Record profit for Victorian farmers
Dairy farmers in the Australian state of Victoria had a record profitable 2022-23 season, thanks to high milk prices and carefully managed high costs.
The free, nationally accredited ‘Developing Legendairy Champions’ course equips farmers to speak confidently in public to, say, the news media, a local council or a local primary school audience. A pilot group of 13 farmers took the course through Dairy Australia’s education partner, National Centre for Dairy Education Australia (NCDEA).
A participant, dairy farmer Ali Duckworth, of Swan Creek, NSW, said “I don’t think there was a topic the course didn’t cover, and it encouraged us to think about conversations we may have. It was beneficial to get training on how to effectively respond and communicate on a range of topics we get approached about.”
The program supports the industry’s Legendairy communications platform, launched last year to publicise the Australian dairy industry and its people.
Participants do the training at home at a time that suits them. They learn how to write media releases, participate in a mock media conference, and make a video of themselves to use online and on social media.
The NCDEA’s Jillian Goudie, who runs the webinars and helps students during the program says it has immediate benefits. “I don’t know of any other industry in which you can so effectively pick up such relevant skills in such a compact format with real outcomes.”
According to REDgum communications facilitator and coach James Freemantle, who led the webinars, the course can help ‘recast’ public opinion.
“Having these skills can enhance other people’s experience of what dairy means.”
www.legendairy.com.au/dairy-farming/our-people/developing-legendairy-champions
