DEMODAIRY Foundation’s new chair, Andrea Vallance, wants more people to access the Foundation’s funds to help them advance in the industry.

After two years on the DemoDAIRY Foundation Board, Andrea has replaced Ralph Leutton as chair and says the foundation has an exciting role to play in the future of the local dairy industry.

“I love the focus on education, leadership and innovation and trying to build a legacy with the DemoDAIRY funds,” she said.

However, like other funding bodies, the foundation sometimes struggles to find suitable applicants for grants.

“People tend not to apply for scholarships or grant prospects. It’s amazing how hard it is to give money away,” Andrea said.

DemoDAIRY Foundation is well placed to continue supporting the dairy industry for many years to come and Andrea encouraged local people to look at opportunities to apply for funding.

The Foundation was formed in 2018 after a resolution to wind up the former DemoDAIRY Cooperative near Terang, with funds from the sale of the property invested into a fund.

Andrea and Bruce Vallance started dairying in 1993, initially leasing a farm and progressing to farm ownership two years later. They are now milking 800 cows off a 286-hectare milking platform.

They use an equity partnership model for the farm at Nirranda after having trialled it at a property they owned with a similar structure in Cobram that was sold in 2018. The equity model allowed their children and farm manager to buy into the operational part of the business.

Bruce and Andrea had no experience in the dairy industry when they started: Bruce came from a sheep, cropping and pig farming background, Andrea was a teacher having grown up in Warrnambool.

“When we started, one of the conditions of our lease was that we attend a grass-based discussion group and we’re forever grateful for that,” she said.

“That’s why I continue to push the importance of mentors, discussion groups, listening to people and learning. We knew nothing but we were like sponges and soaked up everything we could and sought advice from people who already had runs on the board or who knew their stuff.”

Now Andrea wants to return the favour.

“The dairy industry has been really good to us and supported our family very well, and I think there’s a responsibility for us to pay it forward.”

Andrea has been a driving force in the Timboon Agriculture Project (TAP), a contributor to local discussion groups, was part of the Target 10 committee, and has been involved in many pilot groups for Dairy Australia programs.

She is also a member of the Nullawarre Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and an Ambulance Community Officer (ACO) at Timboon

“We’re really aware of contributing back to the community and believe there’s so much capacity in the dairy industry. It has been good to us and I want to share it with other people,” Andrea said.

“We want to help people on their education, leadership and innovation journeys and hope to partner with existing bodies such as Food and Fibre Great South Coast, South West TAFE, RIST, Neil Porter Legacy, Powell Legacy Fund, and WestVic Dairy to help build something for the industry to maximize the resources available to us”

Andrea paid tribute to former chair Ralph Leutton and thanked him for his leadership, and acknowledged secretary Ian Teese as the first point of contact and backbone of the organisation.

DemoDAIRY Foundation is keen to sponsor more people in the farming industry.  More information can be found at https://www.demodairy.com.au/scholarships-and-grants/ or from DDF secretary Ian Teese on 0427 358987 or email to itag@bigpond.com.