prospect winter 2012

ProspectFOR FARMERS IN THE KNOW

IN THIS ISSUE:

Th

e D

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a A

gri

bu

sin

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gro

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Farming’s FutureSummer cropping alternative on trial

Interest A tribute to Grenfell’s agricultural heritage

Win

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Cover StorySocial Media: Connecting our farmers

Master FarmerTrigger Vale targets maternal traits

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Bellata 0267937416BurrenJunction 0267961428Caragabal 0458475358Coolamon 0269273189Harden 0263862118Lockhart 0269204666Narrabri 0267926488Quandialla 0263471140Temora 0269771122WaggaWagga 0269717100Yass 0262262622Young 0263826622

Cowra 0263421844Grenfell 0263431276

Young 0263825800

NorthernNSW 0267750057SouthernNSW 0263862118CentralQueensland 0429812082

LIVESTOCK

DeltaAgbranches AlllocationsCootamundra 0269421866WaggaWaggaHLB 0269219099

JJATrangie 0268887122

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Aswinter settles in, I wanted to reflect on the past fewmonths. Sowing went pretty smoothly, with crops nowoutof theground;generallywithagoodmoistureprofile

under them for a promising start. Cotton harvest has beencompleted,with clients reportinga reasonableoutcomeafteracool,wetsummer.Sheepandlambpriceshavecomeoffalittle,but,talkingtovariousclients,theyremainpositive.So,inafewwords,agricultureisaprettygoodbusinesstobeinforallofusatthemoment.

Iwouldalso liketosharewithyourecentdevelopmentsacrossourcompany.Firstly,wewouldliketowelcomeournewTrangieclients to this edition ofProspect. Having merged with JJA atTrangieinMarch,wehavenowbeenworkingwithDavidDuganand his team for a couple ofmonths.We hope you enjoy ourmagazineand I look forward tomeeting someof youover thenextfewmonths.

After a few hiccups along the way, we are also pleased toannouncetheopeningoftheBurrenJunctionbranch.Thisisanexciting opportunity for our company andwe couldn’t bemorepleased with the welcome and support we have received atBurren.

It’salsoagoodtimetotakethisopportunitytothankthoseofyouwhohave taken the time tobecomemembersofourGratitudeRewardsProgramme.Theresponsehasbeenfantasticandwearereallypleasedtosaythataround1000ofourclientsarenowenjoying the rewards that theprogrammeoffers. If youhaven’tyetsignedup,pleaseaskhowtonexttimeyouareinstore…orjustgiveusacall.

TheBoardofDeltarecentlyattendedtheWestpacAgribusinessforuminWagga.Thedaywasarealshowcaseforagriculturewithsomewonderfullyinnovativeandinspirationalspeakerscovered.OurChairman,NickBurton-Taylor,wasoneofapanelofspeakerswhodiscussedideasandchallengesthatfaceourindustry.Theseissuesincludedpromotingagriculturemorepositively,harnessingtechnology,successionplanningandencouragingagricultureasadynamic,desirablecareer.

The cover story this issue gives an insight into how we canaddresssomeof these issues. In it,youwillhearDanicaLeys’storyonnewmedia thinking.Wealso lookatsome interestingperspectives from clients across the company, which I’m sureyou’llenjoy.ThestoryonthehistorybehindourGrenfellsitereallyneededtellingandIwouldliketothanktheRyderfamilyfortheirhelpwiththat.

JohnPattinsonDeltaAgDirectorandOperationsManager

Tosubmityourlettertotheeditor,emailRosieO’[email protected]

Prospect|Welcome

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upon the representations and warranties of the authors of the articles and without our knowledge of any infringement of any third party’s copyright. The views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the editor or the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publishers accept no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or resultant consequences including any loss or damage arising from reliance on information in the publication. Neon Media Group Pty Ltd takes no responsibility for advertising content. Neon Media Group Pty Ltd (including its employees, agents or

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OUTLOOK5 5HotTopics Newsfromacrosstheagriculturallandscape

6 InFocus 10QuestionswithNationalsSenator forNSWFionaNash

FARMINGFEATURES8 CoverStory Socialmedia Howthenewwaveisconnectingourfarmers

13 Insight Allinthefamily ChrisandNevinHollandofYoungrevealthe secretsofsuccessintheirdiverseenterprise

17 Farming’sFuture Introducingguar Arisingstarofsummercropsisputto thetest

21 MasterFarmer TriggerVale’stoptraits Lockhartsheepstudproducinggenetically superiorbreeds

24 Interest Grenfell’stoweringmill Aniconicbuildingsteepedinhistory

NeonMediaGroupPtyLtdA.B.N.9113333910737MainStreet,YoungNSW2594p:(02)63827763f:(02)63826612e:[email protected]:www.neonmediagroup.com.au

ProspectFOR FARMERS IN THE KNOW

Prospect|Contents

DELTADIRECT

28 OntheRail ShaneTrotter DeltaAgGrainMarketer

VIEWPOINT 30 TakingStock AaronMackay Delta-HLBLivestockManager

30 ProductWatch KevinHolt DeltaAgProcurementManager

31 GrainWatch LukeKirkby DeltaAgGrainMarketer

31 LivestockHealth DrPaulCusack AustralianLivestockProductionServices

32 Landscape WarwickNightingale DeltaAgAgronomist

32 PropertyReport TimCorcoran Delta-HLBPropertySales

TECHNOTALK

33 NewTechnology GettingthemostfromyourConnectedHome

DELTADIARY

36 AroundtheTraps Socialsnaps

39 Ontheradar Eventsontheagriculturalcalendar

PublisherNeonMediaGroupGeneralManagerDeanKinlysideEditorRosieO’KeeffeProofreaderMeganGibsonArtDirectorDeanKinlysideContributorsTravMunro,Kerry-LeeFerguson,JustineMcGregor,WendyBauer

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedinwholeorpartwithoutpriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.Noresponsibilitytakenforunsolicitedmaterial.

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NewsDrought-freedeclarationleadstoassistancereformsAustraliahasbeendeclareddrought-freeforthefirsttimeinoveradecade.

TheFederalGovernmentisnowworkingwithstateandterritorygovernmentstoprogressnewdroughtpolicy,whichhasincludedthe decision to conclude the Exceptional Circumstances (EC)interestratesubsidyfrom30Junethisyear.

BothNSWFarmersandtheNationalFarmers’Federation(NFF)hit back at the Federal Government for making decisions ondroughtsupportpackagesinthemidstofaconsultationprocessandwithoutanalternativepolicyinplace.

“There’snodoubtthedecisiontomovetoanimproveddroughtpolicy is therightone…However, thedecisiontoditch interestratesubsidiesbeforeasuitablealternativeisinplaceiscertainlythewrongone,”NFFPresidentJockLauriesaid.

“It is absolutely imperative that drought policy finds a balancebetweenallowingfarmerstobuildtheirownriskmanagementandpreparedness, while also ensuring that appropriate assistanceremains available in the event that an exceptional droughtdisruptstheirpreparations.”

The Federal Government will be providing funding for theTransitionalFarmFamilyPaymentuntilJune2014whilereformis developed and implemented. “The payment provides upto 12 months of income support for farm families as well asindividualised case management to help families in hardshipand improve their long-termsecurity.Thepayment isavailablefor all eligible farming families in need, with or without an ECdeclaration,”MinisterforAgriculture,FisheriesandForestry,JoeLudwigsaid.InformationonthepaymentisavailablebyphoningtheFarmersAssistanceLineon1800050585orbyvisitingtheDepartmentofHumanServices’website.

CottonharvestsetsnewrecordsRecordplantingsandanincreasedinterestingrowingcottoninsouthernNSWhascontributedtoarecordharvestthisyear.AccordingtoCottonAustraliaChiefExecutiveOfficer,AdamKay,itisanticipatedthat4.7millionbaleswillbepickedwhicheclipsesthepreviousrecordof4.1millionbalessetlastyear.

The recordharvestwillgenerate$2.5billionexport income forthe countrywith themajority of the cottongoing toChinaandtherestofthehaulsenttoThailand,Indonesia,SouthKoreaandJapan.

“Therecordnumbersarefromrecordplantings,wehaveseenabigincreaseindrylandcotton(raingrowncotton)whichisfittingrotationsverywellandislessriskythan10to15yearsago,”MrKaysaid.

“WeareexperiencingalotofinterestintheRiverina,LachlanandMurrumbidgeeareaswith60,000hectaresplantedinthatpartoftheworld.”

Australia now has 1500 cotton growers located from EmeraldinCentralQueensland to theNSW/Victorianborderand is thefourthlargestcottonexportingcountryintheworld.

MrKayisexpectingapositiveoutlookfornextseason.

“Conditions fornextseasonare lookinggood, there’splentyofwaterinstorage,andweareexpectingthesamelevels(ofcottonproduced)dependingonhowthepriceholdsup,”hesaid.

