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On reaching the quarter century milestone, Mr Lanham said times had changed since he joined the Board when the Cooperative was trading as the Caboolture Cooperative.
“Farming isn’t just a lifestyle anymore,” Mr Lanham said.
“It’s about running a successful small business, and, as directors, we aim to provide opportunities that allow our farmer shareholders to build the best business they can.
“One of the ways we do that is by building a strong future for Dairy Farmers.”
Mr Lanham said when he first joined the board, directors spent the majority of their time on management issues rather than concentrating on the strategic ones.
“These days, we leave the stirring of the yoghurt to the people employed to do the job and focus on creating the best possible future for the company,” he said.
“I find people issues are the most impressive and the most depressive, especially when we’ve had to make tough decisions regarding jobs.
“If we hadn’t closed certain factories when we did, we would be like other cooperatives that have disappeared.
“Being a Director is a position of responsibility, it’s not about being popular.”
Combining beef cattle with a milking herd of 280 Friesians on a 480-hectare property near Maleny on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast, Mr Lanham said his experience as a farmer had assisted him in his role as a director.
“I understand the importance of a secure milk price,” he said.
“I was a teacher when we bought our first farm in 1976 and I had to keep teaching for four years to keep the banks happy.
“Today, Dairy Farmers offers two and three-year contracts that lock in minimum milk prices, which provides the surety farmers need to plan their finances.”
Mr Lanham said he planned to continue in his role as a director to help Dairy Farmers build on its national success with Australian brands like Ski yoghurt, Coon and Cracker Barrel cheeses and Dare and Oak flavoured milks.
“If the company does well, so do the farmers,” he said.
