The consultations are available to dairy and beef producers who would like to discuss their plans with a nutritionist or business management specialist.

Dr Steve Little who designed the program for Dairy Australia, said the feedback so far had been extremely positive.

“Farmers are telling us they find it useful to discuss their options with an outsider and to go home with decisions written down and a clear plan of how they’ll feed their herd through the winter,” he said.

The 90-minute consultation is confidential and held in a local meeting place. The topics discussed are guided by the farmer’s needs. For example some wish to check whether they have enough feed to meet their herd’s requirements; others have estimated their feed gap and wish to discuss financial options for purchasing feed, or explore options to grow more feed or reduce animal demand.

Even those who have already developed a plan have found it useful to run it past an experienced consultant to confirm they are on the right track.

Shelly Poole, who dairies in northern Victoria with partner Paul Haley, said the consultation gave her confidence they had enough hay and allayed her concerns about needing to purchase more.

“Our cows will be better fed at the start of lactation because the consultation increased our focus on the cows’ diet and how to calculate what they are eating,” she said.
Shelly liked the consultation format. “I really liked that we talked about the issues that I wanted to discuss. It is not often you get the opportunity for free professional advice on nutrition and business management,” she said.

Colac beef producer John Pietsch said he went home feeling more in control of the situation and more confident about his ability to manage through the winter.
“I came home with a very clear plan of the minimum I needed to feed the herd over the winter, how much home-grown feed I can rely on, and what the gap is that I’ll need to fill with purchased hay or straw,” said John.

feed.FIBRE.future is a joint initiative by the dairy and beef industries, which is being delivered by Dairy Australia with funding from the Federal Government.

To register for a free consultation, contact your regional drought co-ordinator, listed below.

NVic  John Boyd  P: 03 5852 0533 M: 0400 083 285 E: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
SWVic  Jeff Lawes P: 03 5592 2477 M: 0418 717 552 E: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Gipps Deanne Kennedy P: 03 5659 4219 M: 0419 878 055  E: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
NSW  Jess Jennings  M: 0423 224 750 E: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Qld  Theresa Kunde M: 0428 147 749 E: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Tas Fiona Gluszyk P: 03 6332 1800 E: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
SA Kirstie Murphy P: 08 8536 3958 M: 0408 088 624  E: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
WA Lara Swift     P: 08 9486 2100 E: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
NT  Ian McLean     M: 0401 118 191 E: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it