Future of grassfed beef production under themicroscopeGrassfedbeefproducershavebeencalledontocontributeto the Cattle Council ofAustralia’s (CCA)Beef 2015 and Beyond, a strategic plan for the grassfed beef industry.Through extensive engagement, consultation andcommunications with cattle producers, industry bodies,governments,valuechainbusinessandotherstakeholdersintheindustry,Beef 2015 and Beyondwillinform,directandmobiliseallindustryresourcesandeffortsoverthecomingyears.“Thecattleindustryhasexperiencedtransformationalchangesover thepast threedecadesand theCCABoardhas rightlydecided thatnow is the time todevelopanewnational strategy for the beef industry,” CCA PresidentAndrewOgilviesaid.Thestrategywillalsodefinetherolesofthevariouspartiesresponsibleforimplementingtheplan.All grassfed beef producers have the opportunity tocontributethroughvariousonlineforums, targetedsurveysandaseriesofworkshops.Moreinformationisavailableatwww.cattlecouncil.com.au

RecognisingruralachieversAuniqueopportunityforselectedruralandregionalleadersto undertake a program of personal growth and developskills,knowledgeandnetworks,isnowavailable.

ApplicationsarenowopenfortheAustralianRuralLeadershipProgramwhichwillpreparesuccessfulparticipantsto:-developsustainable(economic,socialandenvironmental),competitiveandprofitableindustries-establishandbuildstronglinkswithinandacrossindustrysectors-identifyandanalysethestrategicissuesaffectingthefutureofruralandregionalAustralia-understand thevalues, tacticsandargumentsof interestgroups-dealconfidentlywithindustry,governmentandcommunityleadersinAustraliaandoverseasandparticipateinshapingnationalpoliciesApplications close on 31 July and more information isavailableatwww.rural-leaders.com.au/programs/arlp

Meanwhile, applications are now open for the NABAgribusinessAwardsforExcellence.Theawards,organisedby Monash University’s Gippsland campus, recognisethe achievements of individuals and businesses acrossthe Australian food, fibre and agribusiness sectors, andencourage innovation and excellence in new technology,emerging markets, environmental management and ruralenterprise.

Thisyeartherearetwonewawards:- the Family Farm Enterprise Award, to recognise thosedemonstratingfood/fibrepostfarmgatesupplychain,wholefarmenvironmental outcomes, positive financial indicatorsandacommitmenttobusinessandsuccessionplanning.-theDrivingStrategicGrowthAward,torecogniseinitiativeindevelopingnewproductsandmarketsthatcapitaliseontheopportunitytodiversify.

Other award categories include the Agribusiness Leaderof the YearAward, Primary Producer of the YearAward,EmployerofChoiceAward,EnvironmentandEnergyAward,ExportAward,InnovationinNewandEmergingTechnologiesAward,andtheTechnologyandInnovationAward.Moreinformationisavailableatwww.nabagribusinessawards.com.auandapplicationscloseon17August.

Prospect|Hot Topics

5www.deltaag.com.au


Ibelieve youwere actually raised inSydney–howandwhendidyoucometoliveinregionalNSWandbecomesopassionateaboutsupportingourruralcommunities?

EventhoughIgrewupinSydney,fromwhenIwassmallIalwayswantedtogetoutofthecity–myunclehadafarmandIalwayslovedbeinginthecountry.AndIwasamadkeenhorserider.AsateenagerImovedtoasemi-ruralarea,andthenwenttocollegeinBathurst.WhenImarriedDavidwemovedtoYoung,andwehavebeeninthedistricteversince.Therearesomanyissuesfacingpeopleinregionalcommunities,particularlytryingtogetafairdealforthoseofuswholiveintheregions, I felt if Iwasgoingtocomplainabout thingsIshouldatleastbepreparedtobeinvolvedtotrytoeffectchange.SoIjoinedtheNationalsbranchinYoungin1995,andwentontopositionson theStateCouncil andExecutive, andeventuallywaselectedasasenator.

What was the major influence shaping your decision toenterpoliticsandinparticulartheNationals?Myinterestinbeinginvolvedinpoliticswasdrivenbyadesiretohelpregionalcommunitiesgetabetterdealfromgovernment.Wemakeupathirdofthenation’spopulationandareresponsibleformuchofitswealth,yetweremainseverelydisadvantagedintermsofgovernmentservices,notably in theareasofhealth,education,communicationsandtransportinfrastructure.Thechoiceofpartywasano-brainer,really.TheNationalsareofcourse theonlypartyexclusivelydedicated to representingtheinterestsofregionalAustralia.Butitgoesmuchfurtherthanthat. We are a small team, a family almost, which puncheswellabove itsweight.Wearealso themostdemocraticofallpartiesparticularlyinhowwechooseourcandidatesandhowwevoteinparliament.Youwillfindadiversityofbackgroundsamong Nationals MPs (surprisingly few of us are farmers!)whichsimplydoesn’texist in theotherparties.Theone thingwhich is common toallNationals representatives is that theyareforcefulchampionsoftheirlocalcommunity,andwhollyandsolelyrepresenttheregions.

YounowliveonapropertyatCrowthernorthofYoungintheSouthWestSlopesofNSWandhavetwoteenageboys,WilliamandHenry.Tell usabout your farmandhowyoubalancethedailydemandsofacareerinpolitics,runningapropertywithyourhusbandDavid,andmeetingtheneedsofyourfamily.We’re a mixed farming enterprise, consisting of croppingoilseeds and cereals, prime lamb production and opportunitysheeptrading,andirrigatedhayproduction.It’s hectic, butDavid andmyboys are a huge support.Theyhavealwaysencouragedme inmypoliticalcareerwhichhasbeensoimportanttome.

Prospect|In Focus

Fiona NashSenator for NSWShadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate

DavidandIareconstantlyonthephonewhenI’maway,andnowthatWilliamandHenryare19and17it’salittleeasiertomanage.I’mnodifferentreallytosomanyotherpeoplewhoarejugglingwork and family, I think it’s just because my occupation ispoliticsitgetstalkedaboutabitmore.It’salwaystoughbeingawayfromhome,butit’salsoanincredibleprivilegetobeableto represent theAustralian people in the senate, and it’s aresponsibilityItakeveryseriously.

Whatdoyoubelieveisthesinglebiggestissueonafederallevel facing our agricultural industry and the biggestchallengefacingourprimaryproducersintothefuture?Thereisn’tasinglebiggestissuefederally,thereareseveral.ThefactthattheLaborGovernmentsimplydoesn’tunderstandtheagriculturalsectorisahugeissue.ThecarbontaxandtheMurray-Darling Basin Plan are enormous threats to regionalsustainability.The biggest challenge facing our primary producers into thefuture is profitability. With ever-increasing input costs, andvolatile commodity prices, ensuring farm sustainability isdifficult.Also facingus is the challengeof ensuring thenextgeneration of farmers, whenmany younger people are nowbeing attracted into alternate occupations because of theperceived,orotherwise,natureoffarmingbeinghardworkwithlowreward.

Howcanweovercome thesechallengesandensureourregionalareaswillhaveabrightfuture?The short answer is that the agricultural sector desperatelyneedsachangeofgovernment.We need a government that actually understands regionalAustralia and is prepared to listen to those in our regionalcommunitiesandindustrieswhobestunderstandthesolutionsneeded. While addressing these challenges can often bedifficult from a government sense, we can certainly put inplace a whole range of policy that assists. From ensuringeveryopportunityforconsumerstobuyappropriatelylabelledAustralian-grownproductsandensuringa fairgo for farmerswhen competing with overseas products, to zonal taxationpolicywhichwouldprovideanincentiveforattractingpeopletoandretainingtheminregionalcommunities.Weneedtogetridofthecarbontax,whichtheNational-LiberalCoalition iscommitted todoing ingovernment,andweneedtomakesureregionalcommunitiesaren’tdevastatedbyanill-thoughtthroughMurray-DarlingBasinPlan.

Canyoubrieflyexplaintheimpactyoubelievethecarbontaxwillhaveonourfarmingcommunities?Simplyput,regionalAustraliacannotaffordLabor’scarbontax.

10QQ&A|RosieO’Keeffe

7www.deltaag.com.au

Many farming communities are doing it very tough throughno fault of their own.A record long drought was followed byrecord flooding and anAustralian dollar at record highs.Thegovernment’sclaimthatagricultureisexemptfromthecarbontax is highlymisleading. Farmers are the bottom of the foodchain andwill have nowhere to pass on the increased coststhatwillresultfromtransport,electricity,andfuelcosthikes.Theimpactwillbeparticularlysevereonhighelectricityusers likedairiesandmeatworks.Andallthisfornogoodreason–thecarbontaxisn’tgoingtochangetheclimateonelittlebit.

