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Anecdotal stories, observations,comments and discussion pieces as insights into living in Rural Australia

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Living Rural - September 2007

A Viable Farm? - part 2

September 27th 2007 09:26

Some time ago I wrote about the question "Is farming Viable?" There has been considerable interest, so I feel it important to write a little more on the subject. At the moment we are holidaying in North Queensland - away from the sheep and farmbooks, seeing new places and hearing new stories. However, when we talk to farmers or ex-farmers we find, that despite the different crops or animals being farmed, the same questions about farm viability remains.
There was the water taxi owner at Dunk Island. He used to own chicken farms until the "big two" (Woolies and Coles) squeezed the price he could get for his eggs to just over one cent an egg. Considering hens only lay one egg a day - at best,and it costs more than that a day to feed them - you can see why he got out.

There was the sugar farmer - a very efficient industry from what we can see, but many of the farmers are beyond the age of retirement- still working because younger men are being paid more away from the industry. Contractors, used for harvesting the sugar need a harvester - worth almost half a million dollars, at least three tractors worth $100,000 each and three bins worth at least $50,000 each. They try to keep prices down so that the farmer can pay them, but how can they replace equipment and cope with petrol prices.
The price of land is huge - out of reach of any farmer to buy land to expand or to help their children farm.Why? because large tree companies- in North Queensland it's mahogany, in WA it's pine, are buying up farm land for their investors. So what? you may say - let the farmers sell to the tree people. But the sugar industry and sugar towns with their mills rely on a certain percentage of sugar being available to make the mills viable- so when they go so do the mills and the towns. And do we really want to get all our product from overseas when there is a capacity to grow things here - if given half a chance.

With an election coming up, we have one party promising extra assistance to drought affected farmers, and the other assistance to look at the long term adjustments to climate change, but no-one is addressing the issues I am discussing here. So the fight to remain viable remains. Do we want our nation fed locally or not- that is the question.

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Posted By: bumpkin - Category: farming, observations

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More Blessings to Count

September 8th 2007 02:49

Plenty of Grass

OK. I'm not terribly inspiring at the moment. This flu is still hanging around and I've had my second visit to the doctor. I haven't been able to help my husband who has had a lot of sheep work this week, but at least I've done the books! But when I look out across the paddocks I can only thank God for the way He looks after us. After months of worrying if it would rain, for us, it did, and has continued to do so, so my blessings are scenes similar to those you see on this page. While APEC and other such meetings discuss the wealth of nations and are urged to discuss the sharing of such wealth with those who still suffer from the many devastating aspects of poverty, I too look at my own blessings and think of those within our rural communities that have not had the rains (or have had floods) and find the bottom line getting crimson - not just red.

A full dam

Many patches in WA have had either no rain to put in crops or not enough rain for run off into dams. South Australia is devastated because they had a good start but no follow up, and crops have been burnt off and died. The Murray Darling may be running, but for how long? It will take more than the rains that have fallen so far this year to help it and the industries depending on it - and the nature depending on it, to recover.
So think on these people as you look at these lovely pictures and pray with me that all may be blessed with a green paddock and a smooth road ahead.

A Smooth road

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Posted By: bumpkin - Category: farming, people, observations

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Counting my blessings

September 1st 2007 07:30

I have the flu. So what’s new about that – I expect all my readers have had it some time this winter. Still, I’ve decided I should use this moment to count my blessings. I got the flu when my beloved youngest son came from the city to help his Dad do some sheep work. The Blessing One is that I have sons that help where they can and Blessing Two – I avoided the flu until he so generously brought it from the city – isolation has its benefits!
We are having a few running repairs done on the house this Saturday morning. A bit of roof work – was going to happen on Wednesday – but it was raining, (Blessing Three) so the workers came back today – officially their day off - not sure if that’s a common occurrence where you come from, so that’s Blessing Four. These boys are farmer’s sons, who can turn their hand to many a different job – including roofing and shed building, working in a tyre shop, seeding, harvesting, truck driving and sheep work. Very Handy handymen in their early twenties.
My husband is replacing a screen door. OK it took weeks to arrive from the manufacturer, but being married to a farmer means that this odd job can be done – provided I am available to assist now and then. Blessing Five is my own personal handyman and is a bit like Four but now I’m talking about my clever husband. Necessity leads to these abilities, for getting professional builders etc are nearly impossible for the little jobs. The only problem is, if you have to wait for him to do anything it can take as long as it would to get a handyman in the city, and it usually requires a slight degree of – dare I say it - persistent reminders – known in some quarters as nagging!!
We are going to get a new hot water system – still have to cut wood as it’s a wood heater. However the wood is plentiful Blessing Six, and we were told that the old heater lasted twenty years – rather than its guaranteed ten years because fresh rain water – which, by the way we drink, cook with and bathe in, is less corrosive. - Blessing Seven.
I had to do some family research for someone this week. An advantage of living in the country is that you usually know someone who knows someone, and two phone calls later I had all that was required for the lady concerned and a contact name and number for her to re-connect with other relatives. – Blessing Eight. (This could also be a mixed blessing if you wanted to stay anonymous.)
I had three meetings this week. It is amazing how you can go to three unconnected meetings and see at least one of the people who will be at the next meeting. So if you run out of things to talk about, there is always the next subject of mutual interest. Blessing Nine.
At one of the meetings there were 3 politicians – a Federal House of Reps, A Federal Senator and a State MP. Interestingly, we are on first name basis with all three – bet that doesn’t happen in the city! And I’m not even of any use to them politically! Yet they know what is needed in our town.(Hope I didn’t give them a cold!) Mixed Blessing Ten. The only problem here is that they are well and truly outnumbered when it comes to voting on issues that affect country living, but at least we know they are making the effort.
While I am very aware that there are many Country areas without a Doctor, our town has one here on weekdays, so provided you plan ahead with your illnesses (!), you will not have great distances to travel. What is more when we see our doctor, we rarely have to wait more than five minutes – unless there is a hospital emergency – in which case you go off and do your shopping and then come back. Blessing Eleven.
Blessing Twelve? Mmmm- Let me think. I know. When I finish this I am going to sit down in front of another wood fire and it will be really warm because we have dry white gum wood to put on it. OK it’s impossible to cut with an axe, but it does make a jolly good fire! So provided my handyman husband has not exhausted himself from three attempts to get the screen door on straight (but who’s counting!) and keeps putting logs on the fire, I’m set for the day.
See life is not so bad after all. Just wish I’d stop coughing!

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Posted By: bumpkin - Category: farming, observations

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