GIPPSDAIRY’s newly appointed regional manager wants farmers to get value for their dairy service levy dollar.
Allan Cameron said improving the performance of Gippsland dairy farms would always be at the forefront of his thinking when dealing with the challenges and opportunities of the Gippsland dairy industry.
“The fundamental thing is whether we can help farmers improve their productivity and profitability,” he said.
“At the end of the day, GippsDairy receives a significant portion of its funding from the levies paid by dairy farmers.
“So the tagline of ‘your levy at work’ is critical. We need to listen to dairy farmers to make sure we are continually justifying the trust they have in paying over a levy to us.”
Mr Cameron, who has an agricultural science degree from Melbourne University as well as graduate diplomas in applied finance and financial planning, has most recently been working as a key account manager with Elders looking after corporate agribusiness clients and high net worth family farming businesses.
Growing up on a sheep and beef property on Phillip Island (where he still lives), the 43-year-old said he would admire his dairy farmer neighbours for their willingness to innovate in the way they operated their businesses.
“Over a long period time, I’ve always thought dairy farmers have been the ones who are proactive and always looking to improve. There is an immediacy about their performance – each evening and morning they can measure their performance in the volume of milk in the vat.
“I think that has meant they can be very proactive with what they do. I’ve always appreciated watching over the fence at dairy farmer productivity.”
With a strong financial background, Mr Cameron is keen to use GippsDairy’s resources to further improve the financial literacy of dairy farmers, while also helping improve their capacity to grow grass and produce milk.
“It’s about building on the capability of those who are looking to improve by looking at who is best practice and highlighting what they are doing,” he said.
“The benchmarking side of things and financial literacy is very important.
“Looking at what are the things that are the key drivers for farm profitability, drilling down into those issues and then being able to get that message across.”
GippsDairy chair Graeme Nicoll said an exhaustive search had been conducted to find the right person for regional manager position, with the board delighted to have selected Mr Cameron, who will start his new role on November 23.
“This is a key position in the Gippsland dairy industry, so we needed someone who could tick the boxes of understanding farming, financial acumen and having a drive to improve the industry in the region,” he said.
“Allan has the ability to listen, learn and use that knowledge to ensure GippsDairy leads the way in providing services and support for dairy farmers, building relationships and ensuring the Gippsland dairy industry continues to evolve as a professional and efficient sector.
“The board and staff at GippsDairy are genuinely excited to have Allan on the team to help us continue to improve on the great work already being done.”
