Subtropical Dairy Regional Groups
Regional Groups and Small Grants Program
Subtropical Dairy's Regional Groups are located across the subtropical dairying regions of Queensland and northern New South Wales. These Regional Groups work on projects that support their region's dairy farmers.
The size and spread of the Subtropical Dairy area has led to the establishment of the Regional Groups. Each group focuses on issues specific to their own region and farming systems.
There are active groups in the following regions:
- Darling Downs/Burnett
- South East Queensland
- Central Queensland
- Far North Queensland
- Far North Coast of NSW
- Mid North Coast of NSW
- Sunshine Coast
Regional Group contacts
| Region | Name | Position | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far North Qld | Annalissa Daley | Chair | annaliisa.geraghty@gmail.com |
| Jo Srhoj | Secretary | jo@subtropicaldairy.com.au | |
| Central Qld | Brad Silver | Chair | brad.silver@au.lactalis.com |
| Arlene Rutherford | Secretary | arlene@subtropicaldairy.com.au | |
| South East Qld | Luke Stock | Chair | lukestock@live.com |
| Belinda Haddow | Secretary | belinda@subtropicaldairy.com.au | |
| Darling Downs | Kylie Wick | Chair | chelmonte@bigpond.com |
| Belinda Haddow | Secretary | belinda@subtropicaldairy.com.au | |
| Far North Coast NSW | Terry Toohey | Chair | tjtoohey@bigpond.com |
| Alana Connolly | Secretary | alana@subtropicaldairy.com.au | |
| Mid North Coast NSW | Heath Cook | Chair | hnjcook@bigpond.com |
| Alana Connolly | Secretary | alana@subtropicaldairy.com.au | |
| Sunshine Coast | Elke Watson | Chair | elke@scorpex.com.au |
| Arlene Rutherford | Secretary | arlene@subtropicaldairy.com.au |
Small grants
Subtropical Dairy provides funds for small project grants each year. Grants are available for projects and activities that support the industry's strategic priorities and provide an industry benefit throughout Subtropical Dairy or help solve a local problem.
Recent projects supported by Subtropical Dairy include:
- An automated heat detection system
- Legume/kikuyu swards
- Biological alternatives for mastitis treatment
- Calibrating pasture meters
- First aid training
- Evaluation of ammonium-based fertilisers
- Financial benchmarking
- Precision fertiliser application
Each Regional Group has an annual budget of $5,000 to invest in local research, development and extension projects. These are funded through submissions to the Subtropical Dairy Board Projects Committee and must be endorsed by the regional group prior to the project being submitted.
To discuss small grants project ideas and obtain a copy of the application form, contact Subtropical Dairy Senior Program Manager Dr Brad Granzin on 0431 197 479.
Queensland Government assistance
The Queensland Government provides drought assistance for primary producers such as dairy farmers, for more information visit Drought assistance for primary producers.