The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Tuesday, the 20th of February, 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

10 days to go

Our FarmTender2024 - 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, Rob Dawes, Claire Booth, Andrew Weidemann and David Jochinke.

The Equity Equation

Many Farmers took advantage of the low-interest rate environment, which we have just come out of. Someone asked the other day, are the winners the Farmers who bought Land and added scale during the low-interest times or the ones that didn't really expand and have low levels of debt now? It's a good question because there would be a hangover from a Farm or Land purchase with extra debt and payments at higher interest rates. But extra Land leads to greater production, so the ability to service that becomes greater. As for those who sat on those hands during that time, it would have been a strategic choice to continue with a low debt level. No approach is right or wrong. The Farmer with low debt and less scale would be going ok. The Farmer with a large debt to service would be feeling it a little but will come out the other side and probably go again at some stage. As we say, no two Farms are the same, and no two Farmers approach Farming the same way. Each to their own. Which approach did you take? Reply to [email protected]

Owning it

I heard on a podcast the other day from a well-known Farming consultant who said his top-performing Farmers "had the desire to be held accountable for the Farm business performance". It's an interesting trait, and it got me thinking: would you bracket it with being a control freak? And I am not saying being a control freak with some things is bad. I think it is healthy to take responsibility for a "few" things. Taking control of everything is where some people go wrong; they just can't delegate because they just think someone doesn't do it as well as they do. That's where defining people's roles on the Farm is so important. Eg, you are responsible for the Sheep enterprise, and you have to own the outcomes. So, being a bit of a control freak over what you are responsible for is a good trait; it means you care. Do you have a level of control freak about you? Reply to [email protected] 

A reputation for what….

I have a Farmer mate who is getting a reputation for emceeing events in his local area. The word has spread wider, and he is getting jobs elsewhere now. I haven't heard him in action, but a few people have told me he's a natural. I know he can talk like a beauty, so it doesn't surprise me. It got me thinking that we all have a reputation for something, and most of us would have a reputation for several things. Like, say, running late, you know the types. Also, some had a reputation for always being the last to leave the pub or a party. What about the pre-GPS days when some had a reputation for driving the Tractor and Combine straight, and others had a reputation for being not so straight? The list goes on. What superpower do you have a reputation for? 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:

• “My biggest laugh about the whole thing was when the haters compared him to Sir Les Paterson. Bloody hell, Sir Les made more sense than 99% of politicians”. - A Farmer having a bit of a laugh at the Barnaby incident.

• “So far back, I cannot remember whether it was complimentary tickets to compensate for Flood or Drought.  However, we were offered free tickets to a Tommy Emmanuel concert in Wangaratta. Not on our radar previously, Tommy proved to be an awesome musician, and the evening of entertainment gave us a much-needed boost”. - In reply to our note about how Australian Farmers are subsidised compared to other nations. A free concert ticket in a drought is about it…..

• “I was thinking any of us that indulge in the grog have probably had times when we have been horizontal”. - On the Barnaby incident again. 

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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