What a crazy start to what should be autumn!
Warm and dry are not the ideal makings for securing a good winter feed base.
Temporary irrigation water has seen a sharp spike in price per megalitre, essentially due to a last-minute cropping gamble.
True as it is, May can be a dangerous time to be splashing water about — if it rains, you’re off to a wet start, but if it’s dry, you’re absolutely winning.
We may not be at the Crown Casino, but big gamblers we are.
I have had the pleasure over the past 12 months to be involved with collating a report — a collaboration including Murray Dairy, City 4 Greater Shepparton, processors and Gardiner Foundation with the Murray-Darling Basin Steering Committee.
I’m sure I’ve missed a couple but you get the magnitude of the cohort.
The focus is on the entire dairy supply chain in the Murray-Darling Basin. ‘From the titty to the city’, to steal a popular phrase.
Its purpose is to showcase and impress upon its reader the magnitude, scale, importance, diversity and economic success of dairy in the Murray-Darling Basin.
It also shows how dairy needs community and community needs dairy for both to not only survive, but thrive.
Nearing its completion, I’m looking forward to poring over the finished document.
The commitment of the contributors is a testament to the professionalism, conviction and strong belief of our region’s leaders to see the entire dairy chain represented at the level it deserves.
Powercor has been collecting insights and input into its next five-year strategy.
My fellow skills-based director Phil Candy and I participated in an interview representing dairy.
This is an interesting time for energy providers, given the increased demand for (reliable supply) power and the push for green energy.
Given the emerging issues with what we’ve been calling ‘green energy’ I wonder where things are going to land.
We have a passion for John Deere machinery at our place, and John Deere has been busy manufacturing zero emission tractors.
They have three prototypes on-farm in Fresno, California, which means they aren’t far away from the showroom and our next toy collection on-farm.
All they need is 3phs power to charge. And that’s where I come unstuck — our 3phs power is $60,000 to $100,000 away at the highway.
I’m keen to see how agriculture lands in their strategy — it should be in the top five.
I’m hoping that between my writing and this being published we’ve had some widespread brag-worthy rain before it gets too cold to kick things along.
Don’t forget to provide a few creature comforts to your staff — most people work better when they are warm and dry.
Make a cuppa and have a look at www.thepeopleindairy.org.au — there have been some changes to the FHL1a and FHL1b which you need to know about.
– Rachael Napier is the Murray Dairy chair.