2022 Finalist: Ben Worker and Jamie McCrostie of Eastbourne Dairy Farm – Dairy

The team behind this property has a strategic approach to its management, resulting in long-term system improvements to ensure it’s more profitable and functional into the future.

Eastbourne Dairy Farm has a 164ha milking platform, along with 70ha of runoff and is under the guidance of sharemilkers Ben Worker and Jaime McCrostie who treat it like it’s their own.

Ben’s in his eighth year of sharemilking at the Thornbury farm and both he and Jaime have invested a lot of time and effort into improving its presentation and functionality. The result is a tidy, well-organised farm that is achieving good production results.

They milk 470 cows that produce an average of more than 230,000kg of milk solids each year. By enhancing the quality of pasture, the team is also boosting the health of the herd – an aspect that is a continual focus.

Ben and Jaime have moved away from winter cropping and have started on a drainage and re-grassing plan across Eastbourne. In addition, they’re creating buffers along waterways through riparian planting.

They entered the Ballance Farm Environment Awards because they wanted to learn new ways of improving the property and the farming systems they use. In particular, they’re keen to find better ways of managing soil during wet seasons.

By being both capable and detail-focused, Ben and Jaime bring a lot of structure to their management, setting goals and carefully monitoring progress as they develop the property. The health and safety of staff is another priority, with their management including good training and support.

As they look to the future, Ben and Jaime will continue with their re-grassing plan and implementing more system improvements, with the ultimate goal of continuing to sustainably boost Eastbourne’s production.

Ben and Jaime were winners of the WaterForce Wise with Water Award