Celebrating 30 Years of GippsDairy

When GippsDairy was formed in 1996, it began with a big task - to help bring together the needs, ideas and ambitions of one of Australia’s most important dairy regions.

The first office was modest - a room in the back shed at Ellinbank Research Farm. But the ambition was not. GippsDairy was created to give Gippsland dairy farmers a stronger voice in research, development and extension, and to make sure regional priorities were not lost in state or national decision-making.

It was the second Regional Development Program to be formed in Victoria, following WestVic Dairy, and from the beginning it had a clear purpose: to connect the people, knowledge and resources needed to strengthen the Gippsland dairy industry.

The first GippsDairy Board met with Executive Officer Sandra Jefford in January 1996. An interim committee had already spent time considering the Board’s role, mission and membership, with board members sought to represent UDV District Councils in Gippsland, the UDV Gippsland Research Committee, government research and extension, dairy manufacturing companies, education providers and independent industry representatives.

It was a practical structure for a practical industry. Farmers, processors, service providers, researchers and educators all had a stake in the future of Gippsland dairy. GippsDairy’s role was to bring those voices together and turn regional needs into action.

Built through consultation

One of the first things the new Board did was listen.

In 1996, about 300 people attended consultative meetings across Gippsland, from Traralgon, Warragul, Maffra and Yarram to Poowong, Leongatha, Kongwak, Foster, Denison, Trafalgar, Bunyip and

Gruyere. The aim was not simply to tell farmers what GippsDairy would do, but to ask what mattered to them.

Those conversations shaped the first Regional Development Plan. It identified priorities that still feel familiar today: farm business management, labour, access to information, environmental responsibility, animal health, feedbase, farmer confidence, community understanding and industry leadership.

In one sense, it is comforting to see how consistent the themes have been. In another, it is confronting. The pressures have changed, the tools have improved, and the industry has evolved, but the core challenge remains the same: how to help dairy farmers run strong businesses, care for their people and land, and stay confident about the future.

Learning governance while leading an industry

The early years of GippsDairy were also a learning curve for the people around the Board table. Many of the first farmer directors were stepping out of their own farm businesses and into formal governance roles for the first time. They were not only helping shape programs for dairy farmers across Gippsland; they were learning what it meant to govern an organisation, manage priorities, assess projects and make decisions on behalf of a broader industry.

That experience became part of GippsDairy’s wider legacy. The skills developed through the Board - governance, strategy, communication, financial oversight and leadership - did not stay within GippsDairy. Many directors carried those skills into other roles, including sporting clubs, community organisations and other boards.

In that way, GippsDairy helped build more than industry programs. It helped build regional leaders.

Remembering the first Chair

The first Chair of GippsDairy was Don Campbell, a Yannathan dairy farmer remembered for his passion for investing in young people and the future of the dairy industry. Don made it work, balancing the needs of his farm business, home renovations and leading a new organisation.  Don was tragically killed in a car accident in 1998. Don’s contribution has remained part of GippsDairy’s story, particularly through the Don Campbell Memorial Study Tour, which has continued to inspire young dairy farmers to look beyond their own farm gate and see new possibilities for their future in the industry.

A roll call of leadership

Across 30 years, GippsDairy has been shaped by many Chairs, Deputy Chairs, Executive Officers, directors, staff, project contractors, service providers and farmer contributors.
Based on incomplete records (corrections welcomed), the Chair role has been held by Don Campbell, Peter Hanrahan, Ron Paynter, Ian Cougle, Tyran Jones, John Versteden, Matt Gleeson, Graeme Nicoll, Grant Williams, Lauren Finger and Sarah O’Brien.

Deputy Chairs have included Rasa Bennett, Carol Bradshaw, John Hutchison, Tyran Jones, Malcolm Sellen, Neil Walker, John Versteden, Matt Gleeson, Graeme Nicoll, Grant Williams, Lauren Finger, Shiona Berry, Sarah O’Brien and Ken Lawrence.

