Monique Bryant farms alongside husband Mark in Northern Victoria, and although she has spent time off farm in milk supply and in education, her choice has been and still remains to be farming everyday.

In this chat she shares how they’ve worked through succession planning on the family farm, how they’ve faced significant flooding of their milking platform which has led them to expand and grow the business with risk management at the forefront. And she shares about her involvement within the industry and her time as the 2025 Chair for the Australian Dairy Conference Programing Committee.

We cover the topics

If you know someone who you think would be great on the podcast, or you would like to share your story, please get in touch by sending an email to podcast.morethanmilk@gmail.com or stay connected by following us on Instagram or Facebook and send us a message - I'd love to hear from you.

In the spirit of reconciliation we would like to acknowlegde the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Sarah Crosthwaite farms alongside her husband Stuart, in the North East of Victoria but her real passion is mental health, starting her own counselling business supporting the mental health and wellbeing of farmers, rural families and a variety of agricultural workers across Australia.

In this chat, Sarah shares how she became an accredited mental health social worker and how she is using her many years of experience in agriculture and dairy to provide support for farmers and service providers facing the many challenges that we experience specific to farming. She gives really practical tips and strategies to maintain your mental fitness, as well as discussing the role of financial literacy in reducing stress and the importance of communication in relationships, especially in the context of farming families.

We also chat about where to go when you are seeking external support, and the importance of finding the right person, just like finding the right pair of jeans. This chat is very general in nature and not specific therapeutic care, but if you are in need of, or someone you love is struggling please head along to any of the services and resources

TIACS - Free counselling service 8am - 10pm, Monday - Friday

Call or Text 0488 846 988; https://www.tiacs.org/how-it-works/

RURAL HEALTH CONNECT - online platform that links people to psychologists over video calls and phone calls. https://ruralhealthconnect.com.au/

Open Road Counselling - Sarah Crosthwaite https://openroadcounselling.com.au/

CRISIS SUPPORT

Lifeline: 131 114

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

Triple Zero: 000

Resources and Tools:

National Centre Farmer Health https://farmerhealth.org.au/

I Farm Well https://ifarmwell.com.au/

Marcus Minds https://www.marcusminds.com/

In the spirit of reconciliation we would like to acknowlegde the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

If you know someone who you think would be great on the podcast, or you would like to share your story, please get in touch by sending an email to podcast.morethanmilk@gmail.com or stay connected by following us on Instagram or Facebook and send us a message - I'd love to hear from you.

Greg Duncan, is the agribusiness program leader at Dairy Australia. Greg shares his fascinating journey into the dairy industry, starting from his family's sheep and potato farming background in Northern Ireland and England. He discusses his diverse role at Dairy Australia, his early memories of growing up on various farms in New South Wales, and his educational path in agricultural science. Greg elaborates on his career progression, including his time at Pfizer Animal Health and his transition to Dairy Australia, where he has been instrumental in developing and delivering farm performance and business-related extension programs. The conversation delves into the importance of strategic planning for dairy farmers, the benefits of the "Our Farm, Our Plan" program, and the shift towards online extension services. Greg also emphasises the need for young farmers to get involved in the industry, the potential for wealth creation in dairy farming, and the importance of community and leadership development.

TOPICS we cover

• Dairy Australia: https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au

• Our Farm, Our Plan: https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/farm/our-farm-our-plan [01:02:59]

• Dairy Base: https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/farm/farm-business/dairybase [58:27]

• Farm Business Snapshot: https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/farm/farm-business/farm-business-snapshot

If you know someone who you think would be great on the podcast, or you would like to share your story, please get in touch by sending an email to podcast.morethanmilk@gmail.com or stay connected by following us on Instagram or Facebook and send us a message - I'd love to hear from you.

In the spirit of reconciliation we would like to acknowlegde the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.