YouspokeoutagainstadecisionbytheLaborGovernmenttogive$20milliontoIndonesianbeefproducerstoincreaseoutput earlier this year when Indonesia has actually cutimportsofAustralianbeef.WhatsortofimpactdoyouseethishavingonAustralia’sagriculturalsector,especiallyinlightoftheliveexporttradeissueswhichmadeheadlineslastyear?Australian live export cattle producers were rightly appalledbythegovernment’shandouttoIndonesiagiventheincrediblydifficult circumstances they have been facing. The GillardGovernment’s panicky snap ban on live cattle exports toIndonesiafollowingtheFour Cornersprogramistypicalofthisgovernment’s regional policy incompetence. In its rush to theTVcamerasthegovernmentdidn’teventhinktonotifyJakartaof the decision, so it’s hardly surprising Indonesia retaliated.Shortlyafterthisyear’sfederalbudget,Iquizzeddepartmentalofficials on the subject during Senate Estimates. They wereinitially unable to confirm what month the ban started andcouldn’t provide basic statistics such as year-on-year quotasandactualexports.It is not just a matter of damaging cattle exporters’ day-to-day bottom line. With completely erratic and unpredictablegovernmentpolicy,theycannotplanfortheirfuture.

What do you believe is the best way forward with theMurray-DarlingBasinPlan,especiallygivenyourcommentstherecentlyreviseddrafthasignoredconcernsraisedbyfarmersandirrigators?Thebestway forward is for thegovernment toactually listento people in irrigation districts about the very real social andeconomicimpactsthatwillresultfromrippingwateroutofthesecommunities.Wecan’tpossiblyhaveabalancedoutcomeuntilthere isa triplebottomlineapproachtosocial,economicandenvironmental impacts. The latest draft Murray-Darling BasinPlanmakes amockery of the PrimeMinister’s demands thenationbecomesthe‘foodbowltoAsia’anditishardlysurprisingtheonlyperson inAustraliaseemingly towelcome its releasewasLabor’sWaterMinisterTonyBurke.

Despite receiving 12,000 submissions, the Murray-DarlingBasin Authority has pretty much photocopied the previousdraftandithasbeenpredictablycanedbyeveryonefromstategovernmentstofarmersandirrigators.Foodsecurity is increasingly recognisedasoneofAustralia’smost critical future challenges, but it cannot be achieved bydenyingirrigatorswaterandslappingeveryonewiththeworld’sbiggestcarbontax.

Nationals LeaderWarren Trusswas recently reported assayingthatforAustralianagriculturetoplayaroleinfeedingtheworld’spopulationbaseinthefuture,newtechnologiessuchasGenetically-Modifiedcropsneedtobeembraced,and he also mentioned the importance of maintainingresearch and development programs. How importantdoyoufeel it isforfarmerstolooktowardsGMandalsohowvital do yousee it for research anddevelopment tobemaintainedtoensuretheprosperityofouragriculturalsector?ThereisnodoubtAustralianagriculturewillhaveagrowingandincreasingly critical role in global food security as theworld’spopulationrisesfrom7billiontodaytoanestimated9billionby2046.Australianfarmerswillonlybeabletoplayagrowingroleinfeedingtheworldiftheyhaveafederalgovernmentdeliveringpredictableagricultural-friendlypolicy,andalevelplayingfieldin terms of international trade.Research and development iscritical.We need to become evenmore efficient, and as wearguablyalreadyhavethebestandmostefficientfarmersintheworld,thatincreasedefficiencywillneedtobeunderpinnedbyanevengreater level of research.Genetically-Modified cropsoffer promise and need further comprehensive investigation.HoweverconcernshavebeenraisedabouttheappropriatenessofGMOs(Genetically-ModifiedOrganisms),andwedoneedtoproceedwithextremecautiontoensuretherearenonegativeimpactsforfarmersorcommunities.

Earlierthisyear,alongwithfellowCoalitionSenatorsChrisBackandBridgetMcKenzie,youmovedamotioncallingontheLaborGovernmenttobemoreproactiveinaddressingthe increasing shortage of agriculture graduates andskilled workers. As the Shadow Parliamentary SecretaryforRegionalEducation,whatactionsdoyoubelieveshouldbetakenwhenitcomestoalleviatingthisworseningcrisisfacingthefutureofouragriculturalsector?Firstly,weneedtoaddresstheinclusionofagricultureandruralstudies in thenational schools’ curriculum.Moreneeds tobedone to ensure young students are aware of the agriculturalsector and ruralAustralia in general. From an early age weneedtoaddressthisinordertobridgethedividebetweencityandcountry.WeneedtoraisethepositiveprofileoflivingandworkinginruralandregionalAustralia.Muchoftheregionalfocustendstobenegative,andnotsurprisinglygiventhechallengesfacedbyruralcommunities.However,weneedtochangethisperception,toensureyoungpeopleconsiderafutureinregionalAustraliainapositivelight.Wealsoneedtoensureweaddressthe inequity that exists for regional studentswhen comparedtocitystudentswhenitcomestoaccessingtertiaryeducation.Weknowthatregionalstudentsarefarmorelikelytoreturntoregionalcommunitiestoworkorpracticeaprofession,whichwedesperatelyneedifwearegoingtoachievesustainableregionalcommunitiesinthefuture.Weneedtoremovethebarriersthatstopregionalstudentsgoingontotertiaryeducation,themostobviousbeingthecostofrelocationforstudentswhohavenochoicebuttoleavehometoattenduniversity.Ifoughtveryhardto get the government to reinstate fair legislation for regionalstudents to access independent youth allowance.However amuchfairersystemwouldbeatertiaryaccessallowance,whichwouldprovidefundingforregionalstudentswhohavenochoicebut torelocatetoattenduniversity,without therequirement toworkforayear,andIwillcontinuetodoeverythingIcantoseethisbecomeareality.

Prospect|Cover Story


Amidgrowingviewsthatsocialmediahasthepotentialtobethecatalystforthoseinvolvedintheagriculturalindustrytohaveastrongervoicetoday,RosieO’Keeffespoketothecreatorsoftwosocialmediapages-AgChatOZandAskanAussieFarmer-andaQueenslandgraingroweraboutthepopularityofthisnewkindofforum.Shefoundoutwhatimpactitishavingonthoseinvolvedinalifeontheland,fromimprovingproductivityandestablishingbusinessconnections,toovercomingthechallengeofisolation.

Photography|TravMunro

Social media:how thenew wave is connectingour farmers

Thewholefaceofwhatsocialmediaiswillcontinuetochangeovertimeand10yearsfromnowwewon’tbetalkingaboutTwitterwe’llbetalkingaboutsomethingelse.It’sjustthebeginningandIbelieveitwillcontinuetogrowandgrow.

2012 NSW/ACT RIRDC Rural Women’s Award recipient and creator of Twitter handle #AgChatOZ Danica Leys

“

”

It’s 8pm on a Tuesday evening, and across Australia andbeyond,hundredsof farmersaregathered together, not intheliteralsense,butinthevirtualworld…

Whether signing into social media website Twitter from thetractorcabinapaddockwhilstsowingawintercrop,sittingatthekitchentableaftertheeveningmeal,oratahomeofficeinfrontofacomputer,peoplefromacrossouragriculturalsectoractively take part in theweekly interactive two-hour dialogueusing the hash tag #AgChatOZ to discuss current issuesrelevanttotheirindustry.

AgChatOZisthebrainchildof2012NSW/ACTRuralIndustriesResearch and Development Corporation’s (RIRDC) RuralWomen’s Award recipient Danica Leys, a Senior IndustrialRelationsAdvisor with NSW Farmers, and who as a formeragronomistatNarrabriandDubbo,hasanunderstandingofourbroaderruralindustriesandanintensepassionforthefutureofourfarmingsector.

“Wehavewellover2000followersontheTwitterhandleatthemomentandsometopicshaveawiderspreadofinterestthanothers,womeninagriculturewasoneofourbiggestchatswithabout100peopleonthereandonaveragethereare50people.Italldependsonthetopicandthenthere’stheunmeasurableas well with people just observing the conversation from thesidelines,”Danicatellsme.

“It’sreallyhardtopredictexactlywhatanAgChatOZparticipantencompasses, because the spread is massive, we have alldifferenttypesofpeople,allagesandalldifferentoccupations.Wehavefarmersofcourse,andthenwehavepeoplewhoareworkingintheindustryinlotsofdifferentwayslikeagronomists,peoplewhoworkinprofessionalservices,industryassociations,journalists, and politicians. Anyone who is interested inagricultureinAustraliacanparticipateandtheydoparticipate,it’sareallybroadspectrumofpeople.”Danicaexplainsthetopicsaresuggestedbyparticipantsor

9www.deltaag.com.au

otherinterestedpartiesbeforeoneisformallyselectedforthefollowingweek.Asetnumberofspecificquestionsarepostedthroughouttheeveningtoformthemoderateddiscussionabouttheparticularissue.

