00:07But in between the vines on this 30 hectare farm at Williamstown are the real stars of the show.
00:16Last time I looked at it, the value of my milk is 500% higher than I would get if I was selling it as a commodity.
00:26Michael Wallstead loves dairy farming.
00:30It's a passion that developed during his school age years when he worked at his neighbour's mixed farm.
00:37Come, Pearl.
00:37I think it was just the rhythm of the day, you know, milk cows feed the pigs, chickens, the whole, just the smells of things.
00:47And I always wanted to be a dairy farmer.
00:56Now they're quiet.
00:59I gave someone a shower.
01:06Sorry, mate.
01:07I don't think he cares.
01:10He just shook all over me.
01:12Michael produces free-range pork products from milk-fed Berkshire, Tamworth and Hampshire pigs.
01:23So how often do you do this?
01:25Twice a day.
01:26So it's a big part of their diet?
01:27Yeah, it's the majority of their diet.
01:31While the pigs get a good helping of milk, the rest of what's produced by Michael's Jersey cows is turned into dairy products on farm, including buttermilk, cream and butter.
01:43Okay, let's have a look in here.
01:47Okay.
01:48Ready?
01:49Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:49Oh, very mysterious.
01:54Mushrooms.
01:55Yes, oyster mushrooms.
01:56There's no doubt diversifying and value-adding comes at a cost, but Michael reckons producing food instead of commodities makes much more financial sense.
02:10When I came here, it was a sheep farm turned off 200 lambs. That would be worth about, on average, maybe $20,000 a year. We now have full-time equivalents of five or six people on the property, which gives you an indication of what the turnover must be to be able to support that.
02:31Restaurants and small retailers snap up half of his produce. He sells the rest at farmer's markets, like this one in the Barossa.
02:47Hello, how are you?
02:49There's got to be a good reason to get up every day in the morning, so I have lots of good reasons. This whole idea of retiring, why would you get out of bed?
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