The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Wednesday, the 4th of October 2023

By Dwain Duxson

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Let's go portable

According to reports I am reading, the bush (or regional Australian) is bursting at the seams with people and unfulfilled jobs. They say it's going to expand even further and put all our infrastructure under more pressure. Unfulfilled jobs and lack of housing are married at the hip, and there is a genuine Housing crisis. We have written about the opportunities for Farmers and their vacant Farm houses in the past, and there is scope to make a few extra bob. Some of the companies looking for workers have had to change their strategy. They are having to buy or build the accommodation as part of the attraction to fill the job. This is not new and was pretty much confined to more remote mining companies. Now, it's becoming a real trend with non-mining companies that are in rural towns and cities. In many cases, buying is out of the question, so building is the answer and going portable is the best option. I know there are long waiting lists for portables, but more of these building companies are popping up. If I was an enterprising young builder, I would be getting into portables. Reply to [email protected]

There's $$$$ in this one

The forecast rain delivered for many, and at the time of writing (9 am on Wednesday), there was plenty more to play out. Some in SA and Western Victoria got more than they expected, which was nice. Some missed out, too. The ones that knew they were going to get a good dose have, and with more to come, there is going to be some flooding, unfortunately. But overall, most would be pretty happy the season is back on track. And if anything, it could put a halt on how much Hay is produced as Crops could now finish. How is your season tracking now? Reply to [email protected]

The Farming sidey that became the main game

We will talk alot about side hustles over the years. I am a big believer in Ag people doing a side project, something a little different from Farming. It teaches you so much about business. I have an old school mate who has a Sheep and Cattle Farm in Central Victoria, and it was only a couple of years ago that he started their sidey. The business is called Honest Eggs and is a free-range Egg Farm. The business has grown so much that they now contract out to other Farmers to produce Eggs for them under their system. They have also marketed their product well, and their timing seems to be right as consumers have an appetite for Free Range. It's now the main game, and the Sheep and Cattle are the sidey. I would encourage all Ag people, young and old, to be thinking about it. For the record, this newsletter is my sidey and my wife and I are starting another soon. Details to come. Reply to [email protected]

Firefighting knowledge

I read that there is a shortage of country firefighters, which is a real concern. The recruiting slogan for these fire brigades is "we want you". This is a bigger concern because many new members have no firefighting knowledge, and it can't be easily learned or taught. That doesn't mean that we should not be trying to get more experience into new firefighters. We should. Farmers are the backbone of many brigades, and what's great about that is that Farmers know fire, how it operates and the lie of the land. It's so important, as it's so dangerous, and there are lives at risk. What can we do to teach more people about the do's and don'ts when it comes to fighting a fire? Reply to [email protected]

End of message.

Dwain Duxson

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