“Sometimesthechoiceoftopicisreallyobviousifthere’sbeenanissueinthenewsandit’stimelytohaveachataboutitandonotheroccasionstheremightbemoreofadiscussiontoensurewecandevelopahugechatoutofatopic,”Danicacomments.“Some of our topics are a bitmore controversial than others–we’vehadchatsonGM(genetically-modifiedfood)and liveexports–there’sgoodrobustdebate–AgChatOZdoesallowforgooddebateratherthansomeonejustdominatingthewholeconversation and grandstanding about what their particularviews might be. Most people who participate in our chats,even if their viewsarequitedifferent from themajorityof theagriculturalpopulation,reallyappreciatethefacttheycanhaveadebatewithsomeoneaboutacertain issue.For instance ifyou’vegotanopponentofabanonliveexportsandabanliveexportssupportertheycantalktosomeoneonAgChatOZlikeacattlebreedertogettherealstoryratherthanjustwhattheyhearthroughthemedia.Theydoappreciatethatthetwomightneverbeabletoagree,butatleasttheycanheareachother’sviews(andbefurtherinformedandeducated).

“We try tohaveabroadspreadacross theentireagriculturalindustry so we can cater for a variety of people and involvedifferent peopleat different times, andobviously some topicswillaffecteverybodytoo.”

Danica recalls using social media in her previous role withBlandsLaw some time ago and as she started searching forlike-mindedpeopleonTwitter–makingconnectionswiththoseinvolvedinagricultureandagribusinessinAustralia–shecameacrossAgChatbased in theUnitedStates.Theconcept forasimilarAustralian discussion group grew from there, bringingtogetherbothruralandcitystakeholders.u

TomWhitty&SamLivingstone

We’vegotacommunity,eventhoughit’savirtualcommunity,it’sacommunityouttherewhounderstandswhatthey’regoingthrough…2012 NSW/ACT RIRDC Rural Women’s Award recipient and creator of Twitter handle #AgChatOZ Danica Leys


AgChatOZhasnowbeenupandrunningfortwoyearsandisfacilitatedbyagroupofthreevolunteers–Danica,webdesignerSamLivingstone,whoworksforagovernmentagency,andpublicrelationsguruTomWhitty,whoiscurrentlyinvolvedinthetravellingroadshowandcommunicationsfortheAustralianYearoftheFarmer.

“Weallplaytoourstrengths…weareallfromverydifferentbackgroundsandhavedifferentideasbutweworkreallywelltogetherandI’mproudoftheconceptwehavecomeupwith,”Danicasays.

NSWMinisterforPrimaryIndustriesKatrinaHodgkinsonpraisedDanica’sachievements and feels it is an important concept in bringing togetherpeopleinvolvedintheagriculturalindustry.“Formanypeoplethefrontlineofruralindustriesisnolongeraboutbeinginthepaddock–it’snowinfrontofthecomputer–especiallywhenmorethanhalfofour1.6millionjobsinfarmingandrelatedindustriesarelocatedinAustralia’ssixcapitalcities,”MsHodgkinsonstated.

Danicaalsofeelstheneedforsocialmediainagricultureisgrowingandprovides important connections for peopleworking in the industry on anumberofdifferentlevels.

“Onapracticallevel,peoplecouldbecomingupwithanswerstocommonproblems with things that might be happening in their enterprise andit’salso really important fromamentalhealthperspective tobeable toreducethosefeelingsof isolation.We’vegotacommunity,eventhoughit’savirtualcommunity,it’sacommunityouttherewhounderstandswhatthey’regoingthroughandevenifsomeoneisn’tdirectlyaskingforsupportoraskingaquestion,a lotofpeoplesaytouseventhefacttheygettoobservetheconversationandseewhat’sgoingonmakesthemfeelbetterandtoknowthere’sotherpeopleouttheregoingthroughsimilarissues,”Danicabelieves.

BrendanTaylor,acottonandgrainproduceratWarraintheDarlingDownsregioninQueensland,initiallystartedusingsocialmediathroughformingfriendshipsonFacebookthreeyearsago,however,hasnowseenmorebenefitsonabusinesslevelandisconnectingwithpeopleinvolvedintheagriculturalsectorthroughtheuseofTwitter.

“QuiteafewpeoplenowareusingtheirTwitterfeedasabusinesstool.Whenyouhaveasmartphoneinyourpocketandyou’reonatractorallday,you’realsotweetingallday,”Brendansays.“ThemainreasonIgotinvolvedinsocialmediaandTwitterinparticularissowecantellourstoryasagriculturalproducers.Youcanpostvideos,postphotos,tellpeoplewhatyou’redoingandtellitthewaywewantittobetold–thecottonwearepickingorthesorghumandwheatbeingsown.”

BrendanevenrecentlyextendedhisuseofTwitterandcreatedhisownhashtag,#tweets-from-the-tractor-cab.

“IpostedaphotoofcottonfromoutthewindowtheotherdayandpeopletweetedmessagesaboutthephotoalldayandIevenhadsomecommentsfromtheUnitedStates.Youdon’thavetowaitforsomethingtoappearattheendof theweek,smartphone technologyhasbroughtpeople in theworldmuchclosertogether,”Brendanbelieves.

“Withsmartphonesnowyou’vegotaPC inyourpocketand there’snolimit to where you can tweet from. It is interesting some of the guys Iamchatting to(someas farawayasSouthAustralia,others inwesternNewSouthWales)havestarteddrysowingandwerarelydrysowhereinQueensland.Eventhoughwemaynotlivethatfarawaywedothingsdifferentlyandevenfarmertofarmerwecanshareinformationandlearnfromeachother.”He isnotonlyconnectingwith fellow farmersacrossAustralia,Brendanis also a participant in the Australian Future Grain Leaders Program,a national leadership program which aims to develop the industry’sleadershipskills,knowledgeandpotentialthroughthedevelopmentofanindividualprojectandworkingwithcorporatementors.Brendanchosetheuseofsocialmedia,itsgrowthinpopularityandhowgrowerscanuseittotheirbenefitforhisspecificproject,withafinalreporttobepresentedattheGrainIndustryConferenceinMelbourneinJuly.

“”

DanicaLeys

11www.deltaag.com.au

As part of the research, Brendan launched a survey earlierthis year targeted at agricultural users of social media withrespondents from across the wider industry including graingrowers, livestock producers, consultants, journalists,consumersandgovernmentadvisors.

The surveywas shared through a link posted onTwitter andwithinfiveminutesthere-tweetshadreached5200peoplewith40ofthetotal63responsesreceivedwithinthefirsttwohours.TwitterfollowedbyFacebookprovedtobethemostusedsocialmediawebsites.Therespondentsnotedthatmakingconnectionsforbusinesspurposesisthemainreasonfor loggingontothenetworking pages. The benefits mentioned included keepingup-to-date,personalconnections,sharingideas/communicatingwithpeopleinvolvedinsimilarindustries,sendinginformationtoawideaudiencecheaplyandquickly,andbeingabletoattractaglobalaudience.

“Through socialmediawebsites suchasAgChatOZandnowtheFutureGrainLeadersProgramI’vegotanetworkofpeopleineverystateofAustralia,”Brendansays.“It’sagreatwayoftelling our story, the story of agricultural production,whatwedoandwhywedoit.Hopefully it isbridgingthegapbetweentheruralandurbandivideandiscreatingarealunderstandingofwhere foodcomes from. “Morepeoplecanunderstand thehoopswegothroughtogetfoodontheshelvesanditallstartswherewearehere.”

OneofthecreatorsandmoderatorsoftherecentlyestablishedFacebookpageAskanAussieFarmer,KylieStretton,agrees.TheAskanAussieFarmerpagewasofficiallylaunchedinMarchthisyearbyagroupofprimaryproducersfromvariouslocationsthroughoutAustraliawhoactuallymet throughassociationonsocialmediasites.Itallowspeopletohavetheirfoodandfibrequestionsansweredbyproducersandthoseenthusiasticaboutagriculturecanalsosharetheirstoriesandphotographs.

“It’s primarily for consumers but consumers aren’t just citypeople,we’vegottobecarefulnottokeepgoingonaboutthecity-countrydivide…I’vegotnoideareallyhowIgetmylambonthetable,forexample,I’mabeefproducer,soit’sreallygoodforeveryonetolearnsomethingandit’salsoreallygoodtobuildconnections through theagricultural industryaswell.Wecanthenadvocateforotherindustriesaswellthroughlearningmoreandmore,”Kylie,whohasasmallcattlepropertyatChartersTowersinQueensland,explains.

“Farmers have been asking other farmers how they’re doingthingssoit’sagreattool forthemandforthensomeonewhoisn’tintheindustrytocomealongandreadthat,it’sgreatfromthatpointofview.

Wealsohaveuniversitystudentswhocangettheanswerstheyare looking for and hobby farmers have posted pictures of agateandaskedthebestwayofhingingitsoit’salsogoodfromaneducationalperspective.Wewanttotrytoavoidmakingthepagetoopoliticalunlessitisaparticularlyrelevanttopic.”

In just under threeweeks,Ask anAussie Farmer,which hasattracted interest from a range of producers from fishermento grain growers, and even a rose farmer from northernQueensland, as well as people from support industries suchas veterinarians and agronomists, had 1000 supporters onFacebookandjustover400followersontheTwitterpage(setuptocomplementtheFacebookpage)andcontinuestogrow.

