The farm is a family operation, working with my wife, Hilary. We also employ people casually during busy periods.
I have been farming for 10 years. Most of my farming career has been during the drought, which meant my first crop was not until 2016, and I did not see another until 2020. This year is now our third crop in a row, and we are expecting to be able to put another crop in next year. The farming paddocks are heavy black soils, which winter cereal and legume crops are rotated through.
This current season has been exceptionally wet. I initially sowed a couple of paddocks to early variety Lancer at the start of May, however this was all drowned when 120mm of rain fell in the days following sowing. I was able to re-sow using Spitfire in late June. This crop is now looking like some of the best crops I have seen in my farming career, but these paddocks are all on flood plain, so the threat of losing it all to a flood is still very present.
The wet year has presented a great opportunity with this crop, but it also has brought some big challenges. There have been limited chances to get work done between rain events. There have been issues with access to the paddocks, getting bogged, having to re-sow, the threat of flood, the need to spray by plane and a heavier disease burden in the wheat.
Throughout the time I have farmed, I have learned a lot of lessons, and believe that it is the people who look after their country when things are going against them, as much as when things are going with them, that will do well.