This month Milne Feeds sponsored and attended the Western Dairy Innovation Day at Ravenhill Pastoral in Narrikup. Business owners, Ken & Bonnie Ravenhill, are generational farmers whose family first settled in the area in 1926 as part of a group settlement in Tingledale. Ken’s parents, Graham and Jan, began dairy farming in Narrikup in 1991 with only 80 cows.
Ken and Bonnie’s business story is inspiring. They assumed control of the business, which had grown from 500 cows in a 60-stand rotary dairy in 2000, to over 1000 cows in 2013, from Ken’s parents when they were only in their early 30s. Over the course of the next 10 years Ken and Bonnie increased the herd size to 1700 cows, doubled the size of the farm, built a new calf shed with a capacity of 240 head, and built a state-of-the-art 100 stand rotary dairy. They now also run a medium sized beef herd alongside the dairy.
The decision to build the new dairy and continue to grow the business in a dairying environment that was coupled with low prices and uncertainty was admirable. Ken and Bonnie clearly farm for the future. Through their succession plan, starting with Ken’s parents and every decision to grow the farm thereafter, they had three main pillars of business: investment in capital, people, and herd genetics. Ken and Bonnie are business owners who have taken every opportunity presented to them and have always taken the time to continue learning and broadening their skills. They have been heavily involved in many Dairy Australia workshops and events over the years. Their commitment to growing their business and sharpening their skills, along with a lot of hard work and long hours, has helped them to get where they are today.
Delegates at this year’s Innovation Day not only had the opportunity to hear from Ken and Bonnie on their business growth, succession planning and people management, but also received a tour of the new dairy shed and effluent system. The tour also included a visit to the silage pits, to hear about the feeding strategies on the farm, along with a session on the breeding and genetic selection the farm utilises, with speakers from World Wide Sires and Semex.
Dairy Innovation Day is a fantastic event that Western Dairy holds annually. Each year a different host farm has the opportunity to share their story and business model, allowing other dairy farmers, and beef farmers, the opportunity to really critique the business, and hopefully take away something they can use on their own farms. It is an event surrounded by a great network of industry sponsors and supporters and is always well attended.
Milne Feeds has been a sponsor of the event from its inception and value the event as an opportunity to give back to the dairy industry. It is also a great event for networking and catching up with local dairy and beef farmers. Having the chance to listen to host farmers, such as Ken and Bonnie, along with a full program of speakers, both local and interstate, throughout the day, is extremely rewarding. The Gala dinner that follows includes a special guest speaker or entertainer each year and caps off an informative and invaluable day.
For more information on Western Dairy events, please visit their website.