“We felt therewas somuchmisinformationabout farmers sowe thought rather than letting people rely onwebsites, if wecould get a lot of farmers in the one place, people can askquestionsthereratherthanrelyingonsecond-handinformation.Everyoneseemstobeintosocialmedia…ithassuchareachandwereallyneedtouseittoouradvantageandgetthegoodinformationoutthere,”Kylieexplains.

Sincebeingawardedthetitleof2012NSW/ACTRIRDC’sRuralWomanoftheYear,DanicahasdevelopedclearobjectivesofhowsheenvisagesAgChatOZandsocialmediabeingabletoreachmorepeopleinvolvedinagricultureandislookingforwardtousing the$10,000bursary she received for her visionandcommitmenttoprimaryindustriestoachievethesegoals.

“We runAgChatOZonapurely voluntarybasis butwe reallywant to set it up as a proper legal entity sowe canperhapsapply for some funding and sponsorship opportunities sowecankeepgoingintothefuture,”Danicareveals.Shealsohopestoincreasetheparticipationandunderstandingofsocialmediaamongst farmersbyholdingandattendingvariousworkshopsandnetworkingevents.“Ithinkthechallenge(forAgChatOZ)isbeingabletoengagewithallpeople.Obviouslywecanalwaysengagepeoplewhoareinterestedinagriculturebuthowdoweengagethosewhoaren’tinterestedandgainanunderstandingaboutwhytheyaren’tinterested?Thechallengeontopofthatespeciallyistoengagecityaudiencesinthechat…andIthinktheAskanAussieFarmerFacebookpagehasrecognisedthatandhasbeenaddressingthatquitewell,”Danicabelieves.

“IthinkAgChatOZisagreatplatformandwithoutadoubtitisjustthebeginning.Thestatisticsshowwe’vegotalongwaytogoingettingfarmersinparticularontosocialmediabutwe’regettingthere.Thewhole faceofwhatsocialmedia iswillcontinue tochangeover timeand10yearsfromnowwewon’tbetalkingaboutTwitterwe’llbetalkingaboutsomethingelse.It’sjustthebeginningandIbelieveitwillcontinuetogrowandgrow.”

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5

Prospect|Insight

All in the familyTheHollandfamilyofYoungcareforourcountry,theycareaboutthewelfareoftheirlivestock,andtheycareaboutthefutureofouragriculturalindustry.ChrisandhisfatherNevinexplaintoRosieO’Keeffehowaclearvisionandasmoothtransitioninsuccessionplanninghasensuredthemproductivityintheirfarmingenterpriseandrevealwhytheybelieveinasimplisticapproachwhenitcomestolookingafterwhattheyfeelisournation’smostvaluableasset.

PhotographyIJustineMcGregor

Farmingisveryrewardingbecauseyoucanmostlyseeresultsfromyoureffortsorchangesthatyoumake. Farmer Chris Holland ”“

Chris&KellyHolland



At 20 years of age, Nevin Holland chose to ignore theadviceofalocalbankmanagerandtakeupanofferfromhisgrandfathertolease120hectaresoffarminglandwith

just10percentequity.He feels mentoring given to him and wife Marie by variousconsultantsanddiversificationwithintheirproperty intheearlyyearsallowedthemtomakeagooftheventure“…withpigsandpoultry,hope,enthusiasm,youth,energyandfaithinthefuture”,Nevinsays.

Morethan50yearslater,despiteexperiencingsomechallengesalong the way, the risk Nevin and Marie took with a strongcommitmentandpassionfortheagriculturalindustryhasproventohavepaidoff,andthefamilyhavenotlookedback.

Today, it’s their sonChris and his wife Kelly, who have threechildrenBroden(17),Taylor(16)andMaddi(12),whooverseethe family’s farming operation Koolpari Enterprises, located30kmnorth-westofYoung in theSouthWestSlopesofNSW.Thepropertyencompasses3850ha,including3000haofcanolaandwheatcrops,Merinosheepandpoultryforeggproduction.

“Diversification helped us a lot (in the early years), with pigs,poultry,sheepandwheat,andinlateryearsmovingintocanolaaswell.Asweboughtmoreland,there’sbeenasteadyincreasein the business despite there being no income (some years)becauseofdroughtandfrosts,”Nevinexplains.

“A fellowonce said tome success in farming is in productionunitsnotgovernmentsubsidiesandtheonlywaytogetonwastogetmoreproductionunits.Itwastoughadvicebutgoodadvice.Wehavealwaysbeenverypositive inouroutlookandtendtodevelopapositiveattitude.”

Whilst Nevin still enjoys keeping busy on the farm whethertreatingsheeporsprayingburrsandpickingupmelons,aswellasassistingChriswithsomedecision-makingwhenhe’sasked,heandMariealwayssawthebenefitingettingtheirsoninvolvedin the enterprise and giving him primary control as early aspossible.

AnditwasanopportunityChristookholdofwhenheleftschoolandformallyjoinedthefarmingenterprisewhenhewasjust17yearsofage.

“We were fortunate we had a son who was interested in theagriculturalsector.Westartedlookingatsuccessionplanningin1980andthinkingaboutthefuture.IwasheavilyinvolvedintheNSWFarmers’Associationandunderstoodtheneedforsmoothsuccession and the need forChris to be his own person andwhenheleftschoolheunderstoodtheresponsibility.Successionplanning and the responsibility of a successful transfer startswhenchildrenareveryyoung,”Nevinrecalls.

It’sasentimentChris,whohasalwayshadadesiretobeinvolvedin farming, agrees with, and he believes Nevin’s enthusiasmand proactive approach to succession planning has been aninfluenceinhisrole.

“Itwasin1994thatwereallytookovertherunningoftheofficeand thebusinessandsince thosedayswehavecontinued togrowthebusiness.WehadawonderfulopportunityandstartbutIknowitisuptoustodothebestwecanwithit,”Chris,whonowmanagesmore thansixemployeeswhilealsostillmaintainingahands-onroleinallfacetsofthepracticalfarmwork,admits.

Andhisphilosophyisoneofkeepingthetechniquesandsystemsassimpleaspossible,especiallywhenitcomestothecrops.

Thefarmlandisrunonasystemofblocks,eachoneconsistingofaround320hawhichisthentreatedasonesinglepaddock.

“Wecertainlywatchverycloselyandadoptnewtechniqueswhenthey are suitable.You don’t have tomake it complicated, thesimplerwecankeepthesystem,thebetterwecanunderstandit,”Chrisfeels.

“Wedon’tliketochangejustbecauseitisfashionable.Wetrytojustifyeverythingwedo.Weworkverycloselywithconsultantstryingtojustifyeverydecision,it’snotjustusingmyideaoroneofthestaff’sideas,it’saboutfindingtherightidea.

Wecertainlywatchverycloselyandadoptnewtechniqueswhentheyaresuitable.Youdon’thavetomakeitcomplicated,thesimplerwecankeepthesystem,thebetterwecanunderstandit. Farmer Chris Holland ”“


“Farmingisveryrewardingbecauseyoucanmostlyseeresultsfromyoureffortsorchangesthatyoumake.Howeverwedon’ttendtogetupsetwithadroughtorsomethingthatisoutofourcontrol.Aslongaswehavedonethebestwecouldwithwhatwehadwearehappy.”

Chrisfeelsgoodpasturesareakeytothecroppingrotationsand3700ewesarejoinedtostraightMerinoseachyear.Thereisathree-yearpasturerotationonaboutonethirdofthetotalland.“Weneedtobuildupnitrogenlevelsandtogiveanotherweedresistancestrategysowehavereasonablesheep(numbers)tocomplementthecroppingenterprise,”Christellsme.Healsorevealsthedevelopmentsofthepoultryoperationovertheyearsincludingnewlayingshedsbuiltin1980and1995andtherearingshedin1998.

WithKoolparitheAboriginalwordfor“bigbird”,thefarmlocatedinthefourthbiggestegglayingareainNSW,andwithChrisanactiveparticipantof theNSWFarmers’poultry committee, thepoultryoperationformsasignificantroleintheHolland’sfamilyenterprise,with55,000layersand18,000growersnowhousedontheproperty.

The birds arrive at Koolpari Enterprises as day-old chickenswheretheyareplacedinarearingshedforjustover17weeksand then they are moved to the laying shed for 60 weekswhenthecyclebeginsagain.Thereare1.4milliondozeneggsproducedeachyearwhichareprocessedatagradingfloor inSydneyandthendistributedtovarioussupermarkets.

“(In the management process) we really have to focus onthe detail, it’s really important with poultry,” Chris explains.“Everything needs to be spot-on, there’s notmuchmargin forerror.Ifyouconcentrateondoingthejobproperlyandefficientlyandlookafterthebirdsthenthebirdswillinturnlookafteryou.Ifthebirdshavegoodwelfare,itmakesitmoreprofitabletoo.”Chrishopestocontinuetoextendthegrowthofallfacetsofthebusinessintothefuture.Hebelievescontinuedliaisonwithfamily,various consultants, and especially the property’s employees,areintegraltothesuccessoftheenterprise.

