On the Farm
Aussie dairy farms
What makes dairy farms in Australia so special? Let’s take a closer look at how they work and the incredible farmers behind the scenes.
Dairy farms are spread all over the country, but most of Australia’s milk comes from the southeast. Think: Victoria, Tasmania, parts of South Australia and New South Wales. Why, you ask? The climate is just right for growing lush green grass, which cows love to munch on. This, in turn, helps keep the milk fresh and healthy.
While most dairy farms are near the ocean, where grass grows well with rainfall, some inland farms use irrigation (watering the grass) to help grow food for cows. This happens in places like Northern Victoria and New South Wales, farmers use special systems to make sure cows have enough food all year round. Some farms also feed their cows extra food, like grains, hay, or silage, especially during climate events.
Over the past few decades, there have been fewer dairy farms in Australia. In 1980, there were almost 22,000 dairy farms. Cut to now? There are fewer than 4,000. Even though there are fewer farms, the number of cows on each farm has gotten bigger. In 1985, the average farm had 93 cows, but today, that number is 342 cows per farm!
As farms grow larger, farmers are focused on using the best cow genetics (the special traits cows get from their parents) to make sure cows are healthy, live longer and make milk efficiently. This has worked well and cows today produce a lot more milk than they did in the past. In fact, the average cow now produces more than double the amount of milk than it did 40 years ago!
The most common type of dairy cow in Australia is the Holstein, which makes up about two-thirds of the herd. Other popular breeds include Jerseys, Holstein/Jersey mixes, Brown Swiss, Ayrshire and Australian breeds like the Australian Red and Illawarra.
But farmers aren’t doing this all alone. They work with special organisations like universities to keep improving the health and milk production of their cows. By using the latest research, science and the best technology, they’re helping the dairy industry be more sustainable in the future.
What’s life like on a dairy farm?
Let’s look behind the farm gate and inside the world of Aussie dairy farms.
There’s much more to life on a dairy farm than milking cows! Discover everything that happens on a dairy farm. From milking to land management and business management, there's always lots to do.
In fact, around 80% percent of Australia’s milk is produced in the higher rainfall areas along the southern and eastern coastlines, in the states of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
Learn more about where Aussie dairy farms call home.
Fun farm facts
Discover surprising facts about cows, tech and life on a dairy farm.
Do farmers use robots?
Can you imagine a robot milking a cow? Sounds like science fiction, but it’s very much a reality in Australia, thanks to the development of automatic milking systems that handle the entire process, hands-free!
The cow voluntarily enters the milking shed for milking and is recognised by an electronic transponder. The suction cups are attached to the cow’s udder by a robotic arm and are removed after milking has finished.
Australian-designed and future-focused, this technology has huge potential to reduce the amount of time larger dairy farms spend on milking. This frees up farm staff to concentrate on other farm and business management activities, such as monitoring the performance of individual cows and the whole farm system.
Many Australian dairy farms are already using the automatic milking system with great success.
What do cows eat?
Cows eat about 20 kg of nutritious food a day. That’s equivalent to 103 baked potatoes or 720 slices of bread!
They also need to drink a large amount of water, because milk is mostly made of water. Cows can drink about 100 litres of water (a bathtub full) in a day.
Let’s break it down even further.
There are five main types of food in a dairy cow’s diet. They are:
- Pasture: plants grown in grazing paddocks that can be a mix of grasses such as ryegrass or protein-rich legumes such as clover. Fresh pasture is the largest part of an Australian dairy cow’s diet.
- Hay: extra pasture that’s been dried, cut and made into bales to feed to cows later.
- Silage: pasture that’s been cut and stored while it’s still green to retain the nutrients.
- Grains: cereals such as wheat and barley provide more energy than pasture and help cows make more milk. Grains can be crushed and mixed with vitamins and minerals to form pellets. These are usually given to cows at milking time.
- Forage crops: special crops are sometimes grown for the cows to graze on during summer. These include lucerne, maize (corn), millet, turnips and oats.
After each milking session, cows are usually rotated to a new paddock where fresh pasture awaits. This rotation gives grass time to regrow and ensures cows are always munching on the best-quality feed.
But pasture alone doesn’t always cut it. During tough seasons (like drought or unpredictable weather) farmers often need to buy extra feed to keep their herds healthy. This can include hay, silage or grains and it adds up fast. In fact, purchased feed can make up over 30% of a dairy farm’s total costs, making it the single biggest expense for many farmers.
How long do cows live for?
Raising young cows and helping them grow into healthy adults takes time, care and commitment, which is why farmers value cows that live long, healthy lives.
Longer-living cows are a win-win: they tend to stay healthier, produce more milk over their lifetime and don’t need to be replaced as often. That’s not just good for farmers, it’s also better for the environment. Fewer replacement cows mean lower overall methane emissions from the herd, helping reduce the farm’s environmental impact.
In Australia, the age can be a bit different depending on the breed, with cows usually living anywhere from 4 - 7 years, it is not uncommon for dairy cows to be 8 years or older.
The good news is that many cows live for a long time! In both Holstein and Jersey breeds, more than 20% of cows have had 5 or more calves. Researchers are working hard to find ways to help cows live even longer, which will make farms more sustainable and better for both the cows and the environment.
How do farmers use technology on their farms?
Australian dairy farmers use lots of incredible technology to help them take care of their cows and make their farms run smoothly. Here are some ways they use tech:
- Health monitoring: farmers use sensors to keep track of their cows' health. These sensors can tell farmers if a cow is sick or needs extra care, so they can help the cows stay healthy and happy.
- Drones: drones are flying cameras that farmers use to check on their farms. They can see if the cows are all okay, check if the grass is growing well, or even look at the weather to plan better.
- Robot feeders: instead of feeding the cows by hand, some farmers use robots that give the cows just the right amount of food at the right time. This helps the cows stay healthy and get the nutrition they need.
- Smart farming apps: many farmers use special apps on their phones or computers to keep track of everything on the farm. They can check how much milk the cows are producing, monitor the weather and even keep an eye on the farm’s finances.
Technology helps Australian dairy farmers take better care of their cows, make the farm more efficient and produce great milk and other dairy products for everyone to enjoy!
Meet three passionate Aussie dairy farmers: Ben, Brian and Michele.
Look around their farms and daily routines.
Meet Ben from Tasmania and see what a typical day looks like on his dairy farm. From milking cows to feeding young calves, there’s always something to do! Then visit Brian and Michele in South Australia as they show us around their farm and share how they care for their cows and keep their farm running.
Want to know more about cows? Let’s take a closer look.
What makes cows unique and what do they eat?
Did you know there are seven different breeds of dairy cows in Australia? It’s not just black and white ones! The breeds include Holstein, Jersey, Aussie Red, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Illawarra and Ayrshire. Each one has its own unique traits and produces different types of milk.
No matter the breed, all cows need a balanced diet made up of clean water and five main food groups, just like us. On average, a cow eats around 20 kilograms of nutritious food and drinks about 100 litres of water every day.
That’s a lot of lunch boxes!