Paul bowls over farmers

THERE was more than a touch of green at last week’s Young Dairy Development Program South Gippsland Christmas get-together in Meeniyan.
Held at the Meeniyan Bowling Club, the casual evening saw plenty of action on the greens as well as a fascinating talk from Irish expat farmer Paul O’Malley.
Paul, who grew up on his parents’ 40 cow dairy farm in the green hills of Ireland’s west coast, now runs two dairy farms – one in Gippsland and the other in Cobram.
With 420 cows on his Murray River property and another 400 milkers at Heyfield, Paul’s unusual farming strategy had everyone at the YDDP event intrigued about why and how he does it.
“After we starting having some water issues at Cobram, I thought it would be a good idea to diversify and spread the risk,” he said.
With four children under six and two farms more than five hours’ drive from each other, Paul said it was a hard life but a rewarding one.
“The message I have for the young farmers tonight is that there are opportunities in this industry,” he said.
YDDP Gippsland co-ordinator Colleen Laws said Paul was an intriguing guest speaker who showed what could be achieved through thinking outside the square.
“This is what YDDP is all about – getting young farmers thinking about the ways they can achieve their career goals and helping them find the right path towards those goals,” she said.
“It’s a great industry to work in, so Paul’s story is invaluable in showing that there’s more than one way to find a place in it.”
“It’s been a big year for YDDP in South Gippsland and it’s great to finish on such a positive note with a wonderful get-together like this.”
YDDP is partially funded by the Dairy Service Levy

Opening eyes: YDDP South Gippsland committee chair Luke Cockman with guest speaker Paul O’Malley, YDDP Gippsland co-ordinator Colleen Laws and GippsDairy executive officer Laurie Jeremiah.

Short URL: /?p=13100

Posted by Sarah Vella on Dec 23 2014. Filed under Rural News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry