How much is a litre of milk?
Our politicians may struggle with that one; most folk who work in the real world have an idea. But what does it cost? The farmer, the cows, the community? Emily and Matt Nielsen have a really good idea. They own and run The Dairy, at John’s River. Their mission is to reconnect consumers with the milk they are drinking, the place it has come from and the people who work hard to produce it every day. We’ll drink to that – make mine a latte.
The little suburb of John’s River, half way between Port Macquarie and Taree, now boasts an award winning business. Matt and Emily Neilson, first generation dairy farmers, and their two little boys, Joseph and Henry, milk just over 100 cows on their John’s River property. The family began dairy farming in 2015, with a mere 55 cows going through an old eight-bale walk-through dairy at Dungog.
…milk was being sold for $1 a litre in the supermarkets and consumers were happily buying it, meanwhile the dairy farmers working hard every day to produce it were going broke and struggling through intense drought.
Understanding that farming life is tough and success requires diversity, the Neilsons also ran their Dungog farm as a tourist destination. This won them the 2021 Hunter Region Business Excellence Award for Tourism and Hospitality.
Success allowed expansion and a move to the property at John’s River. Emily says, “It’s absolutely beautiful here and the property has a lot of potential. The cows have adjusted really well and we can see the future being very positive.”
So what is The Dairy and why did it win an award?
“We wanted to recreate that connection between the farmer who produces the milk and the people who buy it in the shops,” explains Emily. “There’s a huge gap between the two these days and it means that consumers know very little about where their milk is coming from and what goes into producing it.
“It became really obvious that this was a huge issue when milk was being sold for $1 a litre in the supermarkets and consumers were happily buying it. Meanwhile the dairy farmers working hard every day to produce it were going broke and struggling through intense drought. It’s not sustainable at that price but the bigger issue was why were people happy to buy it so cheaply.”
The education program that is The Dairy, John’s River allows milk lovers, cow lovers and those who are just plain curious, to tour the property, meet some of the animals and experience life on the dairy. You can bottle feed a little calf, learn how to make fresh butter and enjoy cheese tasting.
It’s all about connection – with the people, the land and the cows.
Milking the Farmers
Emily says, “We want to allow you to chat with a real farmer and ask all the questions you might have about dairy farming and milk production. We’ll answer all your questions with honesty and openness and show you our happy, healthy animals and what their day-to-day lives are like. It’s all about connection – with the people, the land and the cows. And we love it!”
Book now for The Dairy, John’s River Easter grand opening dates, available on their website. Follow them on social media for regular updates on what’s happening on the farm.