The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Saturday, the 11th of November 2023

By Dwain Duxson

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

It started with the Honda 90

Remember the Honda 90 and the 110 step-through Motorbikes? I reckon we went through a dozen of them back in the 70s and 80s on the Farm. Then we graduated to the Ag Bike, which had a fair bit more get up and go about them. Then the ATV came along, and they went anywhere. They were handy because you could fit a couple of Dogs or some tools on the back, and you could tow a small trailer if need be. Many put a Spray unit on the back for spot or fenceline spraying. Although we never had a bingle on one, you could see where the danger lay. Then we graduated to the UTV, or Side by Side, as some like to call them. These have been a revolution, and now that the Utes are not as heavy duty as they used to be, UTV now enters the paddock where the Utes don't go. They also provide a bit of cabin comfort, can carry a bigger payload than the ATV and can tow a bigger Trailer. What's the next evolution in Morobikes? See a photo of the Honda 110 below. Reply to [email protected]

Current buying climate

Someone asked me in a reply email to sum up the current buying climate for Ag Machinery and Equipment. I think we mentioned the other day how the urgency has gone out of the game, and buyers are back negotiating again. That always happens when things have backed off a little, turning it into a buyer's market. I think we are also in a time of uncertainty in Agriculture; with the Livestock downturn, the cost rises, dry conditions, and interest rate rises. It's nothing we haven't seen before, but it messes with confidence. With Hay, it's a changed market since the drought of 2018-19 in that we have lost some of the traders who would book up big parcels and sometimes fail to commit to the contract. It's a much more pleasant trading experience for both buyers and sellers right now. There's no real panic in the market, and buyers are only buying in little licks. See the latest Hay Report here. He also asked the question, why are people hot to trot and then seem to go cold on things? You only have to look at the New Machinery market and see how many people are pulling out or orders. I think it comes back to the uncertainty and all the headwinds facing Ag right now. What are you guys seeing? Reply to [email protected]

An observation

I think as we get more experience in this Farming game, the more we take that extra bit of time to observe things and, in turn, think things over. When we're young, we are Bull-at-a-gate and adopt that just-get-the-job-done attitude. We have been on our little Farm for two and a half years now, and I find myself stopping to observe things because it's a completely different country from what we are used to, with a much higher rainfall. We recently sold the Agistment rights to an upcoming young Farmer named Jake. Jake is a builder but loves Farming and has built his breeding flock up to 1400 Ewes. We talked about Beer as a currency the other day, and Jake reminded me that in exchange for the Agistment rights, he built us a back deck. But getting back to observing, he has his Composite Ewes here, and we had Merinos in the past. What I have observed is that in the long Grass, the Merinos graze right down low, whereas the composites do more Grazing at the top. And when it comes time to move, the paddocks look completely different. The Composite shortened the length of the Grass, while the Merino left the Grass longer. What have you observed on your Farm lately? Reply to [email protected]

Are you a Beef Jerky fan? If so….

I'm a sucker for Beef Jerky. And it's like the craft Beer labels, the Beef Jerky label are plentiful, and you can get all types of Jerky. I stick to the Beef ones, and I found a good one made in Robe, SA, the other day. It's called "Mike's Beef Jerky", and you can buy it all around the country. Go to the "Stockists" tab on their website to see where you can get it locally. Or you can buy it online. Did you ever try my past suggestions of the crispy Four Quarter Chops or Vegemite on the Lamb Roast? Reply to [email protected]

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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