In the ever-developing world of dairy farming, agronomists like Matt Thompson of MNC Agronomy in Manning Valley, NSW, play a crucial role in navigating the challenges of sustainability and managing input requirements on the farm. With over 20 years of agronomy experience, and 15 years as an independent consultant for MNC Agronomy, Matt specialises in soil, pasture, and livestock health on dairy farms, offering tailored solutions to enhance both economic and environmental sustainability for his clients.
"Being an agronomist servicing predominantly dairy farmers offers unique day-to-day accountability compared to other primary production enterprises," Matt explains. He finds immense satisfaction in the immediate feedback from milk production data, which helps him fine-tune soil and pasture improvement programs. This daily data ensures that his recommendations lead to desired animal production and farm productivity outcomes. “Unlike many grazing-based livestock enterprises, dairying gives my clients data daily, which allows us to critique previous days management processes and pasture health, holding us accountable to the decisions we have made around soil health and pasture composition” he says. “Furthermore, it ensures I, as an agronomist, am proactive with my pasture management recommendations, making decisions based on livestock production rather than simply growing more grass” Matt continues, which he says was seen to be the traditional role as an Agronomist.
MNC Agronomy’s focus on soil health, particularly improving soil structure, which includes increasing soil carbon levels, has yielded impressive results. "I like to think many of my dairy clients are well ahead in this regard, with measurable and significant increases in soil carbon levels over the past 10-15 years," he notes. These improvements have boosted water and nutrient holding capacity, enhancing production even during adverse weather conditions such as low rainfall or excessive heat events. “It’s not so much under “ideal” growth conditions you see the benefits, but the shoulder periods, where it may be drier or wetter than ideal, is where enhanced soil structure really shines. And in the variable climatic zone in Coastal NSW, we tend to spend a fair bit of our growing seasons in less-than-ideal conditions, hence the focus” Matt articulates.
Sustainability is at the heart of Matt's consultancy. "Our agronomy consultancy isn’t about just growing more green grass; it’s about improving the sustainability of my clients' businesses both economically and environmentally, for the long-term," he emphasises. Being an integral part of his clients' decision-making and problem-solving processes, Matt takes pride in contributing to their success by implementing new technologies and strategies tailored to each farm's unique needs; “No paddock or farm is the same as another, so it’s important to have specific plans for each client, tailored not only to the soil types across their properties, but the infrastructure available and management priorities set” he continues, “it’s also very important that modern farmers value and prioritise work-life balance, particularly time with their families away from the farm, and structure their business accordingly, which is something that certainly has not been a priority in previous generations from my experience” Matt comments, “but I have seen a notice shift the past 5-10 years, particularly with my clients with young families”.
One of the primary challenges facing dairy farmers today is the escalating cost of doing business. "Like all Australian small businesses now, cost of doing business, in particular input costs, are a significant challenge at the moment," Matt says. To combat this, he and his clients are utilising alternative options for soil health inputs, prioritising on-farm and local resources over traditional imported products.
This approach not only cuts costs but also enhances the farm's sustainability. “Improving utilisation of captured on farm effluent (solids and liquids) on farm management zones which are depleted in certain nutrients not only improves productivity but saves money versus purchasing fertilisers from external sources” Matt comments. “However, the cost-effective application of on-farm effluent is challenging, particularly with wet seasonal conditions as we have experienced in 2024. Therefore, targeted applications of imported organic manure sources helps fill the gap, particularly when only small application windows (due to weather and grazing rotation) are available” Matt said.
Explore the GRO Rural Dairy Registry today to connect with experts like Matt Thompson and discover a range of services to support your dairy farming needs. Dairy service providers can now claim a FREE 12-month subscription to connect with more farmers in need of their expertise. Contact Jess@grorural.com.au to set up your free profile.
This activity is made possible through the generous support of the Australian and NSW Governments’ Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program.
