In 2023, Breanna Stewart packed up her old caravan and set off on an adventure from her home at Great Western near Stawell.
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Breanna planned to travel around Australia and stop wherever she could find agricultural jobs — but she didn’t get far.
Her first stop was less than two hours away, at Tarrone, where she secured a temporary job as a calf raiser.
When the temp work finished, she returned home to care for her mother for a while, but it wasn’t long before she was offered an ongoing job.
Today she’s 2IC on the farm and the dairy industry is taking her further than she could have imagined.
After being part of study tours to Gippsland and Tasmania, Breanna will soon fly to The Netherlands after winning an all-expenses paid trip at the Dairy Farmers Ball, initiated by the WestVic Dairy Young Dairy Network leadership team.
Breanna, 28, had found it hard to get agricultural work.
“That’s why I renovated the caravan. I was just going to show up at places and try to get some work, fruit picking or whatever I could get,” Breanna said.
“Because I had a dog, I couldn’t just go in the car; I needed the caravan so she had somewhere to live too.
“I got this temp job and fell in love with dairy farming and the people I work for are amazing, and that makes it so much easier.”
Breanna now has a house on the farm and is well settled, with the caravan being further restored to be sold.
“The team here gave me a start in agriculture, and now they’re like a family,” she said.
“I’m very passionate about it and it’s great to work with other people just as passionate as I am about it.”
Breanna grew up on bushland near Great Western with many animals, but no farming background.
“I left school and went warehousing and concreting with my brother, but I just love being outside, though there are times you wish it was climate controlled,” she said
“Some days it gets hard when it’s raining, but it’s definitely worth it. You see the sun coming up and going down, and it’s beautiful.”
Although inexperienced, Breanna said the team showed her the ropes.
“My boss and the young guys taught me the calf rearing. Like any job, you get the hang of it. At our peak, we house 220 calves,” she said.
The 2IC position means Breanna helps her manager Jos Boekhout with day-to-day operations.
Breanna is also studying agriculture through RIST and said the course had given her valuable knowledge and a better understanding of what she does on a daily basis.
“Jos is a brilliant dairy farmer and he answers any question I have,” Breanna said.
Her job includes making sure the cows are well fed and showing new staff what to do, and Breanna hopes to learn more about rotations and crops.
There are three full-timers and a manager with the owners living in Warrnambool.
The farm has a mix of Holsteins, Jerseys and cross-breeds.
There are 1400 head in total, and 950 in the milking herd at the moment.
“It’s pretty hard, but we get it done,” Breanna said.
The Netherlands trip in September will be her first time travelling overseas.
“The dairy industry has really opened up the world for me; I couldn’t have dreamt this as a kid,” she said.
Seeing how other farms operate has been a major part of her learning curve, with trips to Gippsland and Tasmania to tour dairy farms sponsored by the DemoDAIRY Foundation.
In The Netherlands, Breanna will visit the headquarters of executive sponsor, Lely, for a behind-the-scenes tour, and several Dutch dairy farms.
“In Gippsland and Tasmania, I saw some robots and the technology was such an eye-opener,” she said.
“I also got to see so many different herds and farming systems and met everyone from sharefarmers to farm hands. That’s what I’m looking forward to.
“It’s a huge opportunity to go over there to learn and see how things can be done differently for better outcomes on our farm,” Breanna said.
Breanna believes technology will continue to be a key part of the dairy industry’s future.
“We don’t have any smart tech or collars on our farm; everything is hands-on,” she said.
“I’d love to see what options are out there that we might consider implementing.
“There could be little things to smooth the operation and shorten the calving period — which is currently April to August.”
To win, Breanna answered a questionnaire touching on what she hoped to get out of the trip and what innovations she’d like to implement on the farm.
She is planning to add an extra week to see some of Europe.
“I live in a little bubble out here, so it will be nice to see different cultures and big, old buildings.”
Apart from enjoying the travel opportunities, Breanna sees her future in dairy farming.
“The days do get tiring and dairy farming becomes your whole life, but I love it and want to put everything I can into it,” she said.
“I never knew what I wanted to do when I was growing up, but I’ve found a career out of dairy farming and I want to see where it takes me.
“You never know where it’s going to lead. I never imagined I’d be here.
“I just love seeing the cows happy when you put them out on the feed.”