Trafalgar farmer named Young Agribusiness Leader of the Year

While farming was in Rob Bayley’s genetics, as a teenager he wasn’t convinced he would become the fifth generation of his family to carry on the farming tradition.

But, after completing business studies, the lure of returning to the family’s Blackwood Piggery at Trafalgar had some appeal.

Eight years on, Rob loves the diversity of his daily workload – “I get to work with animals, work with people, I do financials, genetics, nutrition and have a good grasp of all of them.”

Introducing a bio-energy system for the farm and shed operation also was a major initiative that Rob took on and caught the attention of Food and Fibre Gippsland when he was last month named Young Agribusiness Leader of the Year.

Judges said Rob had displayed “impressive leadership at a local, state and national level for the pork industry and agriculture as a whole.”

For Rob, it’s all part of modern farming and being a good operator and neighbour in a farming community.

The Bayley name is synonymous in the Trafalgar and Yarragon area. Blackwood Piggery, began when the Bayley family took up a lease in 1901.

The bush block supporting a dairy in Yarragon was later cleared to become the base for Blackwood Piggery and a productive beef farm.

Rob’s parents Ian and Robyn manage the Angus beef operation which includes breeding and growing them out as grass fed steers before selling the cattle to a finisher who takes them to sale weight.

The piggery was established in the 1980s by Rob’s father Ian and grandfather Ralph who wanted to diversify the family dairy in Yarragon.

“Dad and grandpa had an interest in pigs and saw an opportunity in the market and an opportunity to diversify,” he said.

Rob has been managing the piggery operation for the past eight years, supported by his wife Eliza.  

He was attracted to the diversity of pig farming with its high-tech diets, nutrition and genetics.

Piggeries are not common in Gippsland, being too far from the grain growing regions for traditional diets but the Bayleys adapted their operation to what worked best in a dairy dominated region.

“Instead of relying solely on grain we have developed our system to utilise dairy bi-products. Historically, there were a significant number of dairy factories in Gippsland but now we also receive bi-products from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. 

“We mix the dairy product with a balancing diet and feed the pigs through an automated computer and valve system. 

“This food source is highly nutritious and would have to be treated as waste if farms like ours didn’t utilise it,” Rob said.

The 550-sow farm produces 270 bacon pigs per week, sold direct to Auspork, a Melbourne based wholesaling company which distributes pork throughout Victoria to butchers and independent supermarkets. 

The company is predominately farmer owned, with the Bayleys being shareholders and Rob on the board.

With power and gas a huge expense, Rob was keen to introduce a bio-energy plant.

“The sheds are climate controlled to ensure an optimal environment for the animals throughout the year.  These heating and cooling systems utilise a significant amount of energy.

“Piggeries emit a lot of greenhouse gases, so we built a bio-gas energy plant to produce our own energy,” he said.

All effluent and waste from the farm is pumped into a six megalitre dam daily.  The dam is covered to capture the methane emitted from the pond, and a generator converts it into electricity.  

The bio-energy plant generates enough power to supply the site, and excess energy is sold back into the grid. Waste heat from the generator is used to heat water which in turn is used to heat some of the sheds.

They are able to claim renewable energy credits and carbon credits for the destruction of greenhouse gas emissions.

As an added benefit, burning the methane destroys up to 80 per cent of odour emitted from the farm, which has improved the environment for staff and neighbours.

All effluent is then used to fertilise pastures for beef production.

Rob said bio-energy systems were common in European pig farming operations and he was keen to establish the project that delivered a win-win of cost savings and reduced odours.

As well as on-farm work, Rob is engaged in the national industry through Australian Pork Limited and at state level through VFF Pig Group.  

He also is involved in several benchmarking programs with other farms which drives him to continually improve practices to ensure they remain competitive.

“Farming in West Gippsland is challenging given the rapid urbanisation of the region. 

“My hope is that there will continue to be support to farm in this region into the future as it is very productive agricultural land.

“Agriculture is sometimes not a career commonly considered by young people, although farming practices are rapidly changing and I believe there is huge career opportunities in the industry. 

“Organisations like Food and Fibre Gippsland are helping to promote the importance of agriculture in Gippsland and improve the profile of the region.  

“The awards have provided a great opportunity to identify and celebrate the great agribusinesses operating throughout Gippsland,” Rob said.