Dairy Capability Guide

The Dairy Capability Guide (DCG) is a Dairy Australia framework that sets out the capabilities — the skills and behaviours — needed for successful dairy farming roles, and the pathways to develop them. 

Why capability matters 

People are central to a farm's productivity, profitability and sustainability. Often the talent a business needs is already in its team, and the role of leaders is to cultivate it — building on the knowledge and skills of the people they already have. In dairy, people's capability directly affects animal welfare and food security, and small, incremental improvements in performance can translate into significant gains in productivity. 

What the Guide is for 

The DCG helps dairy businesses, people working in dairy, those interested in entering the industry, and the industry overall understand the capabilities needed for successful operations — so people can develop them and lead at all levels. It also lets the industry establish, develop and track the behaviours and capabilities needed today and into the future. 

Who the Guide is for 

For someone working in or considering dairy, the framework helps identify the capabilities a role needs, clarify performance expectations, reveal capability gaps, point to learning and development, and map future career pathways. 

More broadly, it can be used by:

• farm owners and managers — to map employees' current capabilities and future development needs,
• those managing employment — to write job descriptions and selection criteria and support performance management,
• supervisors — to set expectations and frame feedback,
• employees — to understand what is expected of them,
• new entrants and students — for careers awareness and work readiness, and 
• industry, recruitment and government bodies — such as the Gardiner Foundation, Australian Dairy Farmers and the National Farmers Federation — for development needs, advocacy and policy. 

Explore the Guide 

The DCG offers four entry points: explore for individuals, explore for employers, assess my own capabilities, and assess an employee's capabilities. It is available as an interactive online tool and as a downloadable guide, alongside short videos including 'Ben's journey'. 

The Dairy Capability Guide complements the recruitment pages — use it to write job descriptions and selection criteria (see Defining the Role), set performance expectations, and plan development (see Managing Performance).