Dairy industry veteran from Tamworth to speak at national conference

Shirley Wilson and husband Lindsay went into dairying during the 1964 drought and have survived in the industry after 55 years and increasingly bad droughts.

Mrs Wilson, 75, said she hoped to share some tips and inspiration on how – and why – to keep going when things got tough.

She will be on the Australian Dairy Elders panel of three women at the Australian Dairy Conference in Canberra on Thursday.

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Mrs Wilson said she was much more comfortable “working in the background” than talking at a sold-out national conference, but felt her decades of challenges could help others.

The Wilsons were both born on dairy farms, but “people thought we were crazy” that they started their own business in Gloucester when they did.

“The drought didn’t finish until October 1966, so we didn’t have a good start – but we loved it and got through,” she said.

They later moved to Wingham, started their own Jersey stud, then relocated to Tamworth in 2002.

Their successes have included countless show wins with their Shirlinn Jerseys, starting with a Sydney Royal Easter Show ribbon in 1976 for junior champion Jersey, and including supreme champion cow at International Dairy Week in 2016.

Their dedication to the industry was passed down by their own parents, and they’ve managed to pass it down to their children.

Son Brian and his wife Vicki now own Shirlinn Jerseys; and grandson Todd and his wife Sarah recently bought the Peel Valley Milk processing plant.

The whole family pitches in on Shirlinn: “We’re supposed to be retired but still help out when needed, which at the moment with the drought and that is often – especially my husband,” Mrs Wilson said.

“Lindsay goes in the dairy most days and milks a lot of the time, and I help with the calves.”

Mrs Wilson said her biggest warning was “to be careful of debt or it will get you down”.

“When we bought our second farm, interest rates were 18-19 per cent; I’d hate for anyone to have to go back to paying that, but they will go up again one day.”

She predicted farms would need to grow bigger to survive, as smaller operators struggled with low prices and the drought.

“With modern technology, younger farmers can learn so much that way – but they can still learn by talking to older people,” she said.

“We’ve been around a long time and know a lot. Experience counts ...

“If I had my life over again, I’d do the same thing. There’s nothing better than rearing children on the land.”