The global powerhouse behind Mud Media

Dinna is a rare mix — giving her an important and perceptive voice within the industry.

She was raised on a high-production registered Holstein dairy in New Zealand that mirrored North American genetics and management. Where it got interesting for global agriculture is that she was formally trained as a sports journalist for a leading metropolitan newspaper in New Zealand — learning how to find strong angles within demanding news deadlines from the get-go.

By the time she acknowledged her calling to farming journalism, she was carrying writing skills few in the agricultural industry could match. She came to the attention of the broader global dairy industry after spending 20 years living in Australia as the former co-owner of profile show herd, Bluechip Genetics, and all-breeds dairy magazine CrazyCow In Print (which circulated into 13 countries for 15 years before being sold).

Bluechip became a force within the decade from a standing start — despite farming through arguably some of the toughest times in northern Victoria. Bluechip notably sold a three-month-old calf for AUD $101,000 in 2012 and won Premier Holstein Breeder an unprecedented nine out of ten years at the biggest dairy show in the southern hemisphere, International Dairy Week (including three times after its then record-breaking 2016 herd dispersal).

Bluechip was the first in Australasia to develop, prepare, care for, and market animals on behalf of others — opening the door for others who have since followed — and Dianna was known equally for her ability in rearing and managing young stock as she was for her writing within CrazyCow. Bluechip welcomed many young Australians and internationals into its teams, sharing its knowledge in cattle care and marketing.

During this time, Dianna met Sheila Sundborg — immediately appreciating her marketing talent. Sheila would go on to form a baseline for much of Bluechip’s marketing photographs and videos during its latter campaigns, and the two have continued to work together on projects since. Mud Media became the natural extension of that alliance in 2024.

Understanding farming at the highest levels, coupled with her love of the English language, continues to bring valuable depth, sharp angles, and rhythm to Dianna’s commentary and marketing advice.