The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Tuesday, the 28th of November 2023

By Dwain Duxson

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Does it pay to be a tight-arse Farmer?

Farmers these days seem to be pretty liberal spenders, especially if those dollars are burning a hole in their pockets. Many Grain Farmers have spent big money on on-Farm Storage and upgraded Machinery fleets in the last decade or so. Livestock Farmers have been upgrading Handling Gear, Yards and Sheds for a while now. I reckon the tight arse Farmers did well 20 or 30 years ago. They were the ones who saved money and operated on the smell of an oily rag. But I think it’s the opposite today in that if you don’t invest, you don’t get the advantages. At our Family Farm, we had an old Shearing Shed, which got a little bit worse each time, and it got to a point where the Shearers didn't want to come there anymore. Now, with the new Shed, it made a world of difference to the working conditions. They have gone from poor to state-of-the-art. Does if now pay to be a tight arse Farmer? Reply to [email protected]

Farming fads that die

We have given the fake meat industry a bit of buggery lately, and we will leave them alone after this. But someone wrote about how the fake meat industry was a fad that died off. It got me thinking. What are some of the Farming fads that have died? What about when everyone was drenching with capsules? Apparently, they have stopped making them. The Helsman system for selling Rams or Bulls was popular once but has now died. Going to Wool sales. A few of us were talking about some of the great trips to the Wool sales the other night. Going round and round in a paddock when Seeding and doing the headlands. Now they just go up and back. Help me out here. What were some of the fads that you can remember that died? Reply to [email protected]

The positive out of 4 inches during Harvest

There are areas around the Victorian and South Australian border that had 4 or 5 inches. And it came at the worst time, right smack bang in the middle of Harvest. I’m sure there will be some downgrading and weight losses to Grain, which will be unfortunate. We all know the Cropping game is all about conserving moisture. Grain Farmers are getting so good at it that once marginal Cropping areas like the Mallee of SA and Vic have become grain-growing meccas. I was talking to a former Agro who now works for a Chemical company, and he said the positive out for 4 inches during Harvest is the moisture setting for next year. That’s what the game is all about these days. Although with more rain forecast this week, the most pressing thing that is front of mind is getting the Crops off. And after that, it will be time to assess moisture levels. How is your Harvest tracking? Reply to [email protected]

We can’t be friends anymore

It’s tricky writing about Ag issues to a nationwide audience. In Farming, there is always a group that is going gangbusters, a group that has drought/floods/fire or is generally doing it tough, and a group in the middle. I try to be very conscious about everyone's situation and make sure we are not ramming a good situation down the throat of someone who is not doing so good. However, Farmers are pretty good at barracking for those who are having a good time of it. Because we all know that in Farming, the shoe can be on the other foot in the blink of an eye. Twitter is a funny thing to watch as some people like showing their yield monitor in the Header if things are going well, or they show off the flash new Header that they just bought. One person, who was having a tough season, replied to another person who posted a picture of one of their wonderful Crops by saying “Sorry, this is getting me down, we can’t be friends anymore”. She was joking of course. Reply to [email protected]

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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