The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Wednesday the 24th of January 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

If you can, please get your family, friends and colleagues to sign up. See the website link here.

Owning it and then letting it go

Those who sell Livestock are funding MLA, right…. So, for years, we have been funding the eat-more-Lamb-on-Australia-Day campaign. Absolute cracking success story and marketing genius. Sam has been a magnificent choice. But now things have changed, and MLA has done an about-turn and dropped off Australia Day in its Lamb promo. I'd say never to be seen again. A lady replied in saying, "MLA fought for years to claim Australia Day as a day to be thankful for all our blessings by eating Lamb Chops. Now, when they have finally achieved their marketing mission, the executive of the Association decides to give it all away. Are they attempting to add a layer of guilt and self-loathing on to the Farmer and Grazier (edited)”? Do you feel uncomfortable with the organisation you fund that they have taken this stance? Are you a bit peeved that Lamb Chops won't be promoted with Australia Day ever again? Reply to [email protected]

Payment terms

I was talking to a guy yesterday who was doing some IT work for a major institution, one of the most respected institutions in Australia. I won't name them, but they educate many. Anyway, this is what he said their payment terms were. 90 days, plus 30 days end of month. I nearly fell off my chair, but he said it was true dinks. So, it got me thinking about payment terms in Ag and how we have made some measured improvements over the years. There are still the odd ones that do the old 30 days at the end of week, but most are within a few days now. You have to do that to get the Farmers business. The Grains industry is where most of the improvements have been made, and it has gained back a little bit of trust after a string of trader bankruptcies. The new age payment terms mean you can judge a trader quickly, as the money in the bank promise is now their currency. One day late, and the Farmers will be on the phone. Do you agree that payment terms have improved dramatically in Ag? Reply to [email protected]

KFM it was…..

A big thanks to the many people who replied by saying the Flystrike ointment name I was looking for was KFM. It was on the end of my tongue, but it just wouldn't come to me. I phoned a friend also, but they couldn't remember either. Like many of you who replied, it brought back memories. And as we know, not all great memories aren’t all about good things all the time because attending to a flyblown Sheep wasn't a pleasant job. You can see the packaging of the old tin of KFM below in the 1st image. Remember applying it? Those little white, wriggly things dropped off quickly. There was also Coopers Flystrike Powder, which we used in unison with the KFM treatment. And we used to apply it when cutting the tails on the Lambs at marking time. I can still smell it. See an image of that below also. These were products that served us well but disappeared. What other products did we use on the Farm that were able to solve a problem but, for some reason, disappeared like the above-mentioned products did? 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:

• "Feel really locked in by John Deere with their doubling of prices on the American-built tractors and subscriptions. We use all Greenstar, and it’s very difficult to change GPS because of the way they steer slightly differently than the alternatives such as Trimble, Ag Leader and Top Con”. - On our Note about being Locked in by John Deere.

• "Years ago, they came up with a scheme where O’Connors would build GPS towers & Farmers could pay an annual subscription to access the tower network. This was at a time when many of us saw GPS as an unaffordable luxury. They also financed the gear to set up the tractor, all Trimble. Still using the towers. Not sure where things go from here as Case & Trimble seem to have parted ways”. - It will be interesting to see what happens.

• "They've said nothing wrong - just terrible at communicating it I suppose”. - Someone who is supporting the BOM but can see where the communication breakdown is.

• "Hi Dwain. That word lifts the hairs on the back of my neck. What does it mean? Is the cash flow sustainable for the input costs as well as the interest? Is our water usage giving the River a sustainable flow for the species that call it home? Is continuous Cropping sustainable for a list of different reasons? Is the workload sustainable for my herniated disc?” - Who knows what it means? - A Farmer who is sick of the word “sustainable”.

• “There is an old saying to summarise what Cassidy is about. – “ You can’t be green if you’re in the red” - In relation to our “Economic Benefits First” story in the Farm Tender Daily. Read it here.

• “Dwain, I feel any weather forecast more than 3 days out is speculation. The only weather site I look at is BOM; I have seen people waste so much time and energy focused on long-term forecasts instead of using their energy for controllable business opportunities”. - Another supporter of the BOM.

• “No, you're not being too harsh, Dwain”! - On our Australia Day, protest hypocrisy.

• KFM, I remember a dirty, smelly job; thank god for cordless gear”. - For the old Flystrike ointment, I couldn’t think of.

• “No, I think you're spot on mate. If you don't like something, don't do it. But don't go around the back door and take the benefits”. - On our Australia Day Note again.

• “Absolutely spot on, Dwain; in hindsight, when the referendum was held last year, there should have been a yes/no box asking if people still want to celebrate Australia Day on 26 January”. - What a great idea, and we have missed the opportunity.

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

Random and associated Ag articles and images.