The Farmers Club

The “Club Notes” for Wednesday, the 7th of August, 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

Never has a dull moment

For this publication, we are always scouring many different platforms for all the latest Ag news and views. I love nothing better than spending my early mornings going through a wide range of publications, looking for interesting things to relay. It's a seven-day and week morning ritual. And I have worked out that when you go looking, you can find alot. There is no shortage of content. It's such an interesting industry that never has a dull moment. I saw a survey that was put out yesterday (See the last article below) saying that a high percentage of people have trust and faith in the traditional sources (newspapers and online equivalents) of where they get their Ag news from. Those who trust this format to deliver the good news think social media is at the opposite end of the spectrum and don’t trust it at all. It's interesting I get alot of the information from Twitter (now known as X) and also LinkedIn. I find the information on these platforms more raw because most of the stuff I rehash comes directly from Farmers. I find this sort of information very different than that coming from the Rural Journos. I have opened up today's version as a full one so you can all get an idea of some of the sorts of things we are relaying. I'd like to think that we can do some of the heavy lifting for you 6 days a week. As Farmers and people involved in Ag there is so much info we need to tap into to keep on top of things. Reply to [email protected]

The Farmers Club - 6 Times Weekly

We’ll regret our Solar Farm sins

First, go to the post in the Agribusiness section and read what Senator Malcolm Roberts said. It's a very interesting take on a couple of our energy sources, one being Coal and the other being Solar. I had a bit of a think about his statement, and having done a bit of driving around the country in the last 3 weeks, I have noticed some big Solar projects. And going by a couple of other posts below, this is just the start of it. I would have driven past half a dozen big Solar Farms, and they were all on good Agricultural Land. The more I look at them, the more I think they are going to be a legacy we will regret. Most of those who Farm the Land believe that they are vandalising the place and devaluing the local areas. I even see in a report below that China are worried they have gone too far. As for Coal, and I am happy to stand corrected here, but unless you go to the Hunter Valley and a few other isolated areas throughout Australia, you will struggle to find a Coal mine that sticks out like a Solar Farm does. We have got to a point where if we drive past one, my wife and I will look the other way. It's a blight on the landscape. I am happy to have the Solar Panels on the roof of the house, garage or factory. Use them to reduce your energy expenses, but let's leave them off the good Farming Land or hide them where nobody goes. Do you think they are a blight on the landscape, too? Reply to [email protected]

High entry level

I'm here at the Cotton Conference to learn. To learn more about the industry and to understand what makes these Farmers and the industry people tick. I got talking to a Cotton Grower who told me why he thinks it's a very unique industry. 1) he said it was a young industry with lots of young, enthusiastic minds, and 2) the entry level is very high, which keeps the faint-hearted away. To grow a Crop, it's around $4000 in costs for every irrigated hectare. That's after all the setup costs. This is a high entry level, and from what this Farmer told me, you need to have a high level of Farming IQ to grow the stuff. That entry level is not for the faint-hearted, and if you didn't think you were up to it, you wouldn't bother starting. I found the people yesterday vibrant and positive, and they all seemed to be great sharers of information. Another Farmer said to me that when they come across something that is going to make things better, it's shared right across the industry, so everyone gets the benefit. It's a small community, too, with only around 1200 Farmers. I will report more later, but my thinking is that, like Beef Week, all Farmers should get along to at least one Cotton Conference. 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 XXX 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 XXX 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 listen to The Weekly Grill podcast hosted by the famous Kerry Lonergan. His guest was Feedlotter Charlie Mort and they had the most interesting conversation. Charlie went through how their business emerged into what it is today, feeding over 70,000 head, all owned by Mort and Co. He hinted but didn’t say that the Wagyu thing might be getting too big and he told us his foray into the Fertiliser game had been unprofitable to this point. Rating 8.5/10. 29 minutes. Take a listen here.

Your replies:

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

• This is in reply to our note yesterday where Paula and I decided not to build our new house and go into debt - "Good morning, Dwain. We (me and my other half) are in a similar boat at present; we are looking to buy a small hobby Farm. We have two main points here, and we are getting stuck. Due to age, one wants less debt, compromising on how the property is, and the other wants everything immaculate. Interesting to see where it's going to end 😊".

• More on our new house decision - "Good decision. I might suggest you get a wee Shed erected on your hill ... Then camp there now and again to have a day off to enjoy the view". 

• This Farmer has been at the new house thing for 28 years, and finally, it's coming to fruition - "G'day Dwain. My partner and I have been going to build our house for 28 years. Farm purchases, drought, Farm succession, etc, got in the way. It's now about to happen. Sites cleared plans done and got our builders. Just waiting on council to pull their finger out".

• This is in reply to our story about our new-age Farming systems and how there are much fewer Tillage-related dust storms these days. Read the story here - Hi Dwain, The last big dust storm to blow into Sydney was 2009 or 2010. Also, it was the only dust storm that I witnessed in my time in Sydney from 1993 to 2019. I might have missed one when I was out of town, but I don't remember anyone talking about it afterwards. So, I think we can conclude that Farmers in Australia have mostly arrested soil retention. Next, we need to figure out how to build or a least improve the quality of soil remaining so that we are less reliant on synthetic inputs. The Farmers who figure that out will eventually win out because they will be more profitable in the long run". 

• In reply to our story on why we think banning Paraquat and Diquat will be bad news for Farmers. This lady thinks differently - "Hi, thanks for your articles. I think it will be a good idea to ban these chemicals because ryegrass will only become resistant to them too over time (just look at antibiotic resistance, anthelmintic resistance, etc), and it will mean that we Farmers don't die of some hideous cancer. Australians who eat Australian produce will also be healthier. We Farmers are resilient and will learn newer, more sustainable farming practices. Using stronger and stronger poisons over time is not sustainable and is not in anyone's interest. We can do this".

• This Farmer is like most in the Cropping game and would be devastated if they banned Paraquat. He strongly believes the environment would suffer - Hi Dwain. My claim to fame is the first to admit to Barnyard grass Glyphosate resistance in the world. We have now moved to the Dalby area Qld and have Feathertop Rhodes grass, also not susceptible to Glyphosate. The main tool we use is double knock glyphosate and Paraquat, so not only used for rye grass control. We would be devastated without Paraquat. Our Tractor hours would quadruple if we went back to full cultivation, and our fuel use would probably multiply by five. Our soil structure, which has improved enormously, would decline, and our organic carbon would be devastated back to the 2% prior to Zero till, which is not good for soil moisture holding capacity, erosion control, water quality, etc.

• In reply to our dust storm story, the drought was the cuase in 2019 and it was more in the Pastoral areas where any dust storms originated from - "Afternoon Dwain. 2019 was huge for dust storms in our Central Queensland area. The drought along the eastern part of Australia was probably the protagonist".

• In reply to our house story and some wise words here we all should read - "Those with high self-esteem don't need to: Spend money on things they don't want, to impress people they don't like, with money they haven't got". 

Random and associated Ag articles and images.

Cropping & Grain

Sheep, Wool & Lambs

Cattle & Beef

Funnies

Agribusiness

Machinery, Vehicles and Equipment

Ag People

Weather, Irrigation & Water

Dairy

Rural Property

Other Ag stuff

Thank you for reading

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.