Dave and Kay Tommerup are finalists in the Innnovation category.
Kay and Dave Tommerup are dairy farmers in the Kerry Valley in Queensland’s Scenic Rim have been named of one of just 18 in the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards.
What makes Kay’s heart sing, is that they are one of three finalists in the Innovationcategory. Without innovation, Tommerup’s Dairy Farm would probably be closed, and not the shining example of regenerative, sustainable farming with heart that it is today.
“The focus of everything we do and every experience we offer, is our dairy, our farm, and our desire to build a farm business that can be taken on by our children, and their children on this beautiful property that’s been farmed by Dave’s family since 1874,” said Kay who now sits on the Boards of eastAUSmilk and the Queensland Farmers Federation.
“We’ve gone from a dairy farm being propped up by tourism dollars, to a dairy farm leveraging the benefits of agritourism to add higher value to our farm product and now we have a legacy for future generations,” said Kay.
Kay and Dave made the bold decision to leave milk processor Norco on 2 January 2021 after establishing their own Tommerup’s Jersey Girl line of boutique dairy products in 2019. They had been supplying Norco since 1984, when the company took over the former Logan and Albert Co-Op.
“Like so many others, our journey into agritourism came as a survival tactic for the farm. With three generations living on the family property, and Dave and I having just started our own family, dairy deregulation in 2000 came at us like a freight train. The dairy should have closed – the numbers told us so. But numbers can’t beat passion, or respect for family and tradition,” said Kay.
“Five generations have milked cows on our beautiful farm, every single day in the same dairy for over 100 years. For Dave, giving up that tradition wasn’t an option, no matter what the numbers said. Dairy farming is not his job, it’s who he is, and it’s who our family is.”
“Luckily, farmers are masters of taking something they have and moulding it into something they need. There are few things that can’t be fixed with a bit of baling twine or fencing wire. Fixing this problem, however, was going to take more than twine.”
Now Tommerup’s Farm has key strategic pillars – The Dairy, Farm Stays, Meat Sales and Farm Experiences – and they are passionate and highly focused about the future. Their farmstay includes The Cottage and The Homestead, both built in 1888 and steeped in family history and both booked well into the future with cancellations snapped up within hours. “In the eyes of our guests, our farm is their farm; it’s a genuine place to connect with the land and the farmers, to with where their food comes from, and to make lifelong memories.”
School group excursions are a particular passion of Kay’s. “We’re creating a connection that will shape their future opinions and consumer choices. And perhaps, they might just see something that draws them to a career in agriculture – bringing a new generation of enthusiastic, passionate people to our industry.”
The Australian Farmer of the Year awards celebrate the best and brightest in the agricultural industry each year; farmers who constantly strive to improve their business and are finding success in their efforts. Finalists have been named in six categories – cropping, beef, dairy, sheep, horticulture and innovation. Winners will be announced at a gala event in Melbourne on Friday February 24.
The other two finalists in the Innovation category are the Dennis family of Tarndwarncoort in Warncoort, Victoria and the Wheal family of Beachport Berkshires, Limestone Coast in South Australia.