New president seeking dairy turnaround

Michael Partridge, 50, a fourth-generation farmer on White Rocks - his great grandfather cleared some land in 1887 - is the new president of WAFarmers' dairy section.

For the past four years he was dairy section senior vice-president.

He has also been on the National Council of Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) - the national advocacy body representing dairy farmers - for four years.

Mr Partridge is following his father's footsteps in representation and speaking out on issues affecting dairy farmers.

His father David is a life member of WAFarmers and served on its dairy section executive and was also on the ADF national council.

While his great grandfather began the business by hand-milking three cows, Mr Partridge milks a herd of just on 700 Freisians, mostly on White Rocks - which has its own museum established by his mother Elizabeth - and also on a smaller nearby dairy property acquired several years ago.

He farms with his parents, wife Leanne and teenage children Oaklee and Harrison.

A long-term advocate of innovation and value-adding to benefit dairy farmers, Mr Partridge also operates multi-award-winning dairy-fed White Rocks Veal, established about 25 years ago to provide better returns than simply selling bull calves.

His dairy cows are identified by transponders around their necks which automatically control their hard feed ration.

Mr Partridge took over as dairy section president from Dardanup farmer Phil Depiazzi who stood down after four years.

They worked together during what has been a challenging period for the WA dairy industry, starting with attempting to combat the downward pressure on farmgate milk prices instigated by Coles' and Woolworths' $1-a-litre marketing campaigns introduced in 2011.

Following two good seasons of strong six per cent milk production increase in WA, Mr Partridge has taken over as president as the local industry faces an over-supply crisis.

But he is not daunted by the challenge and not afraid to take the debate up to processors as he proved at the WAFarmers annual dairy conference at Busselton two weeks ago.

"In the longer term I think the outlook for the WA dairy industry is positive," Mr Partridge said.

"Just at present we have a short-term issue with capacity.

"But processors looking to unload farmer suppliers, that's unacceptable.

"The industry has always had its ups and downs, but they (processors) can't go destroying individual farm businesses."

Mr Partridge has been involved in WAFarmers' negotiations with staff from the office of Agriculture and Food Minister Dean Nalder and with Brownes Dairy and Harvey Fresh over the processors' plans to drop nine farmer suppliers.

Brownes has told four of its biggest suppliers it does not want their milk once their contracts expire on September 30 and Harvey Fresh has told five out-of-contract suppliers who have not signed new contracts, it does not want their milk after January.

Mr Partridge said he believed a negotiated turnaround, with processors agreeing to continue taking milk from the nine farmers, was possibly the most hopeful short-term option at this stage to allow them to remain in the industry.

"They (farmers) can't change over (to supplying another processor) because there's no one to change over to," Mr Partridge said.

He said it was his understanding WA's third major milk processor Lion Dairy and Drinks, which is spending $43 million upgrading its Bentley plant, is focused on improving efficiency and working with its 30 existing suppliers rather than taking on new ones cast off by Brownes and Harvey Fresh.

Some WA milk was going to China and ultimately increased dairy exports to China and South East Asia seemed the longer-term solution to the milk over-supply situation, Mr Partridge said.

At the dairy section annual meeting, held as part of WAFarmers annual dairy conference, Forest Grove farmer Ian Noakes was elected new senior vice-president.

Another Brunswick farmer, Paul Ieraci, was re-elected as vice president.

Mr Depiazzi said he had "really enjoyed working with such a dedicated dairy council, which is committed to achieving outcomes that are in the best interests of all WA dairy farmers".

"It's a very challenging time, but Michael will have my full support as we work through the issues facing the dairy industry," he said.

Mr Depiazzi said he would continue to be involved in trying to resolve the over-supply situation and finding a home for the 25m litres of milk Brownes and Harvey Fresh have said they no longer want.

"I won't be jumping ship and you can quote me on that," he said.