Aussie Reds on fire in SE

As the national chairman of the Australian Red Dairy Breed, that’s to be expected, but there is a lot more going on behind the scenes.

Mr Hamilton is the latest SA dairyfarmer to be profiled as part of the Legendairy campaign, a communications initiative Mr Hamilton hopes will raise the profile and reputation of the industry, through better educating the community about dairy farms and the multi-faceted nature of the work.

He is passionate about sharing the “finer arts” of dairying with young farmers and his pride in farming constantly shines through. 

“Dairyfarming is a trade in itself,” he said.

“The amount of money even a modest farm turns over can compare well to prominent shops in the main street.”

Given half a chance, Mr Hamilton is more than happy to explain dairying to anyone.

Recently, the Hamiltons hosted international pharmacists at their aptly-named farm Hamilton’s Run. 

“I told them about the grass, nutrition, feeding calves, the way the rumen works, fertiliser and water use,” he said.

“Eventually, Michele kindly patted me on the knee and said ‘that’s enough’. Their heads were spinning a bit.”

Mr Hamilton was raised on a dairy farm at OB Flat, south of Mount Gambier, and apart from a few years training as a fitter and turner, has always been a farmer.

“I love being able to take the time, especially on some mornings, to look and take in the nature,” he said. “It might be the trees, the sunrise, the fog or a splash of colour.

“You also need to appreciate the animals the way they return the care to you.” 

Mr Hamilton’s parents started breeding red cows in 1964, long before the ARDB was formed, and he’s still passionate about breeding and improving the farm’s Aussie Reds.

Hamilton’s Run has a 140-hectare milking area bolstered by run-off paddocks for rearing heifers and producing forage.

The farm is self-sufficient for growing forage, mostly based on annual ryegrasses and forage cereals and, like most farms in the region, irrigation is essential. 

The Murray Goulburn suppliers rear about 180 calves a year, with the aim of expanding. “There’s potential there for more growth,” Mr Hamilton said.

Dairy is a big industry in the South East, even though the number of farms has decreased.

“Today there are only about 90-100 suppliers but probably as many cows being milked here as ever,” Mr Hamilton said.

Mr Hamilton has no plan to retire. Instead, he hopes to find a like-minded younger person as a work partner and train them in the “finer arts of dairyfarming”.

AT 58, Mount Gambier dairyfarmer Graeme Hamilton has seen more than herd size changes during his time in the industry, even things as simple as carting hay have moved forward with new technologies and systems.

"You might have done 1000 bales a day between two people,” he said. 

“These days you go out and cart the equivalent amount in rounds or squares in about three hours and never leave the tractor seat.”

The strategic use of nitrogen and other inputs has helped pasture growth at Hamilton’s Run double in the past few decades and milk increase to a target of 9000 litres a cow.

Mr Hamilton would like to achieve more and says farmers need confidence and sufficient profits to invest back into their farms.

“There are quite a few international red dairy breeds often seen as stand-alone breeds but they’ve all got linkages back to the red breeds of Europe,” he said. 

“That allows us to choose the best genetics for our herd wherever we find them among the suitable red breeds.”

Mr Hamilton says the breed’s health performance is better than other cows. 

“They carry more condition which helps them go in-calf much better and they are more robust, so they spend less time in the hospital paddock,” he said. “While they’re a bit more modest in the volume of milk they give, their kilograms of solids are comparable to other breeds, which is important for our income.”