“Havinggood,solid, trustedrelationships is thekey torunningourbusiness,youneedpeopletoworkwithanddealwithyoucan trust and know that any advice is coming with the rightintentions,”Chrissays.

Nevin,whoisstillrenownedforhiscommitmenttovariousindustryorganisationsthroughouthistimeasaprimaryproducer,sharesChris’viewsthatwiththeaddedknowledgefarmersarerequiredto possess today, it’s important to have trusted relationshipswithinthebusinessandwithconsultants.

“Farmersneedalotmoreskillsinmanagement,administration,anunderstandingoftheirlegalobligations,planning,timeliness,andit’snotthateasytogetitrightsotheyneedateamofgoodadvisorstohelpthemgetitright,”Nevinbelieves.“Thechallenges(farmersfacetoday)aresimilartowhatthey’vealwaysbeenandcentrearoundeconomicpressure,farmersarealwaysdesperatelyshortofmoneyandcapital,andIfeelsorryforyoungpeoplewantingtogetintotheindustry.Theamountofcapitalneededtogetstartedismillionsofdollars,howdoyougetstarted?”

Despite the challenges, Chris believes there’s a prosperousfuture ahead for the agricultural sector and he is particularlyinterestedinusingnewtechnologiestoassistintheday-to-dayrunningofKoolpariEnterprisesandmanaginghisemployees.“I’m excited about the new technologies available, especiallyiCloudtypetechnology(aremotesitetoholdinformationwhichcanbeaccessedfromadevicethroughtheinternet).

Ithinkitwillmakeadifferencetofarming,wehavestartedwithtwo iPhonesandwecanadda listof jobson the iPhoneandemailitacrosstotheboysandtheycanenteritintotheirphoneassoonasthey’vecompletedajob.It’sinstantlyintheirhandandtheyknowwhat’sdoneandwhat’snotdone.Thespreadsheetoutlining our cropping program can be in our pockets,” Chrisexplains.“I am not one to use technology for technology’s sake but Ithinkthere’sarealuseforitanditwillmakeadifferenceforourstructure andbeingable to have information at our fingertips.It’sawork inprogressandsomethingI’d liketofocusonaftersowing.

“I’mveryoptimisticaboutthefutureoffarming…Ifyoutakeintoaccountgenerally in farmingoneor two familiesaregettingalivingoutofit,afterthetaxpaidandincreaseincapitalvalueoftheland,it’saprettygoodinvestment.It’sbeengoodtousandIthinkitwillcontinuebeinggood…”

Nevin shares Chris’s enthusiasm for the industry, and is alsoproud to be looking to the future as grandson Brodenwill bethefifthgeneration tohaveacareer in farmingwhenhe joinsKoolpariEnterprisesintheyearstocome.

“Thefutureisverybright…Asiahascreatedtheneedforfoodsothatwillimprovethereturnsweget,thereismoreinterestinagricultureproductionandweneedmoregrowers.Forpeoplewhowanttoenjoythelifestyleandcanunderstandthepositives,there’sanenormousfuture.

“Landisourmostvaluableasset,afterall.”

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Prospect| Farming’s Future

Grain growers in Queensland’s Central Highlands arepaving the way for little known summer legume, guar,to become the country’s latest sustainable agricultural

industry,withDeltaGrainMarketingstagingtheonlycommercialtrialofthecropinAustralia.Withpositivefeedbackreceivedfromthe12growersparticipatingin the 1200-hectare trial in the Emerald district, Delta GrainMarketingCentralQueenslandManagerTonyMatchettbelievesguar is well on track to becoming a viable summer croppingalternative.

GuarisadrylandsummerlegumethatispredominatelygrowninIndiaandPakistan.Theycurrentlyproduceabout95percentoftheworld’sguar.

Althoughitcanbeusedasafodderandvegetablecrop,therealvalueoftheguarplantisderivedfromthemarketingofthegumwhichisextractedfromtheseed.Thisgumisusedasathickenerinfood,aswellashavingindustrialapplicationsintextile,paperandpharmaceuticalmanufactureandinoilwelldrilling.

Worlddemandforthegumisincreasingatabout2percenteachyear,promptingrenewedinterestinthecrop.

While guar has been trialled in Australia on three previousoccasions–first introduced fromtheUnitedStates in theearly20thcentury, then trialledagainduring the1970sand1980s–insufficientmarketsandnoaccesstoprocessingfacilitiesleadtothedownfalloftheoperation.

However, the early research found it was well suited to thedryland cropping environments of NSW, Queensland and theNorthernTerritory.

AccordingtoMrMatchettthecurrenttrialhadseenDeltaGrainMarketingworkingwithUSbasedcorporationWestTexasGuartofocusonthecommercialisationofguarintoAustralia.

“West Texas Guar is giving us the processing capability andmarketdevelopmentthatthecrophasn’thadinthepast,”hesays.“Guar likes hot, dry conditions and is very drought tolerant,makingitperfectforthroughouttheDeltaGrainregion.Thistrialishelpingusidentifymarketandproductiongaps.

“We’vehadgreatsuccesswithgrowingitintheCentralHighlands’heavierblacksoils.

“DemandforguarishugeandithasmanybenefitsforAustraliangrowers-ithasanagronomicandmarketfitforallofourclients;itputsahugeamountofnitrogenback intothesoil,morethananyotherpulse;itsuitshot,drysummerswhereconditionsaremarginal for other summer crops; it’s another option for grasscontrolinsummerrotation;anditisdrivenbysustainablepricesforgrowers.”

PlantingofguartakesplacebetweenSeptemberandFebruary,dependingonsoilandnight-time temperatures. It isa120-daycrop,with low inputsmaking ita lowcostcrop togrow. Italsodoesnothavetheinsectandpestproblemsofothercrops.

MrMatchettrevealstheCentralQueenslandtrialisexperimentingwith all production aspects of the crop to identify the rightpackage, includingsowingratesanddates, rowspacing,weedcontrol,pestmanagementandharvestmanagement.

“Thetrialhasbeenabsolutelysuccessfulandfeedbackhasbeenpositive,”hesays.u

INTRODUCING GUAR:the new star of summer cropsArticle&PhotographyKerry-LeeFerguson

Guarlikeshot,dryconditionsandisverydroughttolerant,makingitperfectforthroughouttheDeltaGrainregion.Delta Grain Marketing Central Queensland Manager Tony Matchett”“


“WehavebeenholdingfielddaysandI thinkit is a cropping option that people will takeup.We’vehadpeopleattendthesefielddayswhoarenotDeltaGrainMarketingclients,sointerestisdefinitelythere.Forgrowerslookingforanalternative,guarwouldovercomesomemajorrisks,suchasdrought.”

GrainfromthistrialwillgototheUnitedStatesforprocessingandqualityassessment.

“Wewilltrytoidentifyothervarietieswithinthemixoflineswehave,”MrMatchettexplains.

“The next step will be to trial guar in NSW,QueenslandandtheNorthernTerritorytolookatitsadaptability.

“Our first aim in establishing guar as aviable industry would be to meet domesticconsumptionandthendevelopexportmarkets.Highonouragendawillbetheabilitytohaveit processed locally. I’m pretty confident itwill become a sustainable industry and onegrowerswillwanttobeapartof.”

Producingequallyexcitingresultsintheregionaretrialsofsunflowersandcanola.

The Delta Grain Marketing sunflower trialis the first sunflower variety trial for CentralHighlandsgrowersinnearly15years,withthehopeofregeneratingtheindustryintheregion.

Mr Matchett comments that they are alsoworkingwithseedcompaniesforanexpansionof last year’s successful trial of canola, todetermineifithasthepotentialtobecomeanalternate winter cropping option for CentralQueenslandgrowers.

Canola trials staged in the region 15 to 20yearsagousedvarietiesofthedaythatwerenotsuitedtoCentralQueenslandconditions.

Hesaysbreedinghaddevelopedsignificantlyover the past 10 years, resulting in newervarieties thatareearly season, fastmaturingand better suited to Central Queenslandconditions.

Agrowingclientbase inCentralQueenslandmeant Delta Grain Marketing needed apresenceintheregiontosupportitsgrowers.

Asaresult,theEmeraldofficewasopenedinAugustlastyear.NowbasedinEmerald,MrMatchettpreviouslyprovidedservices to the region for six years,whilebasedinNSW.SamanthaNoon,CentralQueenslandBusinessManager,isalsobasedinEmerald.

Mr Matchett says the branch services 150CentralQueenslandgrowerswithindependentgrainmarketingadvice.

“Our aim is to build relationships betweengrowersandtheircustomersandDeltaGrainMarketing isapartner in theirbusinesstodothis.”

DeltaGrainMarketingCentralQueenslandAdministrationManagerSamNoon&CentralQueenslandManagerTonyMatchett.

