The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Tuesday, the 13th of February, 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

17 days to go

Our FarmTender2024 - Entrepreneurs in Farming event is not far away. Click here for more info. See the media release here. Read some of the questions we are going to ask Danny Thomas and Rob Dawes.

Current problems in Ag

We did a bit of a straw poll about 18 months ago on some of the problems Farmers were having. One thing we discovered was that problems aren't universal. By that, I mean no 2 Farmers had the same problems. Problems are individualised and can be localised. But my thinking is a straw poll done now might yield something different. The difference is that cost pressures are greater now, and many Farmers are grappling with higher interest, insurance and Land rates. We got many replies to our stories about insurance and rates and how they have gone up exponentially. But problems are an individual thing, and they can come and go. So now it's over to you. What is your number 1 Farming problem right now? Reply to [email protected]

Buyers back buying

It's been a very strong couple of weeks over at our Farm Tender business for selling Farm Machinery and Farm Inputs. Buyers are back buying again, and there is confidence in the job. Especially in the Cropping game, where Farmers have moisture in reserve and are working feverishly to make sure that it is retained and put to good use once the Winter Crop is in the ground. The Farming game is built around confidence, and when they are confident, they don't mind investing in things that will help them increase revenue. Things that have been popular sellers are Tractors, Air Seeders, Combines, Drills, Sprayers, Spreaders, Offset Discs and Speed Tillers. On the input front, Farmers are working through organising their Seeding Fertiliser requirements. They are starting to order Urea for post-Seeding, and many are topping up with Glyphosate to keep on top of the weeds over the Summer. Are you feeling confident about 2024 from a Farming point of view? Reply to [email protected]

Farming idiosyncrasies

I have an Aunt who won't let the fuel gauge go below half before she fills it up again. It was taught to her by her Father, my Grandfather, when she first got her license and started at Teachers' College. Now, in her 70s, she is still following the same advice. It got me thinking that there a plenty of people out there doing things a little differently. So, what are some of your Farming idiosyncrasies? I had a strange one, and it's not Farming related, but when I played cricket and went out and when I was walking back to the pavilion, I would always tap my bat on the fence. I did it every time, and to this day, I am not sure why. It was like this little 5-second thing where everything would be a blur, and I would concentrate on tapping the bat on the fence or gate. Weird, I know. What things do you do that you might consider a little odd? 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:

• “Rally went well, some say 2000, I think 1500 ish. Would have liked more, but Farmers are hard to get off the Farm”. - A Farmer who was one of the organisers of the Rally against Renewable Energy in Canberra last week.

• “They have an excellent historical museum in Kadina, well worth a visit”. - After my visit to Kadina and the Yorke Peninsula are of SA last week.

• “As a fourth-generation Farmer at Malmsbury, I am pleased the local businesses looked after you in a time of need 😄. I will let Pat The Postman know of your predicament and how it was handled in a friendly manner. Pat is an excellent asset to the town and runs a good old-fashioned business”. - A local who read my Note on how I left my phone at home and the local businesses still served me.

• “We bought the highest-priced Ram at Malcolm Fraser’s last stud sale and went halves on a handshake agreement with another Farmer from my district who was also interested. He bought another one as well. A person standing with us at the time (also a Farmer) was astounded that we would do such a thing and probably would never do the same himself”. - In reply to our Note about trust in the bush and it’s still prevalent.

• “20 years ago, when driving Road Trains for a living, I found myself at Burketown in the Gulf or Queensland and pulled up at the Shell fuel Roadhouse, which was closed. After waiting 15 mins, the owner turned up and saw me at the browser, so he raced inside and turned them on. I proceeded to fuel up some 2300 litres of diesel; when I fronted up to pay via Shell fuel card, he said oh, we're not Shell agents; the sign just hasn't been taken down yet. Well, I said, I've got the fuel. What are we going to do, he said, That's OK, I'll send you an account. Which he did and I promptly paid when I got home couple weeks later. I thought that was good of him. I don't think that would happen these days”. This is another reply to our Note about trust in the bush.

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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