Meet the farmers

In the ABC’s new documentary, Fightback Farmers: Feeding Australia Together, we meet resilient dairy farmers in Victoria’s Alpine region trying to come back from the brink of financial disaster following the collapse of Australia’s largest dairy processor, brave lobster fishermen on South Australia’s Limestone Coast going global in the wake of a devastating trade crisis and the corporatisation of the industry and the Victorian country town and its co-operative who through innovation and resilience survived to build back better in the wake of an industry collapse.

#FightbackFarmers

Stuart Crosthwaite – Dairy Farmer

A fifth-generation dairy farmer, Stuart had just taken over the family farm from his father when disaster struck. The large milk co-operative, Murray Goulburn, collapsed. But rather than quit and lose everything, Stuart took the bold step of coming together with his neighbours to form a new but much smaller co-operative.

Three years later, Mountain Milk is starting to turn a corner, but Stuart is peddling fast to ensure his farm provides a secure future for his wife Sarah and their two young children. It’s a struggle.

“It’s not about us, it’s not about self-greed,” says Stuart. “It’s about building something for the next generation and the one beyond that.”

Scott Mackillop – Dairy Farmer

Scott’s ancestors are the pioneers of dairy farming in Victoria’s beautiful Kiewa Valley. Rather than be the one who ended 150 years of family history, Scott took the risk of becoming a founding member of the fledgling Mountain Milk Co-operative. His goal is to leave his dairy farm as an environmentally sustainable legacy for his three children. At 6 ft 10 in, Scott is a towering figure in the community who runs the farm with his wife, Belinda. He admits there can be tension in a co-op of passionate farmers.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s the primary school or the football club or whatever. People work together for better outcomes as a natural part of rural communities,” says Scott.

Silvana Micheli – Pasta Maker

Resilient Silvana Micheli, a second-generation farmer of Italian origin, was rocked when her family’s lucrative tobacco farm was forced to shut when the Australian industry imploded in 2007. Unsure of what to do next, Silvana turned to her late mother’s traditional pasta recipes for inspiration. She now runs a fully-fledged family business – thanks to her extended family – but it’s hard work. Now in her 70s, Silvana relies on TAFCO to deliver supplies 70 kilometres away in picturesque Myrtleford in country Victoria.

“After the tobacco had folded, we had the bush fires a few months later,” says Silvana. “Then we had floods. I fell into a dark hole and struggled to get myself out of it.”