5.30am

ADC Morning Milk Run

Start the day fresh with the ADC Morning Milk Run sponsored by the Bega Group on the beautiful beaches of the Gold Coast as an invigorating way to kick off conference proceedings & connect with fellow delegates. 

Tick the box as part of your registration for ADC 2025.

8.20am

Session 1 - Farming in Australia - the land of opportunity

Introducing MC extraordinaire Kimberley Busteed to ADC 2025! Kimberley brings 16 years of experience as an Australian media personality blending her media expertise with a genuine connection to agriculture.

8.30am

Welcome to ADC 2025

Programming Committee Chair and northern Victoria dairy farmer Monique Bryant will encourage delegates to explore opportunities and get out of their comfort zone in this empowering and progressive forum.

8.45am

Seizing the opportunities for industry

Paul Roderick, Chair Dairy Australia & ADC Board grew up in farming, following his parents’ example of community involvement and saying “yes” to opportunities. This shaped his path as a leader. He believes leadership isn’t about titles but about embracing opportunities, learning, and sharing with others. It is rooted in encouragement and influence.

Reflecting on his own doubts, Paul acknowledges the key figures who saw his potential and helped him find the courage to lead. Authentic leadership, he says, comes from seizing the chances we’re given. As we gather in Queensland, Paul will share his insights on leadership and challenge us to reflect on our own stories and the opportunities we can embrace.

9.00am

Opportunities in the Lucky Country

Australia is often labelled as the lucky country, yet are we standing at the crossroads of tradition versus opportunity. Nathan Scott of Achieve Ag Solutions will address the importance of collective leadership and a chance to push the industry toward excellence, providing opportunities for those who truly care about and seek this country’s ‘luck’. He’ll question how can we avoid highly predictable regrets as farmers, while inspiring a new model where both experienced and driven individuals can sustain farming legacies, allowing current owners to enjoy life beyond the farm.

9.30am

Success from opportunity

Nathan will continue this theme of opportunity as he facilitates the inspiring journeys of dairy businesses who have found success and opportunity in Australia. Learn about the challenges they faced, the obstacles they overcame, and why they believe Australia has been the key to realising their dreams.

Clint Stephens, has illustrated both growth and prospect (against the norm). Despite a pull to ‘farm down south’ he’s seen the Queensland dairy industry as an opportunity to grab a hold of.

Brian Corr, Gippsland has seized global opportunity to progress his dairy aspirations. Growing up in Ireland on a 150-acre mixed farm dairy, beef, sheep and poultry, and studying agriculture he spread his wings to dairy farming in New Zealand and the UK in management roles. In 2022, he and his partner purchased a 383-acred farm and expanded to 900 cows benefiting from land availability and favourable regulations in the region.

11.00am

Rethinking farm transition

We continue to hear stories on industry exits due to “no one to take on the farm” or “it’s impossible for me to get into farming” so what is the missing piece of the puzzle?Nathan Scott believes nothing is missing and the people are right under our noses; its more of a mindset. Nathan will explore this further and be complemented with insights from three dairy industry businesses.

Panel members Include:
Lachlan Fry WA Farmer – an inspiring young farmer who has attempted to enter into dairy but has failed to get asset owners to change their thinking to make way for a new entrant.

Don & Jen Stolp – Hailing from NZ, Don and Jen originally managed a Chris Proctor property in SA’s South East. Don and Jen reflect on their success story from Farm Managers transitioning through to share farmers.

David & Penny Conn bring a unique approach to share dairy farming that emphasises realistic goals and growth for ALL parties. They take immense satisfaction in seeing their sharefarmers thrive financially and grow wealth alongside them. This philosophy of sharing both opportunity and prosperity makes them exceptional models of balanced, equitable partnerships in dairy farming and inspiring voices on the power of collaboration and shared success in agriculture.

12.00pm

Transition unlocked

The Ultimate Guide to Structuring for Success. In this session, we’ve uncovered powerful stories of transition—but what does that actually look like in practice?

Claire Booth from C.O. Booth Law & Advisory is here to break it down, offering the ultimate “how-to” on structuring your business so you’re fully equipped for a seamless transition. Get ready to walk away with the tools you need to be transition-ready.

2.20pm

Industry insights and practical solutions

Led by Greg Duncan, Farm Performance Lead, Dairy Australia quick fire sessions to provide practical insights and solutions.

2.30pm

How do I become the farmer that everyone wants to work for?

Rebecca Fing founder of House Paddock Training and Consulting, brings 20 years of experience helping farms create safer, more productive, and people-focused workplaces. At ADC, she’ll deliver a 10-minute session sharing her Top Tips to Becoming an Employer of Choice. Drawing from work with over 600 farms, Rebecca offers actionable strategies to improve safety, HR practices, and workplace culture. A follow-up video will provide deeper insights for building thriving, people-focused businesses. Don’t miss this essential session for creating a workplace where great people want to stay.

2.40pm

Carbon confusion to clarity

We keep hearing about Carbon but where do I start my learning or journey? What is a baseline, how is it measured and why should we know this. Climate change Professor Richard Eckard will give us the facts.

2.50pm

Farm safety simplified

We all want to explore how to simplify farm safety and make it a practical part of daily operations. A leader from a recognised farming business will share why culture is the key to effective safety practices and highlight the tools they use to embed safety seamlessly on-farm. This session is perfect for those looking to improve safety outcomes while building a strong, people-focused culture.

3.00pm

Strategies for surplus

Andy Hancock, Dairy Australia, presents examples of effective surplus calf management, showcasing the strategies and tactics that led to success. He’ll explore the approaches that drove these outcomes and link them to the broader industry goals. This session will provide inspiration for addressing the issue of surplus calves for individual businesses at an industry level.

3.10pm

Looking after your mental health

What do I do every day to look after me and my family’s mental health: Nuffield Scholar, Mental Health Counsellor and Dairy Farmer Sarah Crosthwaite will answer how mentally fit farmers equals a healthy dairy industry.

4.00pm

ADC Innovator Award

An evolution of the former ADC Young Dairy Scientist Award, opens the door to a whole new world of opportunities. Now embracing a wider spectrum beyond pure science, this award invites innovative dairy ideas from brilliant minds across all ages and stages of their careers. Whether seasoned professionals or just starting out, the five finalists and their ideas will be a delight
with the aim to inspire delegates. This is their chance to showcase research-backed or science-based ideas to the entire Australian dairy industry, capturing the very best talent and pushing the boundaries of innovation. Brought to you by the Gardiner Foundation.

7.30am - 5.00pm

ADC Trade Exhibition

One of the biggest trade exhibitions yet, come and explore the range of products and services for the Australian dairy industry. Grab a coffee, some great dairy products and catch up with colleagues on the trade floor.

6.30pm - 10.30pm

ADC Gala Dinner

A night to come together and celebrate the Australia’s dairy industry hosted by Rabobank Australia.

Expect to be entertained, mesmerised and captivated as we gather to celebrate achievement, diversity and collaboration within the industry.