Farmer Focus: Australia trip proves again ‘grass isn’t greener’
© Angus Findlay My wife, Debbie, and I are in Australia visiting our daughter in Sydney. We have travelled south to Victoria where we have caught up with other family members as well as farming friends.
It’s much drier than normal here. Much of Victoria has only received half its expected annual rainfall during the past 12 months. I have also noted there has been a lot of regeneration of natural vegetation and bush.
While this no doubt pleases the environmentalists, it causes great concern in the rural communities, as it creates additional fuel supply for bush fires.
See also: Farmers warn of ‘no limits’ in fight against ‘family farm tax’
About the author
With the dry conditions and the hottest summer temperatures yet to come, such fires are expected.
Several factors dictate farming in Victoria, but the main one is rainfall.
In the wetter areas, there is a large dairy population of mostly Friesian-type cows along with several herds of Channel Island cows.
Also noticeable is that many dairy-bred bulls for beef are finished at grass.
Beef cattle are dominated by Angus genetics. Angus cattle achieve a minimum 20p/kg premium over all other breeds in commercial saleyards.
There are fields of Hereford cows and other crosses, invariably running with an Angus bull.
Currently, slaughtered cattle numbers are at their highest since 2015, driven by a high US demand for processing beef.
Speaking with local farmers, many are expecting below-average yields from their crops because of the dry conditions.
Cropping includes winter barley (mostly harvested), canola (oilseed rape), which is being swathed in readiness for harvesting, and wheat, which is expected to be harvested at Christmas.
Vegetables and potatoes are also grown on the more fertile soils where freshwater irrigation is available. There has also been an increase in vineyards and wine production.
Like the UK, Australia now has a Labour government pleading poverty and lack of funds. Government is demanding repayment of Covid loans, which is causing cashflow issues for many businesses.
Taxation has been introduced on second homes, which has caused major upsets for many people who had invested in holiday properties for their retirement.
It appears that the grass on the other side of the fence isn’t always greener – we just swap one set of challenges for another!