Article from the Murray Valley Standard:
When Sam Martin returned to his family’s dairy farm three years ago, he brought with him innovative concepts to increase productivity.
The 28-year-old is the third generation of Martins to run the farm at Wall Flat and has implemented fresh ideas to simplify the process.
Improving the pasture quality and quantity across the farm has allowed Sam to offer high quality milk at a cheap production cost.
“We’ve ensured the milk is as cheap as possible to produce so we can make the most of the profit margin,” he said.
“We’ve improved the irrigation systems to make the most of our expensive water.”
His high protein, low bacteria milk has been acknowledged by Lion Drinks and Dairy and landed him Farmer of the Year for 2016.
The low somatic cell count in the milk created a high food safety and heavily reduced the risk of obtaining harmful bacteria.
“Farmers are paid more for high protein,” Sam said.
For Sam, learning from other successful farmers and seeking advice from people within the industry was crucial to developing the profitability of the farm.
He found that efficiency was key.
“We just focus on producing milk and outsource a lot of work to grow the feed,” he said.
Sam invested in progressive technology in the form of activity collars for cattle to improve the breeding process.
Despite Lion’s decision to cut milk farm gate prices, Sam believed Martin Dairies Trust was not at risk of closing down over the next year.
“We’re in a fixed price contract for a year so it will not affect us until after that, but if we can run our business well, we can create good profit when it counts,” he said.
He was optimistic in a turn around to the current milk crisis over the next two years.
He believed the turmoil would settle once the oversupply of milk in the global and domestic market had been reduced.
“We’re affected a lot by the global milk market and what we drink is a small amount of what we make,” he said.
Lion Agriculture Procurement Director Murray Jeffrey said Sam was the standout winner for the year.
“Sam is a great example of how younger farmers can bring fresh thinking and innovation,” he said.
“Having only recently taken over the family farm, Sam's achievements are all the more impressive.”
https://www.murrayvalleystandard.com.au/story/4022379/lions-farmer-of-the-year/?cs=356
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