The Farmers Club

The “Club Notes” for Monday, the 1st of July, 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

Old man Goyder

Welcome to the first day of the new financial year. Goerge Goyder discovered the famous Goyder line in SA in 1865. It's a line that is still talked about today and, for many, remains pretty accurate. It's probably more of a Cropping line these days, and Cropping outside it is probably seen as a little riskier than it is inside it. Land prices can differ depending on which side you are on. There are plenty outside the Line that are Cropping successfully; the modern moisture-saving techniques mean that stored moisture is now king, and you can do that anywhere. And by the way I am happy to be corrected in any of these statements by any SA Farmers. You drive through SA's Agricultural areas and in and out of the Line and you do get an understanding as to why the Line exists. In places, the average rainfall can drop an inch in a mile near the Line. You can see snippets from an article that was featured in The Australian over the weekend in the "Places" section below. You can also download the full article. One University professor said this: "Goyder was a real visionary… he was probably the first to recognise that we have a variable climate, he recognised the roles of droughts, and he worked out we could not Crop the whole of SA. The Line is remarkably accurate, even today. There have been some minor adjustments made as we've improved Farming technology, but in essence, he still gets 10 out of 10". Over to you SA Farmers. What's your view on Goyder's Line?  Reply to [email protected]

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