Learning to lead: a dairy duo’s management shift
Dairy farming couple Adrian Parsons and Tori Boyle credit the Dairy Australia Manager/2IC Program with strengthening their management approach - particularly people management skills.
Adrian and Tori manage one of the five Boshier Farms in Ecklin South, in Western Victoria milking 800 Holsteins alongside one full‑time employee and up to three backpackers, depending on the season.
Tori says the Manager/2IC Program has made a noticeable improvement to her management and processes.
The program equips participants with the knowledge, skills and resources to improve people and business management.
"We learned a lot across the board, but the people management component really stood out. We’ve always known that everyone works differently, but gaining a deeper understanding of those differences- and how to communicate more effectively - has genuinely improved how we lead our team," says Tori.
"We’ve started using more open‑ended questions, improved our rostering, and planned our time better in the lead‑up to busy periods. It’s reduced pressure on us and on the team."
Adrian has been dairy farming his whole life and has been in his current management role for three years. Even with decades of experience, he found the course worthwhile.
"We split‑calve -500 in autumn and 300 in spring. With the workload changing so much, we bring in backpackers during peak times to keep labour efficient," says Adrian.
"With different nationalities and varying levels of English, communication is crucial. We’ve always held weekly team meetings, but now they’re more of a two‑way conversation rather than Tori and I just giving instructions. Backing up those discussions through our WhatsApp group has also helped ensure everyone knows what’s happening and when."
The benefits of completing the 2IC/Manager program extended beyond Adrian and Tori. Farm owners Jed Boshier and Ella Credlin say the program is also a smart investment in their business.
"Good people are the reason we can do what we do, so we want to support their growth," Jed says.
"Courses like this are a win for everyone - they learn new skills, and the business improves as a result. We’ve already sent three of our managers and plan to send another to the next intake."
The Manager/2IC Program focuses on skills that are harder to learn on the job. Alongside a strong emphasis on people management, the course covers farm business management in depth, including budgeting, data analysis, business obligations, and performance reporting. Participants then bring everything together through planning for success and identifying next steps.
Adrian says he’s looking forward to applying more of the business‑management skills.
"We work to budgets now but going forward it’ll be great to work more closely with Jed and Ella on detailed budgeting, benchmarking, and business performance.
"Overall, the course was excellent. Some things we could implement straight away, and others we’ll return to over time. We now have a much better understanding of the behind‑the‑scenes side of running a farm business."
The Manager/2IC Program runs over four days - one day a week for four consecutive weeks.
If you’re a manager who would like to further develop your skills, or a senior farm hand looking to take the next step, the Manager/2IC program is for you. Capped at 30 participants and starting on Tuesday 30 June in Timboon, register for the 2026 program so you don’t miss out: Manager/2IC Course | Dairy Australia.