The Farmers Club

The “Club Notes” for Thursday, the 4th of July, 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

10 Reasons Why You Should Subscribe

Some of you will remember how we highlighted Bull Burge, a Farmer in Queensland, I said my aim is to get Bill Burge as a paid-up member. I rang Bill yesterday to ask permission to use his name, and he loves reading the free section, but he doesn't do subscriptions. I am still hopeful, but it might take years. It's been a while since we have given you, our free subscribers access to the full version of the Newsletter. So here it is. In exchange for that, I want to give our free subscribers 10 reasons why you should subscribe to the paid edition. Here we go:

1) - You get 3 short-form articles each day that contain information that might lead to some ideas for change.

2) - We deliver between 30 and 50 snippets from Ag-related news stories, tweets, market prices and any other relevant information we can find of value.

3) - Our delivery style is unique and is aimed at the time-poor Farmers. It's scroll down, browse and just read what takes your fancy.

4) We get roughly 10 to 20 replies to our stories each day. We publish the best replies so you can hear what Farmers are talking and thinking about.

5) - We have a 30-day free trial, and believe me when I say I won't be offended if you pull out on day 29.

6) - If anything, we are going to keep you fully informed on what is going on in Ag quicker and easier than anyone else can.

7) - We believe that by subscribing, the little bits and pieces of ideas and info will compound over a period of time and you will become better off.

8) - We have a section for "Funnies" where we hope to give you a laugh at the start of the day. That's important.

9) - At the end of the day, the cost works out to around $1:50 a day. We see that as value for what is delivered

10) - I will almost guarantee if you do the 30 days and stop, you will get instant FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). To subscribe, head to the bottom of the page.

Reply to [email protected]

The Farmers Club - Your 5 am’s just changed

Bank Survey

Our friends at Ag Surveys have just released a Banking survey. Have your say on the Banks. You can complete this short survey here.

Should be a cinch in the Paddock

Click on the link to the YouTube video in the first post in the Machinery & Equipment section below of the Tesla Car being driven on Autopilot. It runs for 11 minutes, so you can sorta scroll through it and watch bits and pieces of it in different driving conditions. You get an understanding of how it works in City and open road mode. The thing I took note of most was the human sitting in the driver's seat, keeping an eye on his/her feet under the pedals; they never really move. So that, to me, means they trust the system. This is by far the biggest thing we need to get over when it comes to Automation. How can a computer drive better than us? There is the proof. I pretend to brake and accelerate in the passage seat when someone else is driving, but this guy didn't flinch. I would be a mess. But I am on record as saying that I think it will take up to 50 years and maybe longer for full Automation to filtrate through Agriculture. After watching this, I am going to think long and hard about reviewing the 50-year timeline. You would think that it would be much easier to get Automation going in the Paddock as opposed to on the road. I thought that was impressive viewing in a real-life situation, did you?

Reply to [email protected]

Respect

As Farmers, when someone starts carrying on with slogans like "Farmers feed the world" or "Thank a Farmer for 3 Feeds a day", we all get quite embarrassed by that. We don't rely on handouts or subsidies and don't like them, and occasionally, we might hear a bit of praise, but it's quickly acknowledged and back to work. And at the end of the day, I don't think Farmers consider themsleve food or fibre producers. We grow Grain, we run Cattle, or we raise Pigs. But one thing that has got currency in a Farmers mind is respect. Respect is earned and yearned for amongst our peers, first and foremost. But we also ask for respect from the non-Farming sector for being professional and good at what we do. And that is where the respect is lacking. We are currently getting decisions on some of our key industries taken away from us without ever being consulted when we hold most of the knowledge. That is a lack of respect. It would be good if that changed, but I fear it won't with a certain section of the community. It's probably going to be a more us and then scenario. As a Farmer, is respect important to you? Reply to [email protected]

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

Added Extras for subscribers only:

Event - FarmTender2025 - The Business of Farming event is on in SA in 2025. Take a sneak peek here.

Offer - Any New Commander Ag Self-Propelled Augers - Get $1000 off RRP any new Commander Ag Quip Self-Propelled Augers through Farm Tender. Available to paid-up Farmers Club members only. Email [email protected] if interested.

Offer - Any New Munro Post Driver - Get $1000 off RRP for any new Munro Post Driver through Farm Tender. Available to paid-up Farmers Club members only. Email [email protected] if interested.

Offer - FarmTender2024 - See the XXXX FarmTender2024 - Entrepreneurs in Farming event. 6 hours of content, so many takeaways (valued at the ticket price of $350). It’s like 11 separate Farming podcasts all in one.

