I must admit I am very bewildered by what appears to me to be very mixed messages coming out of our peak industry body Dairy Australia at the moment
According to Steve Spencer from Freshlogic (the same organisation that counts Coles as a major client ) in the Dairy Australia Horizon 2020 report it’s time we (dairy farmers/dairy industry) woke the “frack up”
Slide 27 from Steve Spencer’s Horizon 2020 presentation at Dairy Innovators Forum in Queensland Feb 2013 See article here
According to the report the aim of the Horizon 2020 project is to also ‘raise the sights’ above short-term preoccupations which have affected industry priorities in recent years.
The report reminds us that market volatility (inputs and outputs) is a fact of life with a critical question for all parts of the industry being ‘ How to motivate people to ‘look long’ adjusting their businesses and attitudes to accept the cycles of the market and cashflow as inevitable?’
As part of Dairy Australia’s motivation strategy they are rolling out this ‘Feel Good’ campaign ‘Australian Dairy is Legendairy’
As an aside How I met Your Mother’s Barney Stinson would have been the ideal candidate to put a smile on this dairy farmer’s dial
Every man and his dog has widely acknowledge that the dairy industry is in crisis in all states and likewise some sections of Dairy Australia who is also rolling out Tactics for Tough Times
Like me most dairy farmers I know are not growing their businesses anymore and are doing everything in their power to rein in debt and will continue to do so until they get clear market signals there is a future for the dairy industry in this country. I believe there is but now is not the time to take risks that you can’t justify in the current climate and like Milk Maid Marian I must ask the question of Dairy Australia.
How do you plan to measure the success of your Legendairy Campaign?
Will you for example be measuring?
a. Impact on Milk sales
b. How many new entrants into the industry
c. The reduction in numbers of exits from the industry
d. Improvement in farm profitability
Now is the time Dairy Australia to lead by example. The industry is in crisis we need rigour and real on the ground capacity building not Feel Good campaigns with no measurables
Its time to be part of the big picture Dairy Australia. Lets get fair dinkum. Lets get out of our dairy silo and have a collaborative and cohesive whole of ag sector voice. I agree with the Australian Farm Institute, its time to promote Brand OZ and I am confident this is what our dairy farmers want too if the hits alone on this post are anything to go by
