Katrina BRANDON
THE GippsDairy Muster is the place for innovative ideas and changes.
In April, farmers flocked to a farm in Toora for the 2026 GippsDairy Muster, where Allan Cameron, Chief Executive Officer of the Gardiner Foundation, announced the launch of Elevate Dairy.
Elevate Dairy is a program to attract and integrate innovative solutions from around the world into the Victorian Dairy Industry, connecting two key groups: global innovators and Victorian dairy farmers who are ready to test and adopt practical solutions that deliver real impact. This platform provides the dairy industry with the infrastructure to introduce and adopt new technologies on-farm.
The Gardiner Foundation is an independent, for purpose, not for profit organisation dedicated to strengthening the long-term prosperity of Victoria’s dairy industry and its communities.
For 25 years, Gardiner has invested in research, industry, people and community programs that build capability, support innovation and enhance the resilience of dairy regions across the state.
“Today (April 23), we launch Elevate Dairy,” Mr Cameron said.
“(Elevate Dairy) is a program designed to help connect dairy farmers who are trying to solve real-world challenges on their farm with practical, proven technologies from around the world. It’s been a busy couple of months, with plenty of conversations about labour, energy, feed, climate variability, and productivity.”
Through Elevate Dairy, Gardiner aims to build whole-of-farm capability, strengthen the resilience of dairy businesses and support a more competitive and adaptable industry.
The program is designed to create measurable on-farm improvements, increase confidence in strategic planning, and foster a culture of continuous improvement across Victoria’s dairy regions.
Inspiring the program, Mr Cameron talked about why it has come into existence.
A dairy farming family in New Zealand spoke at a conference in February, discussing an issue with cooling their milk. Being remote, the family looked for solutions everywhere.
Eventually, they found a Dutch company that had what they were looking for, only for it to go bust.
Upon hearing about this issue, the Gardiner Foundation was launched into action.
“We are here to listen, to hear what challenges you’re facing on the farm, and to explore the ideas that you have on how innovation can best help solitude,” Mr Cameron told the group.
Gardiner has engaged Beanstalk AgTech to deliver Elevate Dairy. Beanstalk is a leading ventures and advisory firm dedicated to driving profitable and sustainable agrifood systems.
Beanstalk has more than 8 years of experience building and operating agricultural Landing Pads, programs designed to bridge the gap between innovation and adoption.
Elevate Dairy combines Gardiner’s deep sector expertise and commitment to regional development with Beanstalk’s proven ability to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions and connect innovators to commercial opportunities.
For more information, go to https://elevatedairy.com.au/about-us/
