Salary range: $80,000 to $100,000
Overview of Meredith Goat Farmers
Meredith Dairy, manufacturers of farmhouse goat and sheep milk cheeses and yoghurt, sources goat milk from 7 suppliers, some of whom are owned by Meredith Goat Farmers P/l, and all whose management is provided by MGF (labour requirements, nutrition, reproductive calendar, animal health and welfare programs).
Goat dairying is an emerging industry in Australia for which optimum management practices are still being developed. In addition to the routine work of milking, feeding, and caring for the goats, the farm staff manage a genetic improvement program, a disease control program, a research program aimed at improving feed efficiency, herd health and welfare, and reproductive parameters.
Our Vision
To produce food, sustainably.
Our Mission
Grow food, raise animals, produce milk and make accessible, quality dairy products. We will tread lightly on this earth, allowing the environment and our community to flourish.
We are seeking a Goat Farmer to provide management support and technical skills. The successful applicant will have a relevant qualification as well as relevant experience to demonstrate their ability to perform in the role.
The job will entail the following tasks:
* Planning, organising and managing dairy goat farming activities, including budgets, production, equipment, supplies and personnel.
* Leadership, including participation in the day-to-day routine of milking, feeding, rearing of young stock and caring for animal health. There will be strong emphasis on developing and embedding standard work in these routine tasks
* As part of a team participate in and oversee when necessary reproductive work, including pregnancy testing, semen collection and artificial insemination and controlled breeding
* Continue to develop strategies that address current and/or emerging animal welfare concerns to ensure optimal health of our animals, these strategies should include reference to identified biosecurity risks.
* Monitor, collect data and report against the success of animal health strategies.
* Within the dairy that you are directly responsible for: ensure maintenance and preventative maintenance program is followed, including providing repairs to infrastructure such as fences sheds, pens and water supply when required.
* Ensuring facilities and equipment are in good working order.
* Selection of goats for breeding and sale, collating records of this
* Participate in the selection, training and supervision of team members
* Recording and analysing trends in parameters relating to productivity
* Providing leadership in time so of difficulty (when equipment is faulty, or the workload is unusually high)
* Foster a culture of continuous improvement: encourage suggestions from staff on ways to improve and when appropriate implement them or take suggestions to the farm operations manager
* Ensure databases (feed records, Delpro, animal health database) are current
This is a full-time position requiring a bachelor degree in agriculture or relation field or at least 5 years relevant experience working at this level.
Applicants must be available to work regular rotating weekends.
This is an exciting and varied role within an emerging industry and will offer career progression in line with the organisational growth and development.
To apply for this position please submit your resume with a covering letter outlining your experience and the value you can bring to the role and the team.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $80,000.00 – $100,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person