PEOPLE seeking to build a career in dairy farm business management are encouraged to apply for the Dairy Farm Managers program at Marcus Oldham College.
Two assisted places are available for the 2023 intake in the program, which was launched in 2020 in partnership with Dairy Australia.
The program aims to develop business management capabilities in the next generation of dairy farm managers.
Applications are now open for the program.
A Dairy Learning Plan is provided as part of the college's Bachelor of Business (Agriculture) course, enabling students in the program to develop dairy-specific business management skills.
An 11-month practical placement on a working dairy farm is a core component of the course, alongside two years of study at the college campus near Geelong.
Previous scholarship winners, Lachie Davis and David Conn, have recently graduated after completing their third year of study at Marcus Oldham and are now utilising their experiences and skills on-farm.
Mr Conn grew up on a dairy farm in Tasmania, learning the ropes from his father.
His studies have enabled him to develop the knowledge and skills to confidently make management decisions including purchasing his own farm and beginning managing it himself.
"I wouldn't have been able to buy the property as comfortably without the understanding I have now from what Marcus taught me," he said.
"We did a banking unit, where we had to build a business plan and a bank proposal in January, and by April I was doing it for real."
The milking and cow management side of the industry Mr Conn was able to learn while growing up, and now it's the business side that he learned from his studies that is proving invaluable.
"Every dollar I spend, I aim for getting at least a 10 per cent return, so I need to know where to get the best bang for my buck," he said.
"Marcus really helped with knowing not just how to make those decisions but to make the right ones for my business."
As well as the financial management side of things, studying at Marcus Oldham has enabled Victorian Lachie Davis to have confidence in his overall decision making.
"My dad's always done things his way and it's worked well, but having the experience of working on other farms during my placement year, I was able to challenge the 'why' it has to be done a certain way," he said.
"The studies have helped me think about things differently."
For more information on the program go to marcusoldham.vic.edu.au/scholarship.