Executive leadership has included Sandra Jefford, Dr Danielle Auldist, Maree MacPherson, Allan Cameron and Karen McLennan.

From a shed to a regional presence

The physical home of GippsDairy also tells a story of growth. After beginning in a room that was part of a back shed at Ellinbank Research Farm, GippsDairy moved after about 18 months to the McMillan campus, now Community College Gippsland, in Warragul. 

The organisation remained there until 2016, moving through a few different spaces over that time, before relocating to its current office at 6 Endeavour Street, Warragul.

The location changed, but the role remained grounded in the same idea: being close enough to farmers to understand what was happening on the ground, while connected enough to industry, government and research partners to influence what happened next.

Adapting with the industry

The dairy industry around GippsDairy has changed significantly since 1996. Dairy Australia was formed in 2003 through the merger of the Australian Dairy Corporation and the Dairy Research and Development Corporation. GippsDairy continued as one of eight Regional Development Programs across Australia, working closely with Dairy Australia while maintaining its regional focus.

Funding, programs and priorities have shifted over time. Some years brought strong leverage and major external project funding; other years required tighter focus. In 2009–10, for example, GippsDairy used $535,000 from Dairy Australia to help deliver projects into Gippsland valued at more than $4.9 million, supported by funding from organisations including the National Landcare Program, Sustainability Victoria, Gardiner Foundation, catchment management authorities, DPI, the University of Melbourne and Dairy Australia.

In 2016, another major change came with the establishment of a dairy extension team, following the transition of extension delivery from Agriculture Victoria to Victoria’s Regional Development Programs. 

By 2016–17, GippsDairy’s team included regional extension, communications and project staff, reflecting the organisation’s expanded role in delivering practical, regionally relevant support.

The work that shaped a region

Across three decades, GippsDairy’s work has reached into almost every part of the dairy industry.

It has supported farm business management, Focus Farms, Young Dairy, workforce development, discussion groups, drought response, flood and fire recovery, environmental stewardship, mastitis and animal health programs, careers promotion, school engagement, leadership tours, women’s networks, major events and strategic planning.

It has helped turn farmer feedback into practical support. It has given young people pathways into the industry. It has helped farmers access information in difficult seasons. It has supported leadership, built networks and given Gippsland a stronger voice in state and national conversations.

In more recent years, that role has continued to evolve. GippsDairy remains governed by a Board made up of farmer directors, specialist directors and the Executive Officer, with directors appointed for three-year terms and able to serve a maximum of three terms.

The scale of the industry it serves is still significant. In 2024-25, Gippsland included 917 dairy farms, around 299,000 cows, 1,930 million litres of milk, around 6,200 people employed in dairy farming and processing, and a farmgate milk value of around $1.3 billion.

A 30-year contribution

The story of GippsDairy is not only the story of an organisation. It is the story of the people who have kept saying yes to the work of building an industry.

The farmers who left their own farms to sit around board tables.

The Chairs who carried the weight of leadership alongside family and business responsibilities.

The Executive Officers and staff who turned ideas into programs.

The project contractors, consultants and service providers who brought specialist knowledge.

The farmers who hosted events, joined committees, opened their businesses, shared their numbers, asked hard questions and helped others learn.

Thirty years on, GippsDairy’s origin story still explains its purpose today. It was created because Gippsland dairy needed a regional voice, a practical connector and a trusted way to turn farmer priorities into action.

That work has never belonged to one person. It has been carried by many hands, across many seasons, through difficult years and good ones.

And that may be the most important achievement of all: GippsDairy has helped build an industry culture where leadership is shared, knowledge is practical, and the future of Gippsland dairy is something farmers continue to shape for themselves.

Imagine opening your farm gate, your financial records and your decision-making to over 200 people and doing it voluntarily, because you believe what you learn together is worth more than what you'd figure out alone. That's Focus Farms.

For more than two decades, the Focus Farms project has been one of GippsDairy's clearest examples of what farmer-led learning actually looks like in practice - practical, local, honest and transparent real farm businesses.

