Former dairy to host industry's big day

Facilitated by Western Dairy, the event will be held on Thursday, May 16 from 9am to 3:30pm and will follow the theme of 'resilient dairy businesses'.

The venue - located in Brunswick Junction - will play host to WA's dairy industry as it gathers to hear the latest in agricultural innovation and topics of interest, including guest speaker Paul Weir, a fourth-generation New South Wales dairy farmer who made headlines during the 2022 Lismore floods when footage of his cows being swept away went viral.

He will deliver his tale of resilience and rebuilding at a time when farmer mental health remains an issue of national concern.

"As farmers we all go through challenges - flood, drought, fires," Mr Weir said.

"It's how we respond to challenges that defines us."

Dairy Australia feeding and farm systems lead, Karen Romano, will discuss the new Farm Systems Evaluator tool created which assesses a farm's readiness to adopt new systems, involving feeding and housing infrastructure.

In response to managing the effects of climate change, it is believed that by 2030, about 40 per cent of Australia's milk production will likely come from cows housed in contained housing facilities and more herds will be partially accommodated under large shelters.

After launching the WA carbon calculator pilot last year, Dairy Australia development and regional adaptation lead Cathy Ashby returns to provide a progress update on the pilot's first nine months.

"The pilot has provided some fantastic insights into how different dairy farm management practices influence their overall emissions baseline," Ms Ashby said.

"WA farmers are leading the Australian dairy industry with regard to knowing and understanding their carbon number."

Co-custodians of Melville Park since 2021, husband-and-wife team David Doepel and Barbara Connell will outline their plans for the future.