Held April 23 at Clint and Tania Staley’s farm, Franklin Downs, Toora, the 2026 Muster attracted 199 attendees, with dairy farmers making up half of the audience.
This strong farmer representation reinforced the value of the event as a space for practical, relevant conversations grounded in on-farm experience.
Set in the heart of South Gippsland, Franklin Downs provided an ideal host location, offering a working farm backdrop that complemented the day’s focus on real-world application and discussion.
A key theme of this year’s muster was succession planning, presented by Claire Booth and explored through both the keynote and a dedicated breakout session.
With many farm businesses navigating generational change, these sessions sparked important conversations around planning ahead, maintaining business continuity and supporting family transitions.
The keynote was further strengthened by Clint and Tania Staley, alongside Ken White, who shared their own succession journey and provided practical insight into the realities of navigating change within a family farming business.
The inclusion of succession across both plenary and smaller group formats allowed attendees to engage at different levels - from big-picture thinking through to more personal, practical discussions with peers.
The program also featured breakout sessions focused on utilising homegrown pastures and genetics, delivering practical, farm-focused insights.
The homegrown pastures panel, facilitated by Phil Shannon and supported by Clint Staley, Paul Cocksedge and Jim Colquhoun, explored strategies to maximise pasture utilisation and optimise on-farm feed systems.
The genetics panel, facilitated by Michelle Axford and supported by Tania Staley, Amy Wright and Jamie Drury, provided valuable perspectives on breeding decisions and long-term herd improvement.
Together, these sessions offered attendees targeted insights to support productivity and long-term farm performance and gave farmers the opportunity to explore current approaches, ask questions and share experiences, with discussions grounded in local conditions and systems.
Together, the breakout topics reflected the balance between planning for the future and continuing to optimise on-farm decision-making today.
The success of the 2026 Muster was also made possible through the support of 12 sponsors, including a major sponsorship from the Gardiner Foundation, whose contribution helped deliver a high-quality, relevant event for the Gippsland dairy community.
Their involvement highlighted the strength of collaboration across the dairy sector, bringing together different parts of the industry to support farmers and regional development.
Beyond the formal sessions, the GippsDairy Muster continues to play an important role in strengthening networks across the region.
The event created space for informal conversations, peer-to-peer learning and connection between farmers, advisors and industry representatives.
This value was reflected in attendee feedback, with one participant noting,“These type of events are critical for sharing of hands-on information which has been the strength of dairy for a long time.”
Another added,“These are key messages that can’t be retold enough.”
With 50 per cent of attendees coming directly from farming businesses, discussions throughout the day reflected real challenges, practical experiences and shared opportunities - reinforcing the muster’s reputation as a trusted and valuable forum.
As GippsDairy’s flagship event, the muster remains a key pillar in supporting a connected, informed and resilient dairy community.
The 2026 event demonstrated the continued importance of bringing people together face-to-face to share knowledge, build confidence and plan for the future.
With strong attendance, high farmer engagement and a program that balanced strategic thinking with practical outcomes, the GippsDairy Muster once again showcased the strength and commitment of the Gippsland dairy industry.
Jessica Blackstock GippsDairy
