The WAFarmers Dairy Council hosted their annual Dairy Conference on August 1. The event attracted a full house and featured an impressive lineup of speakers under the theme "The Future of Advocacy, Technology, and Digital Dairying. " President Ian Noakes provided a warm welcome, and the conference was officially opened by Hon Jacki Jarvis MLC. Keynote speaker John Penry from Dairy Australia delivered an inspiring presentation on virtual fencing and herding, irrigation, and facial recognition technologies. Another highlight was the Young-ish Dairy Farmers Panel, which included Garry Haddon, Oscar Negus, Nikki Evans and Mason Norton, who shared their personal experiences with on-farm technology. The Dutch tech company Nedap presented on cattle monitoring and their advanced technologies, while Malaysian company FGV Holdings discussed their interest in the WA dairy industry and their production of sustainable palm oil stockfeed products. DPIRD showcased their GreenFeed Machine, demonstrating cattle emissions measurement with the help of participating farmers. This led to a series of humorous moments with the ever-popular MC, Phil Depiazzi. The ‘lowest emissions’ prize was awarded to two highly conscientious dairy farmers, Jacqui Biddulph and Julie Bettink. The Council extended their gratitude to Milne Feeds and other sponsors for their generous support.
