Kate Kirk admits she was a total novice when she was introduced to dairy farming.
At the time, Kate was working in a Leongatha supermarket in South Gippsland. Her then boyfriend, share farmer Jason Kirk whose family had two farms at Loch, needed to find a new worker when his sister moved on to run the second other farm.
“I said I don’t know anything about farming but I’m happy to give it a go,” Kate said. “What’s the worst that could happen – If I suck at it and you fire me; I can go back to the supermarket.”
Turns out Kate was a good learner who quickly adapted to farming life, and at the same time their relationship blossomed and led to marriage and Kate becoming part of the share farming arrangement.
Part of her success came from the mentorship of Jason and his family and the deluge of Dairy Australia courses she undertook to learn about industry standards.
She’s never forgotten the importance of that support and today she continues to pay it forward.
Kate will present `From Frankston to Gippsland: A Journey in Farming and Mentorship’ at the GA 2026 Today, Tomorrow and Beyond conference hosted by Genetics Australia in Geelong on March 17-18.
Kate had been raised in Frankston and no intentions of becoming a farmer but now she wants to help young people find their way in the industry.
She remembers joining the farm as a 19-year-old rookie. “Jason and his father taught me everything about what they wanted on their farm and they supported me to learn the industry standards,” she said. “Because I wasn’t qualified for diddley-squat, I started doing all the Dairy Australia courses like Cups On-Cups Off, calf rearing and Fert Smart. I think I’ve done every single course they’ve had in the past 20 years.
“I’ve always been a go-getter person and if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do the best I can.”
She even became confident and experienced enough to instigate on-farm changes based on data.
While continuing to lease in Loch, in 2016 Kate and Jason bought their own farm at Dumbalk, adding to it over the years to build up to a milking herd of more than 500 on 364 hectares. They have four staff and more than 1100 animals all up including young stock, and also do their own hay and silage conservation.
In recent years Kate completed her Diploma of Agriculture qualification online, along with a training and assessors’ course at TAFE and became qualified in food safety and lead auditing.
Along with working as a verified dairy food safety auditor with Dairy Food Safe Victoria auditing farms for their milk licences, Kate is keen to help young people to navigate their way into the industry, including their own staff.
“We support people to take time off for training because I know how important that was when I was a novice,” Kate said. “There are not a lot of younger people in agriculture and it’s way harder for them to get into it than it used to be, but we need them. Farms are much bigger so the industry needs more employees, from managers to farm hands, and those people need a chance to skill up. They need on-farm training as well as formal training so they know what industry best practice is.
“It is difficult to get in, but it’s possible if you’re patient. Find someone that you admire and ask them questions and use the industry opportunities that we have. If there’s a part of the farming that you don’t enjoy, find a bit that you do enjoy.
“If you’re going to do it, do your best.”
They also host on-farm tour groups, including visitors from Zimbabwe organised by Genetics Australia. Kate will be part of an online seminar for Zimbabwean women in ag in March.
Recently turned 40, Kate says she and Jason continue to work well as a team, but she hopes to phase out of the hands-on heavy-lifting part of farming.
“I want to do the things I enjoy, like supporting staff, teaching skills, explaining the importance of food safety legislation, connecting people to industry resources and just talking to and supporting dairy farmers and their goals.”
The GA 2026 Today, Tomorrow and Beyond conference hosted by Genetics Australia on March 17-18
will be at GMHBA Stadium 370 Moorabool Street South Geelong. You can visit here for ticketing information and the full program.
