Liv Middlebrook may have grown up on a dairy farm but it wasn't an occupation that was forced upon her - it's one she chose wholeheartedly.
And her passion about the animals and being on the land epitomises the International Day of Rural Women that was celebrated on Friday, October 15.
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Liv is a fourth generation dairy farmer on a property near Gloucester. Her memories of growing up on the land are of her father running the dairy business, her mother helping out when needed, and she and her two siblings feeding the cows hay.
"We were never given jobs. Dad would find jobs for us," Liv recalled. "We'd play on the farm."
She never felt like there was an expectation for any of them to take over the family business.
Liv didn't grow up in a family that participated in annual agricultural shows, nor was it a given that any of the children would just be handed the family business.
"We couldn't just go from school straight to the farm. We had to go out and get a job. Mum and Dad wanted us to know what it was like," she said.
Liv's interest in agricultural started at Gloucester High School.
"In year seven I went to an ag show and I loved it."
From there she started to take part in more shows throughout high school. Her interest led her to helping out on the farm while in school but after she graduated in 2008 she heeded her parents' advice and moved to Sydney. For six months in 2009, she worked in retail for a national telecommunications company.
"I did not like it," Liv said.
She tried to live away from the farm again and went to the United Kingdom to work as an au pair for 12 months from 2011 to 2012.
"About six month in, I really started to miss the dairy. That's when I realised that I wanted to be here," Liv said.
By 2013, she was starting to get serious about being a full-time rural woman and she undertook the year-long Developing Dairy Leaders Program run by Dairy Australia.
"There were 13 boys and me. I didn't realise it until I saw the photo and it was all these guys and me. It really stood out," she laughed. "I've always worked with guys, so I didn't really notice."
Liv is referring to a photo taken at the final dinner event of the program that included her and the female guest speaker among all the other male program participants.
According to Liv, the ratio of men to women in the dairy industry has shifted since then, with more women involved these days. So much so, that Liv is no longer the only woman working on the farm.
"Woman are sought after. Women are more patient with the animals and a bit more gentle on the machinery," she smiled.
Liv's job at the dairy is all about herd management and the milk.
"I do the milking and take care of the calves," she said.
She ensures the cows are milked twice a day and the calves are fed. She manages the health of the animals and the breeding program.
Liv is now the mother of two young children (five years and 18-months old), so managing work on the farm is a village-activity. She works with her father, brother and partner on the farm and has support from her mother, in-laws and her grandparents to help with the kids.
Maintaining a work/life balance is something her mother has instilled in all of them.
"We have every other weekend off," she said.
It's their strong connection as a family which has helped them survive the worse drought they've ever lived through.
"The drought was the closest we ever came to losing (the farm). We were six weeks away from running out of water and feed," Liv said.
It was a very emotional time for the family, each one looking out for the other as they navigated the highs and lows.
"We'd just keep picking each other up when one of us was down."
It got to the point that the family had serious decisions about selling, but they held on.
"We're all so passionate about it (the farm)."
Liv admits that her passion for farming stems from her childhood.
"I've grown up in it so I understand it. It's a lifestyle not just a job. I don't know why someone would get involved if they didn't grow up with it,' she laughed.
For her, it's all she wants to do.
"When you're passionate about it, it's easy. It's easy to get up at 4am on a cold morning to do the milking.
"I've never had to drag myself out of bed to go to work.
"I don't want to do anything else."
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Anne Keen
Anne has been a journalist with the ACM (Australia Community Media) since 2016. She primarily works at the Gloucester Advocate but also contributes to the Manning River Times.
Anne has been a journalist with the ACM (Australia Community Media) since 2016. She primarily works at the Gloucester Advocate but also contributes to the Manning River Times.
