The Farmers Club

The “Club Notes” for Tuesday, the 19th of March, 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

Cost and start date of The Farmers Club paid subscription

Firstly, I just want to thank you all for subscribing to this newsletter. So, after some deliberation, we have decided to make the subscription $44 per month, with the first month free. So, if you sign up with your credit card, the first payment won't go through until 30 days after. The beauty of having it as a monthly thing is you can opt in and out as you please. The starting date for the subscription will be on Wednesday April the 3rd. It was always my intention to make this a paid subscription because a lot of work goes into producing this each day. Most of it is outside office hours work because of my commitment to Farm Tender and DelayPay. I just hope you see the value in it to subscribe. I really love doing this unique publication and can see myself doing it for many years to come. It will evolve, and we will look to add value to the subscription down the track, which might include discounts, giveaways and promotions, but I haven't really given that much thought as yet. So in the meantime, please keep enjoying the free versions of this publication. Do you have any ideas of extra things we can do to add value down the track? Also, any questions regarding the paid subscription? Reply to [email protected]

Competitive pressures

Competitive pressure makes the business world go round. Without it, businesses would be monopolies and just charge what they like. Ag retail is a relatively low-margin business; they have competitive pressures from Farmers shopping around. Rob Dawes, from Rob Dawes Consulting and AgProcure, who we interviewed at FarmTender2024, believes that Farmers need to have more than 1 Ag Retailer to deal with, but no more than 3. Not only from a competitive price pressure point of view but something that Rob holds at equal importance: the ability to supply on time. He wants Farmers to have a closer relationship with their retailers by outlining what and how much they require well in advance of when they need it. He has a saying: don't surprise your retailer because they will surprise you back. By that, he means if they know well in advance what you need and you commit, then you are more likely to have the goods when you need them. You will be disappointed if you assume the things you require will be available when you need them without prior notice. How would you rate the Ag Retailers you deal with? Reply to [email protected]

Representing Ag

Ag Advocacy can be a thankless job. Ag is such a big industry with lots of moving parts and plenty of complexity. Farmers tend to operate their Farm businesses in isolation, which is totally understandable. So, when it comes time to unite for a cause, it can be challenging to get Farmers on the same page. That's not a criticism; it's just the way they operate; they are concentrating on their own business. Because of the commitment required to run a Farm these days, we are seeing many of the top Farming people in Ag deciding not to enter the advocacy space. Therefore Ag is the loser because the group of people that do represent us is thin on the ground. I do admire those who put their hand up and commit because it's a huge undertaking, and you need exceptional people supporting what you do; otherwise, the home and Farming life can suffer. It's like a sporting team; the more talent you have representing you, the better you will be. That is not different with Ag Advocacy. Do you have an opinion on the current standard of our leaders in Ag? Reply to [email protected]

Your replies

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

• “Hello Dwain. We have been operating a Liquid Nitrogen for several years. It gives us versatility as we can still use Urea. LN priced itself out in 2022. The cost was back last year. Because Urea was hard to get it was a very valuable option. Micronutrients can go through the LN system. Inoculants for legumes go through the LN system; it is the most efficient way to apply them. We Farm near Wagga Wagga and I don’t know of anyone else set up with LN. We are very happy with what it has done for us”. - In reply to our Note on how Liquid Nitrogen systems are plentiful in WA but are lacking in the East of the Country.

• “The latest thing on my road is city driver NOT pulling off onto their half of the road edge when passing oncoming traffic, or coming to a dead stop”. - Yes, this happens on our single-lane bitumen road too.

• "Johnny Walker" is a hobby I picked up because of Farming, and I reckon it will be my retirement hobby too”. - In reply to our Note on whether Farmers ever retire.

• “Neighbours who bought in from down Corowa way claim they made up their own system to dribble UAN in the ground just away from the Seed area when sowing, and they swear by it”. - In reply to our Liquid Nitrogen note.

• “Talking about Liquid Nitrogen, I would like to use it here, and we are already set up to do it and have jets on our boom to put it out! But our agro said it's too expensive for units of nitrogen applied. Is that true?” - On Liquid Nitrogen again.

• “My kids tell me that the roads are poorly maintained so that the road crews have job security – if they fix a pothole poorly, then they have to go back later and fix it again and again. They will have a job for life”. - That’s a different way to look at it. 

• “I have always told my husband that when he dies, on one end of the coffin is his grease gun while on the other end is his oil can. From this, you can take it that he is a fanatical greaser and oiler”. - In reply to our story on the greasers and the non-greasers. You can read it here.

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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