use the modern technology to manage their process in a cost-effectively way, sustainably and in an efficient manner which is a throughway to enjoying a lot of associated with lifestyle.

Dairy Farming Regions and their Facts

The number of dairy farms recorded in Australia currently is approximately 6,400. The size of the respective herd had been recorded to have risen from 85 in the year 1980 to approximately 250 in the year 2013. Australian is recorded to be hosting 1,650,000 dairy cows as per now that is used for producing around 9, 200, 000, 000 litres of milk. The stated Australian farms are located throughout the Victoria area, south of Australia, NSW, Queensland, the west of Australia and Tasmania.