News

Seasonal farmer battles for the right price

By Rick Bayne

May 14, 2026

Finding the right milk price with the right processor has been a challenge for Framlingham farmers Alister and Renee Murfett.

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They changed suppliers last year and moved to Frestine in search of a better deal, but have been caught up in the company’s payment issue and have again jumped to a new company.

They have received their delayed February payment from Frestine but at the end of April were still waiting for their March cheque.

They have left Frestine and signed with the family-owned Kyvalley Dairy Group, based in Kyabram.

“We were onto it quickly with Frestine,” Alister said. “We notified them fairly early when we didn’t see the February milk cheque and we had four days of March with the new company.”

Alister likes to support smaller companies to maintain competition.

“We need those little companies to keep the price of the big companies up,” he said.

“I’ve got nothing against Frestine but they should have been more up-front about what’s going on and the farmers would have stood together to help them get out of the problem,” he said.

“They didn’t communicate and it was all mixed messages.”

His priority now is getting the March Frestine cheque.

“They’ve told us they want to get us paid in full and sort the problem and get it behind them.”