Offer - FarmTender2023 - See XXXX FarmTender2023 - The Business of Farming event. 6 hours of content, many takeaways, and many things have changed (valued at the ticket price of $350).

Information for paid subscribers:

To go to the web version of this newsletter click on this link here. To login to your account. 1) Click on the login button. 2) Type in your email address. 3) Go to your email and click on the get access link. 4) Click on the head on the top right of the page. 5) Click on edit details and add your first and last name, please. 6) Click on Manage Subscriptions if you want to update a card, etc; you can manage it from here.

Good Ag Podcasts:

I will get back onto the podcasts over the weekend.

Your replies:

Below are snippets from some of the replies you sent in. All quotes will remain nameless. See a few current ones below:

• In reply to our note yesterday on over-suppling markets. This Farmer is pretty passionate in his response - "To an extent, we are our own worst enemy! We try to read markets, market numbers, and forecast commodity numbers to cash in on the good times and, equally, cash out when your desired margin slips below your level of  "comfort". But we're not the only problem in the wheel. Carefully consider the world food numbers. A thought provoker: there seems to have been famine in Ethiopia since Adam first saw an apple! Now, advise me why we would have a government so clever as to ban live exports. Consider the quality of all the Ag commodities we produce in Australia. Maybe I am biased, but second-to-none rings fair! Now, advise me why we have so many incapable marketers in our sectors. Too many fat asses on too many cushions today! I attended our local weekly Sheep market last week and came away feeling that it's time the buyers started paying the agent's commission rather than the vendor having to! Yes, I got rheemed! Grain marketers! Well, I best go get my day started before I spoil it for myself".

• This reply is also to the over-supply story - "G'day Dwain. My old Wool agent told me several times that there are two things that Farmers can't handle: Green grass and money. When they have it, all they want to do is get rid of it".

• This is in reply to our Farm Tender Daily story on having rules to Farm by. You can read the story here - "Hi Dwain, I am focusing below on a little different than you, re rules, but it is for making good decisions and protecting one's butt. With our business we had employment rules so that everybody knew what was expected of them and their behaviours, especially with animals. This is sort of a rule, but employing an advisory board is one of the best business decisions I have made. Create a good one with persons who are outsiders and professionals in areas that you are weakest/challenged at. This encourages disciplines (financials/ regulatory requirements, etc) because you act as though you are responsible to the board to some degree. The guide there is for the Advisory board to cost no less than equivalent to your average employee's wage".

• In reply to our over-supply note from yesterday - "Morning Dwain, the answer and reason are very simple. We are not a factory. Agriculture, in whatever form, whether it is growing Crops of all descriptions or running various forms of Livestock, revolves around what Mother Nature dictates not only on our own doorstep but around the world".

• More on the over-supply issue - "Good morning Dwain. Do we keep creating an oversupply problem? As you are well aware, I attended Marcus Oldham many moons ago, and the one thing that they reiterated the whole way through college in just about every subject was the management of Booms and Busts. It also relates to having strategies for various situations, e.g. drought. The big question is whether you can get everyone to agree to have a national situation or is it up to the individual.. Very interesting subject you had this morning".

• Another reply on over-supply - "Good morning Dwain. You raise a very important point. We pay a huge amount to MLA in levies that deliver lower prices for Cattle. We need to put pressure on them to start some critical analyses of markets. The bigger picture you raise is part of it. If farmers had better information, they could forward plan better".

• This is the missing piece in the over-supply story - "You forgot the basic human instinct: we are all greedy and want that little bit (or alot) more. That is what drives us, and makes most want to get ahead. A satisfied person is no longer in the race".

• This Farmer operated when Wheat quotas were alive and kicking. If they were applied today, there would be a lot of Wheat going through the black market - "We were given figures for the volume of Wheat we were 'allowed' to produce. So young blokes like me reduced the acreage of Wheat, sowing Barley or Oats as the alternative. I opted for Oats and, for a portion, produced Hay. My memory is that those who ignored the "quotas" wound up selling onto the black market, and then the quotas were done away with anyway".

Random and associated Ag articles and images.

Cropping & Grain

Sheep, Wool & Lambs

Cattle & Beef

Funnies

Agribusiness

Hay & Fodder

Machinery, Vehicles and Equipment

Ag People

Weather, Irrigation & Water

Dairy

Other Ag stuff

The Farmers Club - Your 5 am’s just changed

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