Dairy News Australia West Vic Region October 2022 by Dairy News Australia

OCTOBER, 2022 ISSUE 144

WEST VIC REGION

Living off the land THERES AND Jamie Drake believe they were

called to work on the land, whether that be milking cows or planting vegetables. Although Theres was born in Switzerland and Jamie in New Zealand, they have come to call Australia home and they are carving out two successful businesses and a self-sufficient lifestyle at Boorcan. It’s a real family affair spread over several sites, but it’s all working well. The Drakes moved into the former Model Barn site on the Princes Highway at the start of August where they will concentrate their fresh produce business, while the dairy business will continue from one leased farm and two leased out-paddocks. They also have chooks and beehives, bake and preserve just about everything, and homeschool their three children — ensuring it’s a sustainable family affair. Theres was an exchange student when she met Jamie working on a New Zealand farm. They travelled together to Australia in 2003 after Theres obtained another visa. She started working with Barb and Jeff Collins at Ecklin and Jamie got a job with a stockfeed company. They also lived for 18 months in Switzerland, giving Jamie an opportunity to experience where Theres was raised, and they married in August 2005. Theres worked in an orchard picking apples and pears and later in landscape maintenance, while Jamie got a job in a horizontal directional drilling business In February 2007 they returned to the Southern Hemisphere after Theres gained permanent residency in New Zealand and were head-hunted back to the farm where they met. However, the long hours on a 1400-cow farm proved too much so Theres got a job at a cut flower nursery, returning to her horticulture roots, and Jamie moved to a nearby farm. In May 2010 they returned to Australia to take up a farm management position with the Collins family. During this time, they were supported to attend programs learning more about dairy and to build their own herd, rearing calves and buying a few heifers. However, when Barb and Jeff ’s son Brad returned home and the milk price crashed, they

Theres and Jamie Drake enjoy raising their children Tim, Gemma and Rebecca on the land.

needed to look for other options. “Buying a farm wasn’t an option, we weren’t keen on sharefarming so working for someone else or we were happy to pursue leasing because of the cows we had,” Theres said. A chance meeting with a hairdresser whose brother wanted to lease his Boorcan farm was the turning point. “We saw the potential of the farm and the opportunity for us,” Jamie said. “It was suitable for 120 cows and we were very close to having that number so it was a good stepping stone.” They leased the Roycrofts Rd farm and house

on July 1, 2013, milking 120 head. “We bought a few heifers and budget cows to get to the 120; that was a good time to buy cows,” Jamie added. They milked on that farm for five years before being approached by the owner of a nearby farm, their current landlord, and leased that property in Bateman’s Rd in 2018, while retaining the original property as accommodation and an out-paddock. They grew the herd to about 240 crossbred cows using their own breeding program rather than going to the market. They also leased another out-paddock north

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of the Princes Highway and more recently added another out-paddock where they run all of their young stock, replacements and a small herd of beef. Jamie follows Dairy Australia’s Feeding Pastures for Profit system and regularly creates a rotation tool to set out the paddocks to graze. “We wanted to get bigger so we could employ someone, so Jamie wasn’t 24/7 on the farm,” Theres said. “It wasn’t because bigger is better, we just wanted more time as a family.”

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DAIRY NEWS AUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2022

2 // WEST VIC REGION

It’s great to get out again Chair’s message

AS WE emerge from our winter on-farm hibernation and enjoy the early signs of spring — with blossoms on the trees bursting and quickly giving way to new leaf — we all know the crazy harvest season will soon be upon us! Our farming communities are also finally emerging from the past two-and-a-half years of pandemic lockdowns and isolation; with many in the south-west relishing the opportunity to get off-farm and practice our socialising skills. The Ladies’ Luncheon was a huge success, with the guest speaker Pip Courtney from Landline being a most engaging and inspiring presenter, while the panel discussion from three highly esteemed local farmers — Val Crawford, Elizabeth Clarke and Bernadette Wurlod — provided the audience with sage words of wisdom, sprinkled with life-lessons and humour. Our thanks to the brilliant committee who bring this event to the south-west every year, ably led by Simone Renyard. The YDN Trivia Night at the Timboon Golf Club was another standout success, with thanks to Jason Smith for writing the quiz, our MC Gary Ross and the YDN Leadership Team for pulling it all together, with great support from our WestVic Dairy staff. Taking time to mingle and meet old friends and new is a really important aspect of maintaining our health and wellbeing — and these events provide great opportunities to do just that.

