Jelbart Dairy making business sense with Westpac
Tim Jelbart, the General Manager and Director of Jelbart Dairy, firmly believes in using data and science to make informed decisions. Based in South Gippsland, Tim, a third-generation dairy farmer, along with his brother George, oversee operations consisting of a dryland dairy and beef business. They manage approximately 2,600 head of cattle, including 1,200 milking cows, 1,000 dairy replacements, 400 beef cattle, and a team of 20 staff.
Although agriculture is Tim’s passion, his father, Max Jelbart, was passionate about education. Max, a well-known dairy advocate, encouraged Tim and his brothers to study and work elsewhere to ensure they were grounded and willing to join the family business out of choice, rather than obligation.
Prior to returning to the family farm, Tim completed a degree in Applied Science, specialising in property valuation, where he continues to work part-time as a rural and agribusiness property valuer with CBRE. Whilst his parents had the foresight to commence succession planning, Tim’s return occurred earlier than expected due to the ill health and eventual passing of his parents.
Tim acknowledges his father as an industry leader who explored new strategies but also faced challenges during the business’s significant expansion phase.
“Dad grew the business from 100 to 1000 cows. He farmed mostly based on gut instinct, whereas I rely heavily on data and spreadsheets. I’m more technical in my approach by focusing on risk management, sustainability, innovation and production efficiencies, and forward planning to anticipate future challenges.”
Tim says not having the practical knowledge of his dad has been a challenge, but he wouldn’t be able to do what he does without their staff.
“We’ve got the best team. There’s over 150 years of combined experience amongst us. Our staff have excellent knowledge, so that’s been a big part of allowing me to focus on the strategic business aspects whilst they manage the dayto-day tasks.”
When seeking additional industry knowledge Tim often turns to his Westpac banker, Scott Buijs. The families have banked with Westpac for over two decades and Tim values their close relationship. He credits Scott for helping them acquire and settle a nearby 200-acre property within 30 days.
“Scott is a trusted advisor. He’s someone I can talk to about reducing our risk margins and I’ll often run things past him before it gets to the point of needing to do something. He’s a good sounding board and we often just check in with him to see how we’re going and chat about the industry.”
With data driven decisions, business resilience, a good company culture and the ongoing support of his bank, the grass continues to look greener for the team at Jelbart Dairy.