The third generation farmer, who opened his farm, Elgin Dairies at Boyanup, Western Australia to visitors as part of Dairy Innovation Day last month, will soon start milking his split herd of 740 Holsteins in the farm's new $1.7 million dairy.
And with almost no sickness or mortality, he's already reaping the rewards of his newly built calf shed, which comfortably houses up to 120 calves and is easy to clean. The operation puts the comfort of animals and staff top of mind.
Merritt, who runs the business with wife Sharon and their children Natalie (25), Chad (23) and Jesse (17), says with a five year contract secured two year ago with Harvey Fresh, it was time to lift the bar.
"I like to do things well or not at all," he says. "And as the saying goes, if you keep doing as you've always done you're going to get what you've always got. So it was time for change, to do things a lot better
and get more professional."
After a couple of trips to the US seeking ideas, Merrit chose a 24-a-side rapid exit herringbone from DeLeval.
He designed the 36 x 22m dairy, which includes a 10m lean-to on both sides (one for the milk room and plant and the other for cattle treatment), with a 10 x 32m staff area on the front which includes a kitchen and office.
"I realised I've got to build a dairy not for myself but for my staff because it wasn't me who was going to be milking 700 cows too often; I'd be running the rest of the business."
He says the parallel herringbone allows for two staff in the dairy at once in a clean and comfortable environment.
"The staff get a real relationship going amongst themselves and so the work is not so tedious and boring."
Attracting good staff, and inspiring his own children to continue to work in dairying, was a key reason for the investment.
"It's easy to get negative," he says.
"Some older farmers think 'I'll just run this old shed out and get out, retire'.
"And while they have that mentality the son is going to look at their father and think 'well I'm not going to put up with that old tractor; I'm not going to milk in that old dairy'.
"If you're not making the investment then the next generation are going to think, 'well I'm not going to step into your boots'.
"But if you make the investment and make the workplace a whole lot more enjoyable and exciting it gives them a different outlook on farming."
Merritt says being in WA and knowing there would always be strong demand for local milk also helped inspire the decision to invest.
"There's not going to be oversupply here."
With recent rain, Merritt says they've had a good season, with production up this year from 6.3 million to 6.5m L, averaging about 8000L/cow.
Since buying his brother's farm in 2008, and then leasing more land from neighbouring cattle properties, it's clear Merritt has had a firm idea of where he wanted to take the business.
"I left school very early, I didn't complete year 10, but it's all I've ever done and I've spent a lot of hours doing it and if you do something that long you become good at it I suppose. Plus I just like milking cows and growing grass."
