The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Monday the 29th of January 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

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Farm projects

We have spoken before about how we think that everyone should have a side hustle, something they do outside the main gig of Farming. But my wife and I worked out that not only do we have a side hustle, we also always have a Farm related project on the go. And we worked out that most of our projects cost money because we sometimes get other people in to do the job. To us, projects are something we do that adds value to the place. Not that we specifically do them for dollar reasons, but probably more for aesthetic reasons. We want to make our Farm look good. But projects can be exhausting, as we found out this weekend. We bought this beautiful old rusted steel tank, you know, the one with the rivets in it (see an image below). We stripped back all the rust on the inside of the tanks and then painted it with a bitumen membrane to stop it from rusting in the future. Was that a big job? It took us both most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to complete, and we were well and truly over it in the end. What sort of projects do you have on the go? Reply to [email protected]

Identity now known

I was in shock when I saw a list of people who had recently sold Water to the Government as a part of their controversial buyback scheme. I just wonder if the people who sold the Water would have known their names were going to be released to the public. I was also in an email conversation with a person who was also in shock that the names had been released. He did wonder if it would deter Water owners from selling in the future, knowing their names were going to be public. And it's also not great for community sentiment as it was/is very controversial and was a hard-fought protest from Irrigation Farmers who were totally against the buyback. Will there be some angst in the community against those who sold Water to the Government? The replyer said this, ".It also shows how naive and dumb this Government is about "doing business". I tend to agree. You can see his full reply in "Your replies" below. Do you think it was silly to release the names of the Water sellers, too? Reply to [email protected]

Inspiring a group of nations.

We did take a break from the tank job to come in and watch the last half and hour of the West Indies v Australia test match. What a win by the young West Indian team and what a performance by 2 test veteran Shamar Joseph with his 7 wickets after a crushing blow on his toe the night before. I say veteran because he bowled like one. If that doesn't inspire the group of nations that make up the West Indian team, I don't know what will. As for the Aussies, many will be saying they got their just deserts with the comments Cummins and Smith made before the game, and I did notice they were nowhere near as exuberant when taking a wicket as they usually would be. This is complacentsy coming out, thinking you have the game won before it starts. I am not an Aussie Cricket basher, but you do notice body language things that wreak of complacentsy. And that's exactly what happens when you become complacent. You lose. What did you think of the test match? 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:

• “I notice the Farmers who sold some or all of their Irrigation Water to the Federal Government all had their names released and the $ amount they received. What was the reason or purpose of doing that? Doing that achieves nothing except cause angst and ill feeling in the local communities where those people live. It also shows how naive and dumb this Government is about "doing business”. - In reply to the release of the names of those who sold Water to the Government just recently. See the story above.

• “I much prefer Hogget. Don’t eat lamb normally. We eat our own meat, and the practice is to put the last 20 or so tails of the Lamb crop into the killer paddock and grow them out to Hoggets”. - In reply to our story on the resurgence of Hogget.

• “Hi Dwain, Glad I’m not the only one eliminating Ag media, especially Livestock reports. I haven’t bought any of the rural papers, subscribed online or listened to the Country Hour for five years”. - Another reply from an old Ag Jounro on our story about giving up some media.

• “The "spin" has been in circulation for as long as I can remember. Journalists do it well. Corporates are now having a crack. The problem with this is their member base, those that follow the influence they provide, do an about-turn. This can be the difference between sales and shutdown. The problem with the "spin" provided - is that the trust once gained is now lost. So now what? Corporates now must regain that trust. As Woolworths are finding out, that can be a hard slog, pushing shit uphill”. - A reply to the Farm Tender Daily story about “Spin”. See the link to the story here.

• “I prefer hogget to lamb for slow-cooked roast leg when there is a crowd. I need to order a large one in advance from https://www.specialtyfoods.com.au/, a butcher in Thebarton in Adelaide. Some rosemary (I borrow a couple of sprigs from the bush they have growing in the car park) and garlic in the pan, and the smell from the oven for the day, while it cooks, gets everyone excited”. - Another who loves their Hogget. 

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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