Farrmer sees a bright future

A Northern Victorian dairy farmers believes opportunities in the dairy industry are endless.

Northern Victorian farmer Skeeta Verhey believes the opportunities available in the dairy industry are endless. He is passionate about dairy farming and he firmly believes farmers in the north are not dead and buried yet.
Skeeta grew up milking cows with his parents and he always dreamed of owning his own farm. Dedication and a firm belief in learning whatever he could from those around him, have helped him reach his goal.
I have been through the system and learnt a lot from different farmers and you continue to learn even when the years are challenging (Skeeta is referring to the five years of drought after he bought his farm with his partner Angela Turner.)
When we bought our farm we had nothing - just a little old Hyundai car, but dairying builds wealth. We still dont have any cash but one cow turns into two and so on. Even though we have gone through some pretty bad times we have come out the other end, and with an aging farming community, there are some real opportunities out there today.
In just over six years, Skeeta has gone from the original 56 ha farm milking 130 cows he purchased, to milking 280 cows on 149 ha.
He plans to milk 300 cows next year, but the time it takes to milk in the old dairy is a limiting factor.
We are looking at building a new dairy and the possibility of installing three robots. We have volunteered to put our business under the microscope at part of Murray Dairys farm focus project.
The farm focus project consists of four farming businesses in the Murray Dairy region who share the ins and outs of all aspects of their operation with a select group of people. The project runs for two years and follows the farmers journey as they make financial, management and lifestyle decisions.
The farmers are supported by consultants, DPI extension officers and other dairy farmers.
Skeeta firmly believes in making the most of any help he can find and he is hoping his involvement in the project will help his business over the next two years.
Im not afraid to tell it how it is. We will put all our business information out there to the group and I am hoping that the input we receive from everyone will not only help us, but the other farmers in the group too. We are always looking to move our business forward and there is good support out there if you know where to look.
I believe there are more rewards in farming then there is anything else. Sometimes there are things that really test you but at the end of the day you have to make things work and it really is a good life.