The Farmers Club Newsletter

The “Club Notes” for Saturday, the 18th of November 2023

By Dwain Duxson

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Get to 60 don't panic

I have known two people in my lifetime who have been in business and done alright up until the age of around 60. All of a sudden, these people have had a bit of a panic attack, knowing that they are closer to the end of their business life than the start. They thought they didn't have enough money to get to the endpoint, whenever that was. So they started doing things a little bit differently in their business, impatient things because they felt they had to make ground quickly to get to where they thought they needed to be. And in both cases, their businesses unravelled. As I said, both had good businesses, but they stuffed them up because they did erratic things, which saw their once-loyal customers leave. Both businesses were in Ag, and we all know that growth in Ag is never quick and that it's the small incremental things we do each day that give us the necessary growth over time. Have you witnessed anyone who has done something similar? Reply to [email protected]

Prefab boom - Get the office sorted

There is a story below on how Prefab Houses are becoming a big trend in the US. I'd say they have been a trend here for a while here in Australia, but it seems to be growing as there are a lot more companies doing it now. And it's not only liveable spaces; it's offices, Gyms, Retail popups and the like. At a Farm level, it's now very important to provide a high standard of accommodation for both permanents and casuals. No longer can we "just stick em in the Shearer's quarters" with the long drop toilet, the dust and the springless beds. So, the Prefabs provide a flexible alternative to something permanent. What I reckon is equally important, and we have written about it in the past here, is the off-site office. By off-site, I mean out of the main homestead, where everyone who works on the Farm can go and feel comfortable. I remember when Paula and I first moved to the Farm as a couple, that was the first thing we did was build an independent office. It was the best thing we ever did because we were the only one living on the Farm, and the other five members of the business had a place to go for lunch, make calls, and do office things. Do you have an independent office on your Farm? Reply to [email protected]

Adding value through knowledge

I got an email from a guy this morning who was telling me an old school friend works for one of the Airlines as a "Yield Manager", which got me interested. He went on to explain how he makes adjustments to the ticket prices by the minute to optimise filling the Aircraft and maximising the average ticket price. Clever, so if they know a plane is going to fill for the last, say, 15 tickets, they can put them up in price and make a bit more margin. That's business. So, what is the Ag equivalent to that? I would say it would be the local Wool buyer who is looking to fill bales by buying your Wool and then mixing it with other people's Wool to get a higher-value line of bales. It could be a grain buyer with a particular spec who buys some lesser quality Grain and adds a dash of higher quality stuff to get the spec they require. Farmers now have the ability to do this as well, now they can do the testing on Farm. Adding value through knowledge. This is something that AI could do down the track. EG, put 36.5 tonnes of this spec in with 63.5 tonnes of that spec, and you will get 100 tonnes of X, which will lift you into the next price bracket. Reply to [email protected]

Duncan's Snake story

This is a Snake story that Duncan sent in —— "I have a 60hp open cab Case Skid Steer and had done about an hour repairing our front drive when I stopped for a break and worked out the next job. So I jumped back in, and I looked down and saw a brown Snake about a metre long sliding across the top of my boots. It came up from the battery compartment underneath my feet. I thought, fark, what do I do. As you can imagine, there is not much room to move in a Skid Steer. His head started to track up beside my leg towards my hand. I think he was as surprised as I was. I thought that the Machine's vibration meant he couldn't detect me, so I kept it going and didn't move a millimetre. He eventually slid into the fuse box beside my hand. I stopped the skid steer on a Sandy spot and got out very fast. Wow, the adrenaline rush once I was out. I came back later on, and I could see where it had got out. At least, I hoped it was gone". —— I haven't been in one of those positions where you have nowhere to go. You know that you probably have to stay still, but you just want to get the flock out of there. Like the Chook in the corner of the Chook pen, with the Snake looking for her lunch. How would you go in this situation, or have you been in it before? Reply to [email protected]

End of message.

Dwain Duxson
0427 011 900

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