The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Monday, the 9th of October 2023

By Dwain Duxson

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

Stop the Powerlines song - Clever

I call it the Stop the Powerlines song. It's officially called Stop the Transmission Lines. Take a listen here, and please share. Whatever the title is, it's a fantastic bit of creativity by Eleanor Parry and her team. The Parry's are Farmers from the Navarre and St Arnaud areas and are in the firing line for these proposed oversized Powerlines. Isn't it great when young Farming people show initiative and create something that resonates with the community and its causes? Well done to Eleanor and all concerned. Reply to [email protected]

What a bloody great idea

I just heard about these Queensland Goat Farmers who do the paddock-to-plate thing. But it's done with a difference. They have their own Butcher shop. That's not uncommon, you say. Correct. But this Shop has no staff. You would use it like one of those modern-day 24-hour gyms, where you get a pin number to enter the gym for your workout. So how it works is, you become a member, then you get a pin to enter the Butcher shop, and then you have an app that scans your purchases, and you pay and leave. Simple. How innovative is that? I mean, it's not new technology, but it's creating a valued proposition and supply chain efficiencies for the Farmer so they can make a better margin. It might just be the edge needed to get the Paddock-to-Plate thing to work. Go to their website here. See the shopfront below. Reply to [email protected]

Paddock to plate is sooooo difficult

How difficult is paddock to plate? The list is long of those who have tried and failed. Mainly from the Farmer up the value chains but also from a product back as well. It requires a different or new set of skills to enter the next stage (up or back) of your chosen paddock-to-plate product. Many Farmers who decide to head down this track quickly realise how much time, effort and money goes into establishing a brand and the logistics of getting your product to the consumer. It tends to affect the main game (Farming), and they soon realise it's not that lucrative. And it's usually 1 or 2 things that is the blocker from making it a success. The story above with the staffless stores has merit and might be something that takes off. What do you think? Reply to [email protected]

Dead carcass Abattiors

We wrote recently about how we used to have 180 million Sheep in this country and how we processed them. I got alot of replies on this subject, and one of the points that came up was there were alot more local abattoirs around 30 and 40 years ago. How many towns do you drive through now and see Abattoir ruins on the outskirts? Lot's. Some say that economic conditions killed them, some say market conditions killed them, or lack of scale, and some say the unions finished them off. Whatever the case, it's a lost bit of rich history, and now they are much larger, more centralised outfits, and we probably haven't got enough of them. Reply to [email protected]

End of message.

Dwain Duxson

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