Young farmer to celebrate World Milk Day by milking 'a whole lot of cows'

Hemmed in by residential and industrial land, Ms Kelly said she's the sixth generation of dairy farmers in the family.

She runs the property with her father Gerry.

To celebrate World Milk Day, on Saturday, June 1, she said she'd be "milking a whole lot of cows with pride".

"I am very passionate about the dairy industry and I really love my job," Ms Kelly said.

She said her grandparents first purchased the property after running a dairy farm in Cheltenham - "they were market gardeners, too".

"I love working with the animals, I love the family aspect, working alongside my Dad - we are able to have the whole family involved - and the flexibility, as well," she said.

"I am able to milk the cows, take my kids to school, get back and start work again."

She has three girls, Milly, 14, Pearl, 12, and Daisy, five and said she was hopeful they would follow in the family's footsteps.

"I love what I do - I am doing a job that has meaning, a lot of people need milk as it's healthy and nutritious," she said.

World Milk Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to recognise the importance of milk for good health and to celebrate the dairy industry's contribution to jobs, communities and the economy.

Ms Kelly said every day, dairy farming became more sustainable - "more so than the alternative products".

"Dairy milk is straight from the cow, it's a natural product," she said.

"World Milk Day is a good reminder for all Australian dairy farmers to recognise the importance the industry has on feeding the nation, and the importance of milk and its health benefits."

She said the family was currently increasing its herd from 250 to 280 head.

"I went off farm, and had my babies, and now I am back, managing and helping dad and the farm is thriving," she said.

"I'm so proud to be working in an industry that makes a difference," Ms Kelly said.

As a 2024 Farmer Ambassador Ms Kelly said it was important for dairy farmers to celebrate World Milk Day.

"We work very hard to produce high quality milk," she says.

She admitted dairy farmers were "a bit nervous", with the new season's milk prices yet to be released.

"We are, we are, but we are prepared," she said.

"We've done some tough times, so we are preparing, as it won't stay the way it is now."

That included reigning in input costs, where they could.

Ms Kelly said increasing the herd would also the farm, which supplies Australian Dairy Farmers Corporation (ADFC) to produce more milk.

"We need more than 800 cents/kilogram Milk Solids (kg/MS), but it's not my choice," she said.

But it was vital that agriculture was retained in the areas, close to the city.

"Another sustainability problem is bringing all these food products back into the CDB - we want our produce local and fresh, but it's just getting further and further away."

She said the farm was in a Green Wedge, which offered some protection.

"People are very interested, once they find out we are there, in what we do and how we do it - they've never been to a dairy farm before, had nothing to do with it," she said.

"I am keen to get people on-farm, if they are wanting to learn."

"I love to show how well I look after my cows - they have beautiful lives, they are so healthy and fat.

"I love to show what I have done with them."

But despite the farm being in the middle of housing and industrial estates, "surprisingly we don't have a lot of problems," she said

"A lot of people just don't know we are there - friends from my kids' school come over, and say 'I've lived here my whole life and I didn't realise you were here," she said.

Ms Kelly is also chair of the Gippsland Young Dairy Network.

To find out more, visit www.dairy.com.au/worldmilkday