The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Thursday, the 4th of January 2024.

By Dwain Duxson

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

Cheques in the mail or on the dash

I had a reply from a Bookkeeper who works for an Ag business owner who has some older Farmer customers that only deal in cheques that have to be sent by snail mail. Most don't have email, and some use a Landline only. All these above-mentioned things make it hard to do business in this day and age. It's not a criticism of the older Farmer clients because that is the way they have always operated, and we don't expect them to change. The bookkeeper said that this guy has been in business for nearly 50 years and has a commitment to serving these Farmers, some of whom he has been working with for decades. So good on him; that's the way to do business in Ag. We do have guys at Farm Tender who use cheques, and the frustrating thing is the time it takes in the post system these days. It can be up to 3 weeks, and a lot can change from the time the cheque is written to when it's cashed at the bank. Most times, the cheque is usually in the mail, but sometimes, it's still on the dash of the Ute. Do you still deal in cheques? Reply to [email protected]

Great foresight

When we are building stuff, we have to think beyond the now. It's so easy to build infrastructure for the moment. You will see an old photo below of Yarrawonga's Belmore St in 1887; someone had the foresight to build a wide street back then. Today, that wide street serves the community well. My brother Ben wasn't happy with the size of the new Woolshed he built, so halfway through, he got them to add another bay, which now allows them to hold their Ram Sale in the complex. Our FarmTender2024 - Entrepreneurs in Farming event is being held in that Shed this year. It would not have been possible if it was not for Ben's foresight to go bigger. There are many great examples of larger infrastructure projects that were built with the future in mind. Do you have an example of great foresight? Reply to [email protected]

Is it still a lifestyle?

Often, and more so in the past, the attraction for many to Farm was for the lifestyle, or so they said it was. It's a noble occupation, Farming, and the thought of growing Food and Fibre has an air of romance about it. Buy a Farm, it’ll be fun, they say. But Farming these days has changed; it's complex, it's unrelenting, it's taxing, and it's a big business. Farmers in the past might not have thought of themselves as business people, but they are the ultimate ones now. They have a lot of responsibility. And for some, the hard work can grind you down. One older Farmer said to me once that he wasn't exhausted by the hard work he had done; he was exhausted by the work that was in front of him. Most Farmer's enjoy what they do most of the time. But the romantic notion of doing it for the lifestyle, does that still apply? Reply to [email protected]

Grab your Pink Seat

Speaking of foresight, the Virtual Pink Seat campaign has been a winner for the McGrath Foundation. Before the Pink Seat concept came along, they struggled to raise money for the Foundation. And someone internally came up with the Pink Seat idea. What foresight. It’s so easy to buy some seats and you can see something for your purchase, that’s important. Go to the link here and support a great cause. Reply to [email protected]

Your replies

Below is where we take some of the most relevant comments from your replies. All quotes will remain nameless. See a few below:

• “Behind every good man is a good woman”. - A male Farmer with one of his Ag theories

• “Very helpful thing to do. If you don't build trust, you Farm alone, and it's a very lonely life”. - In regards to building relationships and trust in Ag.

• “These wind Farms are turned off more than on, very dubious about their true worth”. - A Farmer talking about Wind Farms in his area.

• “Important note: Burcher Pub (town in NSW) beer price $6.30 schooner and is also working over holidays”. - In relation to the $13:50 schooner price of beer at the MCG.

• “They "hammered" people who bought new Utes with a fossil fuel tax even though you cannot buy an electric Ute. They gave huge discounts to folk who bought an electric vehicle, even though there is little or no infrastructure for electric vehicles in Rural areas”. - A Kiwi Farmer explaining what they did in New Zealand.

  Reply to [email protected]

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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