Dairy Research Foundation Symposium unites industry at Camden

The two-day event, held at the University of Sydney's Camden campus and Corstorphine Farm, hosted 190 attendees.

This year's theme was, 'A lot more than just Carbon'.

Dairy Research Foundation (DRF) president Jane Sherborne described the University of Sydney's Camden campus as the home to Australian dairy research, in her welcome speech.

"At this year's symposium, we will discuss all things carbon," she said.

"Carbon is a cycle and it is something we all need to understand.

"Dairy farmers play an important role in the carbon cycle by being part of the solution."

Mrs Sherborne said DRF had a long history of advanced dairy research.

"It is our responsibility to find ways to improve and be part of the solution by sharing how we are making a difference," she said.

"When we accurately measure and understand what carbon means in our businesses, we can think about the value of dairy and its potential.

"We can take advantage through the advancements in research, innovation and productivity and create opportunities.

"This is going to add value to our communities and our businesses.

"We all benefit from dairy farmers doing better now and in the future."

There were presentations from leading industry experts and speakers including former DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle, Global Dairy Farmers president Ad van Velde, Professor Richard Eckard from Melbourne University, and NSW DPI senior research scientist, Dr Aaron Simmons.

Finley dairy farmer Ruth Kydd said it was important to hear the perspectives from other farmers, experts and researchers.

"It's really important to hear what's going on and get ourselves informed," she said.

"It's a great way to learn what others are thinking and doing, and what their concerns are.

"The speakers were really interesting, and highlighted that as Australian farmers we need to be more proactive promoting ourselves and get consumers to understand how good we are at producing a healthy nutritious product."

NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the government recognised the important role dairy plays in the community and more broadly, economically, as the state's eighth largest agricultural industry.

"The dairy industry has faced no shortage of challenges, particularly in recent years, including drought, fires and workforce shortages" she said.

"Despite these challenging conditions, the NSW dairy industry has demonstrated its resilience, which is best shown by the data highlighting milk production in NSW is up 3.3 per cent year-on-year. That's a stark contrast to the national trend with reduced production year-on-year."