A dairy farmer for more than 20 years, you’ll find Leo Cleary’s stunning 300-acre farm perched on the Hastings River, just inland of Port Macquarie on New South Wales’ Mid North Coast.

After hearing about a2 Milk®  in 2012, Leo had his cows tested through a non-invasive DNA test, developed and used exclusively by The a2 Milk Company, which analyses a sample hair from the tail of each dairy cow to identify cows that produce only the A2 type of beta-casein protein and not A1 protein. To his surprise, the test revealed around half were cows that do not produce the A1 protein – the perfect foundation for building a larger A2-certified herd.

Over the next six months, the former school teacher transitioned the rest of his herd to pure A2-certified cows, something he believes was well and truly worth it.

Today, the Cleary’s herd sits at 220 – a number that will soon grow to 300.

Leo with his son, Luke, and the grandchildren all love to help out on the farm. What’s more, the whole family has seen a noticeable improvement in their digestive wellbeing since making the switch, according to Leo. Leo puts this down to avoiding the A1 protein found in most regular cows’ milk brands.

With the Cleary Farm producing around 4,400 litres of pure, natural a2 Milk® each day, Leo says they couldn’t be happier with the premium price they receive for their a2 Milk®.

At around 8.30-9am, the Grays gather for breakfast, before Mick heads off on the tractor to attend to his daily farming duties – working the paddocks, cutting foliage, fencing and the like. With the second daily milking commencing at around 3.30pm, the Grays are usually ready for dinner by 7.30pm.

The Gray’s A2-certified herd gets to graze on some mighty fine pastures, feeding on a combination of lucerne, chicory, rye grass, kikuya and clover. They’re also fed nutrition-intensive corn and a protein source such as cotton seed, and hay rings are also put out for the cows to stand around to feed at night. According to Mick, it’s so important to maintain the cows’ respective weights at all times – for good health, first and foremost, and producing the highest-quality a2 Milk®.

The Grays are proud of the fact their hard work has helped so many people who are concerned with dairy digestion. As the milk from their cows contains only the A2 type of beta-casein protein, to the exclusion of A1 protein, many people who have trouble drinking most regular dairy milk can happily enjoy a2 Milk® without feeling uncomfortable. Each cow in the Gray’s herd has been DNA tested to ensure the integrity and purity of their a2 Milk® supply.

The Perry family farm was one of the first dairy farms to transition their herd to A2-certified cows. Four years on, and Perry View, as it’s known, has gone from strength to strength. Today on the Perrys’ farm, these special cows, that naturally produce milk with only the A2 type of beta-casein protein and not A1 protein, are producing around 1.2 million litres of pure a2 Milk® a year.

The farm, itself, is nestled on the slopes of the idyllic Bellingen River, a spot that’s a perennial favourite with adventurous canoeists.  The couple’s three children – Madeline, 15, Kaytlyn, 13, and Josh, 8, are a regular help to mum and dad. Josh, in particular, loves helping out on the farm and he is a dab hand at herding the a2 Milk® girls to the dairy for their afternoon milking!

The Perry family’s total a2 herd currently sits at 150, comprised mainly of Holstein cows.

Before he came into dairy farming, Mark had worked a variety of jobs but says that one of the great things about running his own dairy farm is the flexibility it gives him to attend local school events for the kids.