REPRESENTATIVES from the United States Department of Agriculture have been given an insight into Gippsland’s dairy industry.
The small delegation, consisting of employees based at the US embassy in Canberra, were hosted by GippsDairy – the Gippsland-based arm of research & development firm Dairy Australia – as they toured the region, examining innovative and pioneering dairy practices.
GippsDairy regional manager Karen McLennan said the tour was about providing the USDA with “a strong understanding of what makes Gippsland a little bit unique, compared to other parts of Australia.”
As part of their two-day tour, the delegation visited the Ellinbank Smartfarm to observe its technology and research initiatives, the Burra Foods facility in Korumburra to learn about its milk processors, and a number of dairy farms large and small.
GippsDairy also used the visit to discuss how their products are promoted in the United States and further opportunities for trade.
It is the third such tour GippsDairy has hosted in recent weeks, with a delegation from the government of Japan having also visited the region.
Both the Japanese and American delegations have toured Gippsland at a turbulent time for the agricultural industry, with the ongoing war in Ukraine having affected the global supply of various farming products.
But according to Ms McLennan, the dairy sector is faring better than most owing to the high milk prices, “which means that farmers are getting paid well.”
“Obviously, there are high input costs as well – whether it’s fertiliser, whether it’s grain… to keep animals producing well,” Ms McLennan said
“But I think overall, it’s a good milk price, so some of that increase in income is offsetting some of those increases in cost as well.
“I think most (farmers) are faring well, but if the milk price drops and the import costs still stayed high, I think that would make some people think about whether they wanted to stay in dairy.”
Having concluded their brief stay in Gippsland last Thursday, the USDA delegation has now returned to Canberra.
