As the dairy industry struggles with balancing the profit and loss equation, there is a movement toward milking alternative animals.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 6 minutes 32 seconds 6 m Rural Reporter: Buffalo milk revives dairy farm Download 3 MB

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 4 minutes 39 seconds 4 m 39 s Woodside cheese maker Kris Lloyd on the delight of using buffalo milk ( Cassandra Steeth ) Download 2.1 MB

Mypolonga dairy farmer Corey Jones is the only producer in South Australia tapping into the buffalo milk market, after converting his family's mothballed dairy operation a couple of years ago.

When the millennium drought years got too tough on the family, they had no choice but to walk away.

At the time, they were reaping about $0.25 per litre for their milk. With a switch to buffalo they now receive $3.05 per litre.

When Woodside cheese maker Kris Lloyd approached Mr Jones to supply buffalo or sheep milk, the dairy farmer jumped at the chance to resurrect his family farm.

"It's always been a dream since I was a kid to run the farm," Mr Jones said.

"I never thought I'd be milking buffalos, but I am."

Corey Jones and Aili, his favourite buffalo calf. ( ABC Rural: Cassandra Steeth )

Mr Jones milks 20 buffalo twice a day and feeds them a combination of powdered and buffalo milk.

He bought the herd from Barham in Victoria, and has imported Italian semen for artificial insemination (AI).

"[They're] a better milking breed than what I currently have," Mr Jones said.

"I've got five calves from AI, which I'm looking forward to getting into the dairy one day.

"Buffaloes are a lot different to handle. You've got to be very gentle, calm and patient. Everything works on buffalo time."

Kris Lloyd, an artisanal cheese maker from Woodside Cheese, uses Corey Jones' buffalo milk for her products. ( ABC Rural: Cassandra Steeth )

Ms Lloyd said buffalo cheeses were a growing trend, and given the milk was high in solids, it was a delight to work with.

"The yield is amazing and it is just the most beautiful milk to work with," she said.

"It is just such rich, beautiful milk."

Dairy authority pushes for more animals to be regulated

A push from the Dairy Authority of South Australia to standardise health and safety milking requirements could result in more camels, yaks and even donkeys being milked in the state.

General manager John Crosby said regardless of the milk source, a standardised health benchmark was important for consumer health.

"If you want to milk camels... or llama or yaks or donkeys or horses... the requirements should be the same," he said.

There is no legislative requirement for producers that milk alternative animals to adhere to health and safety requirements.