Ayrshire breed on show as public tastes produce

To mark the occasion, members of the breed society had bottled milk from Ayrshire cows to give out to members of the public.

Ayrshires Australia SA president Greg Klatt, Mount Barker, said the idea had originally been suggested the last time the Ayrshire breed was featured at Adelaide, but there was not enough time to do it justice then.

He said the idea was particularly timely in 2016, and had the double impact of showing off the breed, while also drawing attention to issues in the dairy industry.

“We can get a product out there to the general public and make them aware of what quality milk should taste like,” he said.

The breed connected with Barossa Valley dairy processors Jersey Fresh to be able bottle the milk while meeting the necessary health and safety guidelines.

The milk came from the Meadows farm of Greg Edmonds, Geelunga Ayrshire stud.

It was collected the Wednesday before the show, and was bottled in the Barossa Valley at the Jersey Fresh plant at Greenock the same day.

In total, some 150 litres of milk were bottled, with 510 small, 250-millilitre bottles, and 12 of the 2L bottles, with the small bottles sourced from Jersey Fresh, which are used as sample bottles while at farmers’ markets.

The label on the bottle was designed by Ayrshire breeder and graphic designer Caitlin Liebich, Glencoe.

Mr Klatt said they were overwhelmed with the response.

“It was so popular that we could have been giving away 500 bottles a day,” he said.

The bottles were handed out in the exhibition dairy at the Adelaide Showground during the evening milkings as the 70 Ayrshire cows were milked. There was also someone on-site giving talks about the history of the breed and information of the dairy industry in general.

Mr Klatt said, on the first night, the planned 50 bottles were handed out within the first 12 cows.

“People have taken the top off straight away and they’ve loved it,” he said.

Mr Klatt said it was a great promotion for the industry as well as the breed.

“We’re promoting the Ayrshire breed but there is no Ayrshire bottled milk brand so this is never going to increase our market share,” he said. “What we hope it will do is help some of the other SA brands.”

Mr Klatt said the present climate of low milk farmgate prices was having an impact on the industry and this was one way to combat that.

“Everybody saw it as opportunity to help industry,” he said.

Greenock milk producers Jersey Fresh were partners in the scheme to hand out branded Ayrshire milk to the public at the Royal Adelaide Show.

Jersey Fresh representatives Amy McDonald and Paula Menzel say it was an idea that fit in with their ethos for local milk with value-adding.

“We have to, as dairyfarmers, market milk in different ways,” Mrs Menzel said. 

Mrs McDonald said there was a need for those in the industry to think about different ways to value-add, such as opening up for a farm stay or selling to high-value milk processors.

The Jersey Fresh team has been showing at the show for a number of years under the Carcoola Jersey name and say the event is a great way to show off the industry to the public.

“I think the public at the show are pretty hungry for information, even without what has happened (with milk prices),” Mrs McDonald said.

“We’re not just here to show, we’re here to educate the public.”