Our History
Awareness that the dairy industry in Australia in the “fifties” lagged far behind its counterparts in Europe and the USA led the recently appointed Professor of Animal Husbandry, T.J. Robinson, to establish the Dairy Husbandry Research Foundation in 1959.
Read more about the incredible story of T.J Robinson in the Sydney Morning Herald’s article: ‘Boffin brought science to the farm’. This article shares how, drawing on his American experience, T.J. Robinson set up the Foundation to involve producers in directly supporting research and development in their own industries.
Jack Ferguson, Chairman of the NSW Milk Board gave Professor Robinson invaluable encouragement and support in the establishment of the Foundation.
Generous financial assistance from the Australian Dairy Produce Board and from a high proportion of the major dairying companies allowed the construction of the Dairy Research Unit at the University Farms at Camden.
About Us
The Dairy Research Foundation was established in 1959 to advance the emerging discipline of dairy science and to improve technical practices in the industry.
Our research laboratory has facilities for carrying out a wide range of research from applied and that focusing on pasture management, animal nutrition and whole farm systems to more basic studies.
One of the roles of the Dairy Research Foundation is to inform the dairy and general community on the work undertaken by the University and this has led to the organising of an Annual Symposium held at various location within the state, including Camden NSW.
The Dairy Research Foundation is the lead organisation for Dairy UP, a major research and development program to help NSW farmers unlock the potential of their dairy businesses. It is a collaboration with NSW DPI, Dairy Australia and Scibus with support from a range of NSW dairy industry players.
Objectives
- Finance and undertake research relevant to the problems of the Australian dairy industry.
- Promote the extension of worldwide research findings to the industry.
- Provide advice to the dairy industry on practical problems encountered in the field.
- Assist in the scientific training of experts to service the dairy industry.
- Raise financial support for these purposes.
Achievements
- The DRF has continued to achieve the above goals in the past 10 years, attracting an average of $1 million in funding per year.
- The DRF are the lead and administration organisation and one of the delivery organisations of Dairy UP. Dairy UP is a $16 million, five-year industry driven project with a portfolio of 10 research, development and adoption projects.
- The success is also evidenced by an increasing amount of research, publications, industry funds and number of students as shown in detail in the DRF Annual Report’s.