DEC Strategy Group

The Dairy Extension Centre Strategy Group (previously known as The Board) has been established to oversee the development and implementation of the DEC aims and objectives. Representative of the stakeholders in the project, the board consists of people with extensive knowledge, experience and committment to the industry.

The Dairy Industry can be confident that the DEC Strategy Group will pursue the task of ensuring the highest level of access by dairyfarmers to the most up-to-date extension information available.

While information about the members of the DEC Strategy Group is provided below, the appropriate method of providing input into the decision-making process of the DEC is through the regional structure. For more information about the DEC, contact Penny Shaw, DEC CEO.

Strategy Group Members

Ian Cobbledick, a dairy farmer from northern Victoria has joined the Strategy Group and replaced Ron Paynter as the chair. Ron, from Gippsland and Phil Keegan, a dairy farmer from western Victoria are now the farmer representatives appointed by the VFF. They replace John Hutchison (Gippsland) and John Pye (Western Victoria). Simon Gierke from Primary Industries & Resources SA (PIRSA) also joins the Strategy Group to represent SA.

The farmers are selected through the UDV and endorsed by Dairy Australia and DPI. The chair is independently selected by DA and DPI and the organisations all provide a representative.

Contact details for the Strategy Group are available here.

L-R: Phil Keegan, Geoff Kroker, Ian Cobbledick, Simon Gierke, Steve Coats, Ron Paynter

Ian Cobbledick (Chair)

Ian has been a dairy farmer in Northern Victoria since 1983. He has been heavily involved in setting direction of the industry for a long while, being chair of the Industry Steering Group before taking on the role of chairman of the Murray Dairy Board.

He has also been on Steering Committees of various regional and national projects. Currently Ian is the chair of the UDV District Council 2; a member of the NVIRP Technical Advisory Group, the Consultative Committee for the Northern Victorian Sustainable Water Strategy and Module 9 – a project setting the strategic direction of R&D into the future.

Ron Paynter

Ron Paynter has been a member of the DEC Board since its inception and holds a degree in Agricultural Science and a Diploma in Education which he used in research and secondary teaching roles prior to returning to the family dairy farm at Ellinbank in 1993. He has been actively involved with Gippsland Target 10 and GippsDairy which he chaired for four years. He has also served on the Executive Council of the National Dairy Alliance and on the National Dairy Farming Systems project reference group. He maintains his interest in education through making his farm available as a training venue for apprentices and advanced diploma students

Phil Keegan

Phil Keegan has been a dairy farmer in south west Victoria for the whole of his career. He has been involved with dairy industry projects and committees for the last 10 years; chairing the South West Target 10 committee and leading a Discussion Group of dairy farmers and service providers.

Enrolling in a dairy farm management course in 1982 opened his eyes to what was possible in the future of dairy, with new ideas and technology that was just on the horizon. That gave him an immediate taste of the future and still gives him a buzz as he see research results come out. In his ‘free’ time Phil like to spend time with his extended family, do a spot of fishing, dining out at a good restaurant and travel.

Steve Coats

Steve Coats replaced Chris Murphy on the Board as the Dairy Australia representative. As Manager of the Farm Productivity and Delivery Group within Dairy Australia, Steve is responsible for investing dairy industry levies in on-farm research, development and extension.

He has had a long involvement in dairying, including ten years as a DPI dairy extension officer in northern Victoria, where he developed the Operation Mid Lactation program that became Target 10. He spent 12 years as General Manager - Milk Supply with Bonlac Foods, where he managed farm productivity, milk payment and milk transport programs. Steve was also a founding member of both the Murray Dairy and WestVic Dairy Regional Development Boards.

Steve completed a Masters Degree in Genetics and Animal Behaviour at Melbourne University and a Graduate Diploma in Business Management (Agriculture) at Monash.

Geoff Kroker

Geoff Kroker commenced working with DPI as a Beef Research Officer in 1973. Since then he has gained considerable experience in DPI's research and development, extension and industry policy development activities. He has a detailed knowledge of the Victorian livestock industries, particularly the meat industry, and he has been closely associated with DPI's extension function, both as a practitioner and an investor. As a Strategic Investment Manager within DPI's Agriculture Development Division, Geoff's current role involves management of the Department's investment in livestock R and D as well as extension.

Simon Gierke

Simon Gierke from Primary Industries and Resources SA (PIRSA) represents South Australia. DPI Victoria now offers their services to dairy farmers in SA as part of an agreement between the state government departments and Dairy Australia.