The idea is simple but powerful: invite a farming family to open up their business, set clear goals, share their figures, welcome advice and allow other farmers, service providers and industry experts to learn alongside them. One farm's journey becomes useful to many. And over time, the whole region moves forward.

The Focus Farm model is based on a support group of farmers, friends, bank representative, accountant and milk processor staff who meet at least 10 times per year and hold a farm open day twice a year.

Built on trust, honesty and shared experience

The Focus Farms model took root in Gippsland in the late 1990s and quickly proved its worth. In 2005–06, the Focus Farms at Fish Creek, Poowong and Wonthaggi concluded after three years, with families Keith and Susan Straw, Tony and Lisa Bodman, and Jeff and Dianne Brusamarello each opening their businesses to a support group of 12 to 18 people that met monthly to review progress, evaluate the current situation and work through short- and long-term decisions.

What made it different was the willingness of those families to make their goals, decisions and business information visible to others. Each farm maintained a mailing list of more than 200 people receiving monthly reports, meaning the learning travelled well beyond the farm gate.

More than 400 people attended nine Focus Farm open days during that year alone, and another 65 requested copies of notes containing templates they could use to review their own businesses.

Focus Farms was never just about the families involved. It was about creating a structure where one farm's lessons could become useful to many.

Focus Farms have had excellent support from local newspapers, radio stations and key publications such as the Weekly Times and Stock and Land over many years. Each of these media sources offered editorial and weekly reports. Each year there were over 50 updates on production, financials and farm activities data. These articles were followed by farmers in Victoria and interstate.

By 2011–12, the project had become a major part of GippsDairy's farm business management work. That year produced one of the most memorable moments in the program's history, when Loch share farming couple Paul and Louise Sherar - described in that year's annual report as going "full Monty" - opened their entire financial accounts to public scrutiny. Their major asset was their herd. Their motivation was straightforward: openness helps others in similar positions.

The six Focus Farm families finishing that year had achieved their goals around profitability, ease of management and farm ownership, while the project had also developed 10 service providers mentored by the consultants running each group.

Passing knowledge from one generation to the next

GippsDairy Chair John Versteden, who participated in Sean and Jen Allen's Drouin South Focus Farm in 2012–13, described the project as being about something Gippsland dairy farmers had always done - older and wiser heads passing knowledge to the next generation - but now with a formal structure around it. He estimated the payback to the region would be "at least five or six-fold."

That year's Focus Farms reflected the diversity of Gippsland dairy businesses. Sean and Jen Allen had recently bought their first property at Drouin South and used the program to challenge their thinking on fertiliser use, grazing systems, grain feeding and business planning.

Jon and Lauren Ryan at Newry entered because they wanted to grow their business and knew they needed help to do it. Facilitator Craig McWhinney said the Ryans' willingness to listen and take advice was one of the reasons they benefited so much from the process.

At Binginwarri, Trent and Belinda Crawford milked a smaller-than-average herd but brought big ambition to the project. Trent summed up the value of the support group simply: "it’s a no-brainer that 20 minds are better than one."

At Loch, Paul and Louise Sherar used the group's collective wisdom as they planned to grow their herd and build their dairy careers - a clear example of how Focus Farms could support young farmers making strategic decisions about business growth, assets and long-term direction.

The best sign a program is working? When people refuse to let it end.

When the Binginwarri Focus Farm wrapped up, members of the support group chose to keep meeting rather than go their separate ways. Facilitated by on-farm consultant Matt Harms, the local farmers and service providers formed their own discussion group, moving from farm to farm and focusing on immediate decisions - setting up for spring, autumn resowing, whatever was front of mind. No program required. No formal structure. Just farmers who had discovered the value of learning together and weren't ready to stop.

That moment says a lot about what Focus Farms actually created. Not just information, but networks, confidence and momentum that in some cases became entirely self-sustaining.

A Gippsland idea goes national

Focus Farms started as a Gippsland response to Gippsland farming needs. But it became a model others wanted to copy.

