Dairy

The dairy at Tocal is the only dairy owned and run by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. It is a commercial dairy, covering 260 hectares and supplying over 1.5 million litres of milk to consumers each year.

For detailed information on the dairy’s pasture systems, herd management, milking technologies and more, see the Dairy - farm details part of the Virtual Farm.

The dairy is also used for education, research and demonstration. Tocal students are actively involved in dairy work and aspects of its management. It is a venue for farmer workshops and field days both in the training centre and in the
fields.

Schools can tour the dairy, including viewing the milking parlour from a safe observation platform. The NSW DPIRD Schools Program has created a range of excellent workbooks and teacher guides available from the Virtual Farm site.

Virtual Farm

Check out our Tocal Virtual Farm webpage for more information on how Tocal farms operate.

Norco Milk

Tocal Dairy upgrade

Tocal College Dairy received a $6.7 million NSW government investment in 2024 to build a new state-of-the-art loafing barn that will improve animal welfare in extreme weather, and provide industry development opportunities which showcase modern dairy systems and provide better training for students. The upgrades include the installation of Automatic Milking Systems (robots) and other technology, recycling of nutrients across the farm, and lower energy use.

Precision Dairy Farming and its place in the NSW and Australian dairy industry is a focus for the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development as it pursues its vision of building a thriving sustainable agriculture for tomorrow’s communities. NSW DPIRD’s role is to facilitate and connect science and research through developing and delivering this dairy industry-led innovation into knowledge that meets industry needs.