CommercialvarietiesofsunflowersarebeingputtothetestinCentralQueensland.

A small plot trial at the Australian Agricultural College’sEmerald campus is the first independent review of allcommercialsunflowervarietiesandtheirperformanceontheonesitetobecarriedoutinCentralQueenslandin15years.

Delta Grain Marketing Central Queensland Manager TonyMatchett tells me the aim of the trial was to show whatvarietiesarethehighestyieldingandhighestqualityintermsofoil.

Tensunflowervarietieswereincludedinthetrial.

“Thisinformationwillhelpgrowersidentifywhatvarietysuitsthembest,”MrMatchettexplains.

Once a common crop throughout the Central Queenslandregion,sunflowershavedroppedinpopularityinrecentyears.


“Butthis isnowchanging,asreturnsforsorghumaren’t thereanymoreandsunflowercropsallowgrowerstobettermanagegrasscontrolintheirsorghumrotation,”hesays.

Sunflowersaregrown for theiroil,accounting for80percentofthevalueofthecrop.Sunfloweroilisgenerallyconsideredapremiumoilbecauseofitslightcolour,highlevelofunsaturatedfatty acids and lack of linolenic acid, bland flavour and highsmokepoints.

However,MotherNaturehasplayedhavocwiththisyear’strial,with cockatoos decimating the sunflowers before harvestingcouldtakeplace.Asaresult,nousablefielddatawasobtainedfromthetrial.“It’sunfortunate,butwewilldefinitelydothetrialagainnextyear,”MrMatchettsaysoptimistically.

“Butnexttimewewilllocateitinacommercialcrop,soitisnotsuchanobviousattractionforcockatoos.Thisisveryimportantagronomicinformationthatgrowersneedtoknow,buttheycan’tsourcethisindependentinformationanywhereatpresent.”

Golden outlook for sunflowers


Prospect|Master Farmer

Trigger Vale targets

maternal traits

WithourMerinotypeofsheepwecomefromaverymaternalanglewithourselectioncriteriaweightedtowardstraitsincludingfat,growthandmuscle,whichhavebeenproventohavedirectpositivecorrelationwithlambsurvival. Farmer, Andrew Bouffler ”“

AndrewBouffler’spassionisnotjustthedrivingforcebehindTriggerValePollandWhiteSuffolkstudsatLockhart,hiswealthofknowledgeandexperienceextends tovarious industry rolesandstrongviewsabout the futureof theAustraliansheepindustry.HerevealstoRosieO’Keeffewhyhisbreedsareprovingtobegeneticallysuperiortotheindustryaverages.u


With a balanced program, precision pedigreeing,performance testing and plenty of passion, TriggerValesheepstudsareleadingthewaywhenitcomesto

producingcommercialtraitswellaboveindustryaverage.

AndrewBoufflerhasfine-tuneddetailedpedigreeperformancetestingandtheuseoftheworld’sbestsheepgeneticevaluationsystem(LAMBPLANandMERINOSELECT)toprovidesuperiorterminalWhiteSuffolkandmaternaldualpurposePollgeneticstohiscommercialclients.

“Australiansheepbreedingvaluesarereallythekeytoeverythingwedoherebecausethatwillindicatebeforeyou’veevenusedthatsheepasayounganimalwhatthepotentialgeneticmeritisandwhetherthatwilltakeyouforwardornot.Theenvironmentalnoise, about howmuch feed they’ve had,whether theywereborn a single or a twin, the age of themother - these thingsthatimpactonhowananimalperforms-aretakenawaysoyousimplygetthevalueoftheanimal’sgenetics,”Andrewtellsme.Located at “Valera”, a 1600-hectare property 20km westof Lockhart in southern NSW, Trigger Vale Poll Stud wasestablished60yearsagoin1952byAndrew’sgrandfather,JohnBouffler,andisnowrunbyAndrewandhiswifeMandiwhohavethreechildrenJamieson(12),Henry(11),andRuby(8).

Athirdgenerationfarmerwithmorethan25years’experienceinthesheepindustry,Andrewtookhispassiontonewheightswhen he was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 2006 whichincludedtraveltoSouthAfrica,Argentina,TheFalklandIslandsandtheNetherlands.Histopicfocusedonmultipurposesheepgeneticsand the relationshipbetweenproductionandfitness.TheseinsightshavebeenamajorinfluenceinthewayhenowrunstheTriggerValePollStud.

He has also held several industry positions including as pastPresidentandSecretaryoftheAustralianBondSheepBreedersAssociation,pastDirectorofSheepGeneticsAdvisoryBoard,DeputyChairmanofSouthernAgventure,partoftheSheepCRCRutherglenSiteAdvisoryCommittee,andheholdsaBachelorofAgriculturalEconomics.

MostrecentlyAndrewhasbeenworkingcloselywiththeSheepGenomics Program and feels there are prosperous timesaheadespeciallybeingabletouseDNAmarkerstofindouttheestimated breeding values of a three-month-old ram on bothtraditional and some new harder to measure traits at higheraccuracylevels,beforeevenusinghim.

“The powers of a sheep genetics program and to know thebreedingvaluesaresomuchmoreaccurateatanearlieragearegoingtoreallycutoutthemistakes.Forthesakeofabloodtest to find out that a certain sheepmight be better than thegeneral population in worm resistance, meat eating quality,growth,fat,andmusclesize,isreallyexciting,”Andrewbelieves.“It’sareallytraditionalindustrythough,Ireadareportthat70-80percentoframstodayarestillsoldwithoutestimatedbreedingvalues attached to them and that’s just scary. I just don’tunderstandwhytheMerinoindustrydoesn’thavetheadoptionlevelsofEBV’s(EstimatedBreedingValues)asaselectionaidthatthedairy,pork,beefandevenlambindustrieshave.”

ThebreedingphilosophyatTriggerVale is that animalsmustbe treated andmeasured as individuals and an emphasis inthebreedingprogramisplacedonminimisinglossesbetweenconceptionandlambmarking.

“Morefat,moremuscleandmoregrowtharewhatwe’vebeenworkingonherewithinourPollMerinostud.We’renotinterestedin increasingwoolcutanymorebecause it’sgot thatnegativecorrelationwithnumbersoflambsweaned.

It’saboutmaintainingwoolcuts,decreasingmicron,increasingstablestrengthand improving thosematernal fat,muscleandgrowthtraits,”Andrewexplains.

“Millions of lambs are lost each year… because the mothersimplyhasn’tbeenbredmaternallyenoughtohaveanychanceofraisingthelambs.It’sabalancebetweenwoolproduced,thewoolqualityandtheewe’sresourcestoensurethesurvivalofthelamb/lambs.”

Trigger Vale’s two sheep studs and commercial flock include1000studPollewes(maternalMerinos),500studWhiteSuffolkewes and 800 commercial ewes joined to its White Suffolkstargetingtheprimelambmarket.

“WithourMerinotypeofsheepwecomefromaverymaternalanglewithourselectioncriteriaweightedtowardstraitsincludingfat,growthandmuscle,whichhavebeenproventohavedirectpositivecorrelationwithlambsurvival.Thentocomplementthemwe’vegot theWhiteSuffolkstudwhicharealsoallpedigreed,performancetestedandcommerciallyfocused,”Andrewsays.

Somuchso,TriggerVale isoneof thehighest indexedWhiteSuffolkstudsinAustralia.

“Youhavetokeepabalancebutwecertainlyputalotofemphasisongrowthbecausethat’sthemainprofitdriver.Peoplejointheirewes toa terminal ram toget themoffasquicklyaspossibleat a targetweightor keep them for thesameamountof timeandreachheavierweights.ThebreedingobjectivesoftheWhiteSuffolkareverydifferenttothePolls, it’smoreabouttruenessoftype,they’vegottostaysmoothinthefrontshoulders,cleanpointsandreallygrow…”Andrewenthuses.

“Justbecauseyouareobjectivemeasurementfocuseddoesn’tmeanphonotypical traitsare less important.AllsheepbredatTrigger Vale regardless of genetic merit must be structurallysound.

“By having both studs Trigger Vale has become a one-stopshopwhereclientscansourceacombinationofPollandWhiteSuffolkramsintheoneplace.Withthehealthstatusofourflockparamounttoourproduct,clientsminimiseanyriskofintroducinganydiseaseorproblems.Theycanbreedqualityreplacementsandaslongastheirbiosecurityissound,greatlyreducetherisksassociatedwithintroducingreplacementsfromothersources.”

Andrew says that while it is important to maintain a balancebetween livestockandcropping inhisenterprise (50per centoflandisusedforcroppingwheatandcanola),hispassionhasalwaysbeenwithsheepwhichisalsoshapinghistenacitywhenitcomestobeingattheforefrontofnewtechnologiesthroughhisbreedingprograms.

