Taking dairy to the world

Growing up on a dairy farm instilled in Casey a lifelong passion for dairy and, in particular, showing cattle, and despite the sale of the family farm, Casey has continued to breed and show cattle under her prefix Finesse Genetics.

She is also the face of Around the Barn, a live video broadcast on social media that has taken International Dairy Week and the Australian dairy industry to the world.

The inspiration for ATB began after COVID-19.

Declan Patten had just taken over the running of IDW in 2022, and was looking for ways to tap into the market and boost the profile of the event.

And ATB has certainly done that, as year-after-year, the popularity has grown along with the reach, not just across Australia, but around the world.

Casey interviews IDW winners and exhibitors across the five days of the event, capturing all the emotion and joy.

“ATB has helped draw the emotion out and has helped create a side to showing the wider public has never seen or been exposed to before,” Casey said.

It is all systems go once the event kicks off.

“I am always watching the show and keeping an ear out for any interesting stories from the sidelines and assembly area, knowing the breeders and the pedigrees also helps.

“If I see a good cow come along, and I don’t know her, I will look her up and learn about her, often the story of new owners or where she came from is the coolest part.

“I often have to think on my feet, and it certainly helps to be prepared and know the background pre-interview.

“The last two years we have had a media intern come on board, which has been so much better than grabbing someone from the sideline to help, and it has been beneficial to enable us to tap in to more social media content,” Casey said.

She said every time she talked to someone, it was always different, and she never really knew what to expect.

“I am often nervous because I want to do justice to everyone I interview and their story.

“I want the experience to be positive while shining a light on all the great things associated with the dairy industry.”

To keep the interest alive outside of IDW, ATB also hosts a podcast interviewing key industry people and exhibitors.

Casey said while she had spoken to some amazing people on the pod and through ATB over the years, her recent interview with Matt Templeton who sadly passed away after IDW this year, had been one of the most memorable.

“It’s not lost on me, the privilege I had to share Matt’s story and his legacy will live on for a long time to come, he inspired and taught so many and that will filter down into the next generation,” Casey said.

“He told me ‘if you’re standing still, you’re not moving forward’ and that has really stuck with me and will also resonate with so many people,” Casey said.

In 2024, the ATB concept travelled to World Dairy Expo with Casey at the helm of ‘Cowsmo on Cue’ for international publication, Cowsmopolitan, which was another dream come true.

“Travelling to the expo as a reporter has certainly been one of my career highlights and I was blown away by the incredible experience,” she said.

“The expo is a cow show on steroids, and to see the cows and interview some of the top end breeders in the dairy world was amazing and a massive honour and learning curve for me personally.

“It was incredible the amount of people who were familiar with ATB as well.”

It is not lost on Casey how lucky she is, getting to balance her love of journalism and her love of dairy.

“I really do get to have the best of both worlds and the experiences I have had over the last few years have been amazing,” Casey said.

“I’ve had some incredible mentors in this industry and I have been so amazed by the doors that have opened for me, it has been truly remarkable.”