Marc Johnston was looking for a little bit of home when he joined a Tasmanian study tour but he also wanted some tips on more efficient cows and ways to build equity.
Marc, who is in an equity share farming arrangement near Cobden and has been working in Australian dairy for a decade after arriving from Ireland in 2015 from Ireland, was supported by the DemoDAIRY Foundation to join the recent LIC Tasmanian Dairy Study Tour.
He was keen to join the LIC tour to learn more about genetics to develop a more efficient cow. “Tassie is similar to New Zealand and Ireland grazing-style farms so that was a big thing to see and I was keen to see how those genetics play out in that environment.”
“We had a lot of farm visits and it was good to get the background stories on the farms and where they are going. It’s good to hear a decent story like that about how people got to be where they are, particularly the stories with contract milkers and different ways of building equity.
“I’m on a share of the milk cheque along with building equity each year through young stock. It’s a similar to the Circular Head equity/share farming model, bringing people into farming and help them to build equity.”
Marc also appreciated the opportunity to see Halter virtual fencing technology in action and will continue to enjoy the connections he made with fellow farmers.
“It was good to catch up with like-minded people.”