Continuing family legacy of quality milk

Willie received a Silver award in 2018 before going on to receive Gold each year until his passing in 2025. Since taking over the running of the Lake Bullen Merri farm, Fiona is proud to have continued that success. 

“The plan was always for me to come back to the farm, and when Dad passed away 18 months ago, I came back earlier to keep the farm going,” Fiona says.

“Dad always said cow health is most important, and if you take care of that, everything else should fall into place.”

Willie purchased the Lake Bullen Merri farm 16 years ago. At the time, Fiona says the herd’s Bulk Milk Cell Count (BMCC) was higher than they wanted.

Over the following years, Willie invested in stud cows, genomic testing and artificial insemination (AI) selection to improve herd health and milk quality. Genomics remain an important part of breeding decisions.

“Genetics and healthy cows are really important to us here,” Fiona says.

“We genomic test every heifer born on the farm, and from that it helps us choose which bulls to put over our cows.”

“We want our cows to be around for a long time in the dairy. We have cows that are in their 11th or 12th lactation. They’ve done their time in the dairy, they don’t owe us anything.”

Today, Fiona milks about 550 cows at peak across nearly 308ha, with two out-paddock blocks for young stock.  They generally calve twice a year in autumn and spring with the farm’s BMCC normally sitting around 42,000. 

As the herd has grown, so has Fiona’s farm team, which includes a full-time farm hand, a 2IC and casual milkers. 

The herd is milked through a 50-unit rotary, with one person managing cups on and another person taking care of cups off and teat spray.

Early identification of clinical mastitis is an important part of the farm’s approach, with the team trained to recognise it, along with regular herd testing to identify high cell count cows.

“Our team are all trained to know what to look for and when to draft a cow out to be looked at. 

“If they have mastitis, we treat them with the right antibiotic in consultation with our vet.”

Cows requiring additional attention are kept in a separate hospital herd and milked last, with their milk kept separate from the vat.

Monitoring BMCC is another important part of maintaining milk quality.

“When the cell count starts creeping up above our usual level, we know that something’s not right, and we look at cow health and the environment,” she says.

Checks include dairy rubberware, paddock conditions, cleanliness of the yards and milking platform, and whether stale cows need to be dried off earlier.

The farm also uses blanket dry cow treatment and teat seal across the milking herd, which Fiona says has reduced cases of mastitis during the higher-risk calving period.

“We explain to all our team that we value high milk quality and that everyone is an important a part of the result,” she says.

Many of the farm’s milkers hold a Certificate III or IV in Agriculture. Those who don't are encouraged to attend Dairy Australia’s Milking & Mastitis Management courses.

“For us to continue moving forward, our team have to be willing to keep improving,” Fiona says.

This also applies to Fiona as she continues her transition back to the farm.

“I’m still learning. I was raised on a dairy farm, I remember bits and pieces, and now I see things and think, ‘I remember Dad used to do that, but why?’

“Some of the people he worked with over the years have been able to share the history of why Dad went one way over the other,” Fiona says.

“Dad always wanted to breed these big Holstein cows. Now we’ve got really big girls in the herd, so we need to maintain that or make them a bit smaller because they are struggling to fit on the rotary. And of course, the bigger they are, the more you have to feed them."

Fiona is now putting her own stamp on the herd’s breeding direction.

“I’m still keeping Dad’s vision of these big Holstein cows, but at the moment I’m looking at breeding for a more feed-efficient cow that will still get that really good production and quality.”

Fiona is also looking to invest in automatic cup removers, reducing reliance on individual judgement about when cows have finished milking.

The farm’s Milk Quality Awards are displayed in the farm kitchen, and Fiona says the latest result is an achievement shared by current and former team members.

“As soon as we got the announcement, we got messages from people who used to work for us sending screenshots and congratulations,” she says.

“Everyone gets excited about it and knows that the work we’re doing is paying off.”

Fiona is proud of the team and the work that goes into the high-quality milk they produce.

“We know that the milk that’s leaving our farm is the best quality possible for consumers,” she says.

“You can’t improve the quality once it’s left the cow. If you get it right when it leaves the farm, there will be a great product at the end.”