No 459 - Thursday's Club Notes

The “Club Notes” for Thursday, the 13th of March, 2025.

By Dwain Duxson - An Ag Enthusiast

Podcast - Sam Van Assche a young Farmer going places

This is a recording of an interview I did with Farmer Sam Van Assche in March 2024 at our Farm Tender Entrepreneurs in Farming event. Apart from a couple of references to prices and seasons, all the information in this podcast is current. To become a 1st generation Farmer these days is difficult. But the good ones find a way. Sam is one of those who did. He used dogged determination, persistence and street smarts (Farm smarts) to buy his first Farm. He annoyed every Rural Property Agent in his targeted area, and armed with his trusty spreadsheets he managed to convince himself, his wife and then the bank that they were fit to own their very own Farm. It’s a fascinating story of a young couple (Sam is his wife’s name, too) that have come a long way and, in their eyes, have so much more to achieve. These two are going places. Listen on Spotify here or on Apple Podcasts here.

How to make it rain….

We are currently renovating our little Farm House, and the builder is at a point where he is pulling off the tiled roof and replacing it with a corrugated iron one. Reason, so we can hear the rain. But it got me thinking: after they pull the old roof off and start putting the new one on, there is a window there where surely it's going to rain. That was yesterday, and sure enough, there were storms around, and not being there means I don't know the outcome. But the new roof is going on this morning….. It's scorched in SA and a fair chunk of Vic, and I am sure there are other dry areas around the country. These people will be looking for a chop out within the next month. And to instil confidence, WA was in that very predicament this time last year, but things turned around, and they had a ripper year. The cartoon in our "Funnies" section below shows us some of the traditional techniques we use to try and make it rain. You know, hang the clothes out, wash the car, leave bags of cement out, etc. But what Farming actions can we use to bring on rain? Many just have to start Shearing; for some, it's when they leave the pump in the dam, when you forget to tarp the Truck, or when it's hardly rained all year and you are starting Harvest. There are a myriad of things that people do that bring on something else, desirable or undesirable. You know, Murphy's law. What are some of the actions you do that can bring on rain?  Reply to [email protected] or 0427 011 900

**Next members draw - 4 tickets to win a Landcruiser Sahara

• 4 ticket draw (4 winners) valued at $300 each to go in a 1000-ticket raffle for a New Landcruiser Sahara. Drawn 3 pm EDST on Friday, the 28th of March, 2025. All paid-up subscribers get a ticket in the draw.

What’s in the paid section today:

Story 2 - Farmers just don’t give up that easily…..

Story 3 - They can’t sell the Darwin and Kimberley Abattoir for love or money……

Number of articles and images - 80 short titbits of Farming news and info, including 17 funnies and 3 just sayings.

Number of Farmer replies - 3 in total.

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