By Casey Neill
FARMER-friendly milk from Jindivick jersey cows will hit shelves in September.
Friends Sallie Jones and Steve Ronalds joined forces to create the Gippsland Jersey brand, and have been inundated with support on social media.
They’ve racked up more than 3500 likes on their Facebook page since they launched at the end of June, and Sallie said other farmers had been in touch, wanting to jump on board.
“Our milk slogan is good for you, good for farmers,” she said.
“Farmers are the ones with the milk.
“What we’re doing is taking that control back into our own hands.
“It’s all about a fair price at the farm gate.”
Steve owns a jersey farm at Jindivick and Sallie moved to Warragul from a dairy farm at Lakes Entrance.
On an Easter Holiday in New South Wales, Steve saw farmer-owned milk brand Tilba for sale and in use at cafes and it started the wheels turning.
On his return he bumped into Sallie at Farm World.
Her dad, a milk processor, had died unexpectedly two weeks earlier and with Tilba in mind Steve suggested a project to honour him.
“A couple of weeks after Steve and I had that conversation, the milk crisis happened,” Sallie said.
People were asking for advice on how to help from the Warragul Farmer’s Market, which she started three years ago, so she organised a dairy farming panel and was inspired.
“We can’t solve the dairy crisis, but we can do our little bit,” Sallie said.
“There’s a lot of negativity in the industry, there’s a lot of heartache.”
Steve said: “We want to be a light in a dark time in the industry.”
“A portion of the sales of each bottle will go into some sort of fund or foundation to help dairy farmers doing it tough.”
The brand is about a month away from hitting the shelves in two-litre bottles.
Visit www.gippslandjersey.com.au or search for Gippsland Jersey on Facebook or Instagram to get involved.
Keep an eye on the Gazette for an On The Land feature on Gippsland Jersey in coming weeks.
