“Five generations have milked cows on our beautiful farm, every single day in the same dairy for more than 100 years. Giving that up wasn’t an option, no matter what the numbers said. It’s who we are.”
Twenty Jersey cows.
That’s all it took for Kay and Dave Tommerup to take a huge leap of faith and believe their farm in the Kerry Valley in Queensland’s Scenic Rim could stand alone as a place of extraordinary, independent produce and experiences.
It was a big, big leap.
They put this faith – and their family’s future – in 20 beautiful, brown-eyed cows that produce the richest milk; milk where the cream floats to the top and sits there like a crown.
It’s milk from which Kay makes hand-rolled butter infused with red gum smoked salt that’s demanded by top chefs and spoken of in hushed tones across the country.
Over 80 glorious hectares, this sixth-generation dairy farm has turned its back on mass-production, generic flavours and big-player supply chains.
Instead, they mix innovative farm practices with old fashioned passion and a genuine love of the land and their animals, to create a rural haven, with the circle of life loved and respected every day.
Overlay this with the courage to challenge bureaucracy, bullies and bankers and theirs is a story to tell.
Last month, their courage and commitment was rewarded when they won the Australian Farmer of the Year Innovation Award.
To be recognised as innovative makes Kay’s heart sing.
As, 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.
This is a dream that’s been abandoned by so many farming families across Australia, because it’s just so hard to realise.
Not only are there extreme natural conditions to manage, there’s overly dominant supply chains, bureaucracy and big corporates that run the sector, as well as outdated laws and regulations.
Through this and more, Tommerup’s Dairy Farm has survived.
“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,” Kay said.
It hasn’t been easy. Not at all.
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,“ Kay said.
“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.
“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.”
Dave said change wasn’t easy for him.
“There are so many family traditions linked to everything I do. Leaving Norco was a difficult decision, but it was the right one.
“Most farmers are highly innovative, they have to be to survive.
“It’s a matter of whether they have the financial resources, knowledge and confidence to get where they want to be.”
Six long years after deregulation, Dave and Kay assumed the family farm. It was at rock bottom.
“All savings were gone; the maintenance and capital investment had been non-existent since deregulation,“ Kay said.
“We not only had to find a new income stream to combat the ridiculously low milk prices, we had to rebuild.
“I wasn’t born in the region, so had relatively (!) new eyes and could see the beauty and uniqueness of life on our farm, often taken for granted by those who’ve only known this life.
“For many farmers, the idea that their daily life could be interesting to visitors is … quite a stretch!
“When your confidence is diminished from years of being ‘just a farmer’ and at the bottom of the supply chain, it’s hard to realise that what you do has worth to others.”
In 2008 Kay and Dave opened the farm to a little camping, animal feeding tours and school excursions.
“Scenic Rim Regional Council saw potential in our ideas and we joined their business development program. Our teacher was none other than the godmother of agritourism herself, Rose Wright. This changed our lives.”
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, the farmers 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.”
During the recent drought, when another round of dairies shut down, Kay and Dave dug in, dropped their herd numbers to focus on quality and launched their Jersey Girl brand.
As Kay speaks about the milk, cream, butter, milk-fed pork and rose veal they produce, her eyes light up even more because, as a micro-dairy, they shouldn’t be surviving but because of their passion – and support from chefs and customers – they are.
“We now process all of our own milk and cream within a micro, on-farm creamery – an investment funded by the success of our farm tourism.
“We separate the cream in our century-old dairy with an Alfa Laval separator of the same vintage.
“The skim milk is fed to our pigs and the cream is processed into our award-winning artisan dairy products, including our handmade cultured butter and the long-awaited Farmer Dave’s cream top jersey milk.
“Every part of the process is done by us, here. Our products are boutique, extraordinary and command a premium price.”
There’s no wastage on the farm and the animals are rotated through paddocks to have a positive impact on the land itself.
“While we do have a Farm Gate, most of our dairy, pork and veal products are supplied to high-end restaurants in Brisbane.
“These chefs have become part of our family. They know us, our farm and our ethics intimately.
“Our farm, our story and our produce is respected and showcased across their menus.”
And then Dave said something that makes the penny drop.
“Without diversification, we wouldn’t have a legacy to pass on to our kids.
“They now want to be a part of our business and the sense of pride this give me is indescribable.
“I know the history, the stories, the passion, the bloodlines and the farming craft will live on. The life will continue.”
Back to those 20 Jersey cows. They all have names – Martina, Brenda, Susie, Tali, Ruby, Sugarloaf, Friday, Rose, Muriel, Margie and more and yes, they come when called. So do the veal calves who are named after chefs!