The Ladies’ Luncheon committee with guest speaker Pip Courtney (front in pink). The lunch was a terrific success.

The WestVic team, together with Agriculture Victoria, have been busy providing biosecurity sessions across the region and — together with resources developed by Dairy Australia, the VFF and MLA — farmers should be informed and have plans and protocols in place in the event we do have a disease incursion. However, if you are struggling or just need support or clarification in this area, please contact the WestVic office on 5557 1000. WestVic Dairy’s very well regarded Focus Farm program recently concluded on the Macarthur Focus Farm, where the business showed impressive progress over the course of the project.

This now opens up an opportunity for another local farmer to benefit from the support and guidance of a group committed to helping bring about business success, whatever that may look like for the farmer. If you’d like to find out more about how the Focus Farm program can be of value to your business, please contact WestVic on the number above. As we hurtle towards spring harvest, a timely reminder about farm safety is always warranted. Nothing is more important than you, your workers or contractors making it home safely at the end of the day — please play it safe! • Jacqui Suares WestVic Dairy chair

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WEST VIC REGION // 3

Living off the land Continued from page 1

In the meantime, the family’s love of growing fresh produce was turning into a business. “We always enjoyed growing our own food and always grew as much as we were able to,” Therese said. “We gradually added more and more to becoming more self-sufficient. We didn’t even realise we were doing it. It just gradually snowballed. “We added an orchard, chooks, beehives, a cream separator to then make butter, started making our own cheese and preserves and added more strips for the patch, with bore or tank water being used for the produce. “We were giving away surplus produce but then it became a market. We had a fridge and table on the side of the road and we’d go to the Terang market and people started knocking on the door or ringing me. “Not long into our vegie venture we built a small shop on the side of the road.” In March 2020, the owner of the Roycrofts Rd farm decided to sell, putting the Drakes in a spin about what to do for a home and for the vegies. Luckily the new owner didn’t want the house immediately so while the dairy was closed, they could continue living there and producing fresh produce while dairying off the other land. The Model Barn shed, house and surrounding four hectares came along at a good time, with the Roycrofts Rd lease coming to an end. They continue to dairy off a combined 225 hectares of leased land while Theres has completed agrifood evolution and digital harvest courses and they formally launched Drake’s Fresh Produce’s website in January.

While the family couldn’t live off the produce sales, the combination of two businesses is working well — though they both face similar seasonal challenges. “Once it gets dry, you have to be quick with the planting,” Theres said. “We’d get up at five and we’d be out in the patch. We’d do breakfast, then orders and schooling, and back out planting. “It’s a very busy life but it’s good — the kids have less opportunity to do rubbish. It’s a real blessing to do the vegetables because we can entertain them with something meaningful. “It’s 100 per cent a family business and we discuss it all with the kids and they’re all on board.” Planting seedlings clashes with silage making, but they are managing to balance the competing interests. “As the vegies get quiet, we also get quieter in the dairy so there’s time in April for family holidays,” Theres said. “The vegie patch is quiet during calving in May and June. We’re together for that.” During quieter times, Theres hopes to run sustainability or cheesemaking workshops in the Model Barn shed, and they are looking at other options in addition to selling the fresh produce. “I’ve got a passion to pass on my knowledge,” Theres said. “We are a family that home schools their children, runs a business and is socially interactive in the community. “We’re doing it together, as a family. I truly believe we were called to work on the land. “We enjoy what we do and we’re excited about the future. If you chip away, things fall in place.”

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Theres and Jamie Drake are carving out two successful businesses and a self-sufficient lifestyle at Boorcan.

A small shop was built on the side of the road to accommodate the vegie business.

Jamie follows Dairy Australia’s Feeding Pastures for Profit system and regularly creates a rotation tool to set out the paddocks to graze.

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