By 2013–14, four regions, WestVic, Murray Dairy, DairyTas and Dairy NSW were using components of the Gippsland model for focus farms. GippsDairy Executive Officer Dr Danielle Auldist noted that GippsDairy had initiated the project and, with Dairy Australia's support, had been running it for 14 years. At that point, 13 Focus Farms were being delivered across Australia - all of them built on the "farmers learning from farmers" model that Gippsland had developed and refined.

The 2014–15 round showed how adaptable the model had become, with GippsDairy Projects and Events Co-ordinator Karen Romano describing it as the most diverse in the project's history. Four new Focus Farms began at Leongatha South, Toora North, Mirboo North and the Macalister Demonstration Farm at Riverslea. Dan and Cindy Knee at Toora North were navigating the next-generation takeover of a family farm.

The Macalister Demonstration Farm - a community-owned working dairy research property - challenged the traditional Focus Farm model entirely, generating valuable discussion about corporate-style structures, labour, return on investment and decision-making that a conventional owner-operator farm simply couldn't produce.

Open days remained a central part of the model throughout. A nitrogen discussion day at Tim Cashin's Leongatha South farm attracted almost 100 farmers and service providers - a consistent reminder of the appetite for practical, farm-based learning across the region.

By 2017–18, Focus Farms were still central to GippsDairy's farm business management work. Three farm businesses concluded after two years in the program - Graeme, Jenny and Shaun Cope from Fish Creek; Paul and Lisa Mumford from Won Wron; and Steve Ronalds and Brenton Ziero from Jindivick, each coming away with improved systems and practices.

Three new farms joined the program, reflecting the changing nature of dairy business challenges: the Moon family at Yanakie working through succession and consolidating two herds; Neil and Keryn Gannon modernising infrastructure at Tinamba; and the Campbells and Turners at Yannathan, whose joint equity partnership offered lessons for anyone considering alternative business models.

In 2018, GippsDairy hosted a two-day Australian Dairy Conference tour that included two Focus Farms, Ellinbank Research Farm, Tarago Cheese and a dinner with guest speakers - a deliberate effort to position Gippsland as a region worth visiting and learning from, and to connect regional dairy with national decision-makers.

What Focus Farms proved

For individual farm businesses, Focus Farms helped families set goals, test decisions, improve systems, reduce costs, increase production, manage debt, plan for succession and build more resilient operations.

For support group members, it created a rare opportunity to look closely at another farm business, compare ideas and learn from both success and mistakes.

For service providers, it offered a way to work alongside farmers in a practical, trusted setting.

But the real legacy of Focus Farms is bigger than any of that. It proved that when farmers learn from farmers - supported by skilled facilitators, service providers and a trusted regional organisation - one farm's journey can help move a whole region forward.

The success of just under 40 focus farms in Gippsland over thirty years has been based on critical skills of industry consultant John Gallienne (Gippsland’s Godfather of Focus Farms) and the range of facilitators who have supported focus farms for more than 25 years. Various funders have also contributed to the program's success.

Focus Farm facilitators and mentees 1998 to 2020:

John Gallienne, Brian Walker, Matt Harms, Gavin Mc Clay, John Mulvany, Neil Baker, Jeff Urie, Peter Notman, Ian Teese, Craig Mc Whinney, Annette Zurrer, Donna Gibson, Gerard Murphy, Karen Romano, Ruari Mc Donnell, Matt Hall, Kylie Barrie, Donna Mc Ainch, Peter Gaffy, Andrew Wood, Alison Potter, Jake Frecklington, Chris Potts, Kirsty Evans, Naomi Bakker & Brian Gannon.

Focus Farms is just one chapter in a thirty-year story. In 2026, GippsDairy is celebrating all of them. Built by farmers. Backed by community. 30 years of dedication, delivery and dependability - and there's plenty more to come.

Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media to stay across every story we tell this year and get in touch if you've got one of your own to share.

Sources:

• GippsDairy Annual Reports
• Focus Farm reaps benefits
• Programs
• Bettering Business with Focus Farming