The farm at Duck River is being built by training institute AgriTas and will include some of the industry’s latest robotic technology.
This week Nationals senator Steve Martin announced that the Federal Government will provide $2 million in funding for the project, which has been identified as a priority by the Circular Head Council.
Circular Head mayor Daryl Quilliam said the current labour shortage was a huge issue for the state’s dairy industry.
He said the aim of the new facility would be to provide opportunities for hands on training.
Once constructed, the farm will also host visits from school groups which Mr Quilliam said should educate students about possible careers in the dairy industry.
“The labour shortage is a real issue and we hope that by providing training at the farm we can make some progress in that area,” he said.
“We want to get the training up and running as soon as we can.”
Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association dairy council chairman Geoff Cox said any investment in training for the industry was welcome.
“It sounds very positive to me,” he said.
“The tourism role sounds quite interesting because that’s going to be educating the consumers about dairy as well.”
Mr Cox said encouraging people to take up careers in dairying is a constant challenge.
“It’s unfortunate that we cant get enough local people to fill these full time roles because the jobs are there,’ he said.
The initial funding will be used to build the required infrastructure, however Mr Quilliam said he hoped further government funding to support actual training programs would be provided later.
The development will include farm improvements, a dairy shed, yards and robotics, an automatic calf rearing system, irrigation, equipment and a dairy herd.
Once the design is finalised and planning approval are in place construction is expected to get under way and the facility should be up and running by the end of this year.
The farm will be able to run a herd of about 80 to 100 cows.
A further $2.8 million in Federal funding will also go towards a heritage visitor centre and cafe development project at the Duck River site.
It will include a museum display hall, tourist foyer, collection storage as well as a commercial kitchen and dining area.
Mr Quilliam said the museum would focus on the history of the area’s primary industries including forestry, fishing and agriculture.
“People will be able to see the history of these industries, then they’ll also be able to see how far things have come with robotic technology.”
Mr Cox said moves by the Federal Government to allow access to skilled workers from overseas was also a step in the right direction.
Changes to the Australian Skilled Occupation List will mean high level dairy farm managers are eligible for the Temporary Skills Shortage visa entry.