Nearly 50 young people from across Victoria and South Australia got a a taste of the dairy industry at a camp at Noorat last week.
The Western District Youth Camp at the Noorat Showgrounds from January 6-8 has attracted a capacity 44 participants aged 8-16 from Gippsland, northern Victoria, south-east South Australia and the local community.
The camp, revived last year after a three-year hiatus, aims to introduce a new generation of young people to the world of dairy cattle.
Organising committee member Bryan Dickson said the 2024 camp was a resounding success and this year’s event was also fully subscribed.
Mr Dickson said there would be a strong focus on education and dairy career pathways along with animal husbandry and raising cattle.
There will also be opportunities for participants to learn about showing cattle, culminating in a handling competition on Wednesday.
Representatives from WestVic Dairy, DemoDAIRY Foundation and the Timboon Agriculture Project will talk about potential career opportunities and pathways in the dairy industry.
There will also be talks from people who have shown and judged cattle in competitions around Australia and USA.
The camp has received strong support from the industry, including major sponsors DemoDAIRY Foundation, Genetics Australia and Jefo.
Mr Dickson said support from sponsors was essential for the success of the event to support the future of the dairy industry. “The basic reason for running the camp is to get young people interested in dairying and agriculture in general,” he said. “A lot of kids who did agricultural programs at school became dairy farmers because of that exposure, and we want to inspire the next generation to do the same.
“Some kids who attended last year from Melbourne had never been on a farm before or had any involvement with cows and they got a lot out of it. Gone are the days when most people had a relative on a farm that they could visit.”
Most of the participants have some farming background but some are being introduced to agriculture for the first time.
Mr Dickson said the camp was fully booked with people on a waiting list. “It’s a good number and we wouldn’t be able to take any more, but it shows the level of interest in dairy and agriculture,” he said.