“I’m at the coalface of breeding and trying to develop flocksthatarecommerciallyviableandreallyhavean impactontheprofitabilityofother farmers’ businesses. I don’t get thesamesatisfaction in the cropping part of the business becausesomeone else to my way of thinking has the interesting partof that job, theplantbreeders–breedingnew rust resistancevarietiesorplayingaroundwithGM’s–Ijustdon’tgetthesamestimulation going tomy local dealer and picking up the seedthat someone has done all the genetics and sticking it in theground. I’m actually involved in breeding the next generationof sheepmore relevant to theprevailingeconomicandsocialenvironmentwearecurrentlyfarmingin,”hefeels.

Andrew is perplexed by the observation that many mixedfarmers who are constantly adopting new technologies withtheircroppingproductionarenotasprogressivewiththeirsheeppractices.


“AspassionateasIamaboutsheepbreeding,I’mstillcroppingandIknowtherearestillsynergiesthereanditmakesalotofsense,butIlookatsomeofthemostcommittedmixedfarmersinthearea,andweliveinthemiddleofthesheep-wheatbelt,they are running their cropping programs using every bit ofinnovationandeverybitoftechnology…butinalotofcasesthesheepenterprisesarerunliketheywerebackinthe1960s,andtheywilljustgoandbuyanyoldramsandstickthemwithanyoldewes,”hesays.

“Thereality istherearealotoftoolsavailabletoproducerstodramatically improve their productivity. Electronic ID’s, sheepbreeding values, worm counts and lifetime ewemanagementcoursesareafewexamplesandwithGenomicsabouttocomeonlineandprovideDNAmarkersonhardtomeasuretraitsthere’slotsofpotentialforfarmerstoadaptitovernightandmaketheirsheepenterprisesmoreprofitablewithlessphysicalwork.”

Andrewalsobelievesforthesheepindustrytosurviveachangeis needed from the traditional approach and needs to ensurea presence ismaintained beyond the prime lambmarket andsurplussaleofsheep.

“When I did the Nuffield Scholarship and I spent four weeksinSouthAfrica lookingbackon theAustralian industry fromadistance,itbecamereallyquitedefinitiveofhowwestructureourbreedingprogramandwhatwedonow,”hesays.

“TheSouthAfricanswentwiththeprevailingeconomictimesandput less influence on thewool and started treating the SouthAfricanMerinoasareallydualpurposesheepandrecognisedtheneedtofocusonthelambbecausethatwaswherealotoftheprofitswere.

“The Merino industry (in Australia) really doesn’t as a wholeacknowledgeortrytochangethefactthataverybigpartoftheMerinobreeders’operationandtheirprofitabilityiscomingfromandhasbeendrivenbythesaleofsurplussheepandprimelambandthatreallyfrustratesme.Tome,thetwoindustriesneedtocometogetherasonerather thanhavingawool industryoverthereandalambindustryoverherebecausebothindustriesaresoreliantoneachothertobeviableandtosucceed.”

Andrew’sphilosophieshaveprovenheisn’tafraidtotakerisksandtrialnewprocesses.

Havingintroducedelectronicidentificationofallsheepthreeyearsago,hisgeneticshavetakenpart intheCo-operativeResearchCentreforSheepIndustryInnovation(SheepCRC)nucleusflocks,Genomicsprograms,alongwithvarioussiteevaluationprograms.

“We’ve always been very innovative and if there’s somethingthatbecomesavailablethatmightspeedupthegeneticgainoncommercialtraitsthenwe’llcertainlyadoptit.”

TriggerValenowhasregularclientsforPollsfromasfarasTheFalkland Islands, thewesterndistrictsofVictoria, southernandcentral western NSW and there’s been demand for the stud’sWhiteSuffolkgeneticsatsomeofthehighestprofilestudsacrossAustralia.SomeclientshavenowbeenpurchasingTriggerVale’sPollgeneticsfor40to50years.

AndrewandMandiare in themidstofpreparingforaBredwell/Fedwellworkshop/informationdayonFriday17AugustandTriggerVale’s36thannualstudsaletobeheldonFriday7September.

“Traditionallyouron-propertyramsalemarksthestartofourramsellingseasonbutwithmanyclients shifting their lambing fromautumn tospringwenowhave tohave ramsavailableall yearround,”Andrewcomments.

Hebelievesgeneticsandmanagementhavetogohand-in-handtoenablehighperformancewhich iswhyhe isalsofocusedonproviding asmuch information as possible about managementandunderstandinghowsheepinteractwiththeirenvironment.

“The clients’ ability to manipulate and use high performancegenetics is really important and we want to highlight theimportanceofthemanagementsothatoncetheyareput intoafarmingsystemtheyaretreatedwelltomaximisethebenefits.”Andrewcontinuestolooktothefuture,andhasambitiousgoalsespeciallywhenitcomestohismaternalPolls.

“We,alongwithsomeofourclients,areworkingtowardsjoiningourPollewelambsatseventoeightmonthstolambdownat12months.WithmostMerinoflocksnotlambingdownattwoyearsit’s the single biggest thingwe’re doing to increase our client’sprofitability,”Andrewsays.

“Webelieveit’sarealisticgoalwiththerightbalanceofgeneticsandmanagement.”

Theclients’abilitytomanipulateandusehighperformancegeneticsisreallyimportantandwewanttohighlighttheimportanceofthemanagementsothatoncetheyareputintoafarmingsystemtheyaretreatedwelltomaximisethebenefits. Farmer, Andrew Bouffler ”“


Prospect| Interest

AttheendofthehistoricMainStreetinGrenfellliesaclusterofbuildingsthathelpchartthedevelopmentofagricultureintheregionandarecloselylinkedwiththeruralhistoryof

thetownanditscontinuingprosperity.

Some of the heritage of this thriving Central West township,perhaps best known as the birthplace of Henry Lawson, isretainedintheexpansiveprecinct.

The skyline is dominated by a wooden silo construction withoutermetalsheeting,whichaddsa ruralelement to the town’sstreetscape.

ForStephen,RichardandIanRyder,whosefamilyassociationwiththeblockstretchesback66years,therearemanyrecollectionsandanecdotestosharedocumentingathrivingheritageforthisexpansivemonument,includingamemoryofthetalltowerbeingpaintedbymensittingon thebasesofold timberchairswhichweresuspendedfromthetopofthetowerbyropes.

Theyhavealsocollectedaswagofmemorabiliaovermanyyearsincluding historic photographs, the original deeds to the blockdated1878,andthereisalsoaletterofrequest,sentattheendofWorldWarII,toreleasetheirfatherFranksohecouldreturnhometostartthefamilybusiness.

“GrandfatherstartedinthegrainbusinessafterWorldWarIIandbeganmanagingthemillwhenitwasownedbyJ.J.Sullivan.IrememberhimsayingthatwhentheAmericanscameintothewartheyhad toconvert theequipment tohandlecorn,as theyatecornflour,notwheatflour,”Stephentellsme.

“In those days there were 35menworking three shifts adayatthelocalmill,packingflourinspecialsisalcraftandhessianbagstowithstandtheimpactofaerialdroppingtoAustralianandAmericantroopsinNewGuinea.”

Stephen is one of sevenRyders over four generations tohaveworkedintheseruralbuildings(whicharelocatedonamajorcurveoftheHenryLawsonWay)andtheassociationcontinuestodaywithhisdaughter,Sarah,whoisemployedbythecurrentoccupiers,LachlanFertilizersRural.

ThefirstRyderwhobeganworkingatthesitewasStephen’sgrandfatherHaroldOswaldRyder,whocametothetownasarailwayporter,butmovedontosellgrainandworkfromthefour-storeybrickflourmillstructurewhichhewentontomanage,thenpurchase.

AsIsitinoneofthenewlyrefurbishedofficeswithLachlanFertilizers Branch Manager and Senior Agronomist,JamesIngrey,andStephenRydertolearnmoreaboutthefascinatinghistoryofthesite,Stephenisquicktopointouttometherearemanyotherswhohavelinkswiththebuildingstoo.

He comments that the owners prior to his father Frankpurchasingthepropertyin1980actuallyhadplanstoconverttheoldbrickconstructionintoresidentialapartments.

StephenandhiswifeJaneactuallyalsooncemulledoverthe idea toconvert thebrickstructure into theirown townresidence.Itisnowusedasastorehouse.u

GRENFELL’S TOWERING MILLsteeped in history

ArticleIWendyBauerPhotographyIJustineMcGregor

Thetowerwasbuilt,aroundthemid-1920s


LachlanFertilizersRuralasitstandstoday

AviewoftheLachlanFertilizerssiteinthe1900sStephenRyder’sgrandfatheroutsidehisstoreinthe1950s


AsStephenthenpointstotoweringlemon-scentedgumsplantedby the roadside which have grown rapidly thanks to abundantunderground water, he remarks that they stand in place of aChinesemarketgardenwhichwasthereoriginally.Itappearstobeanexcellentsiteforamarketgardenindeed,andalinkbetweenthegoldrushdaysandthetransformationoftheareatoamajorgrainproducingregion.

What’smissingisthefirstbuildingonthelandwhichfellvictimtoaminicycloneinAugust1912beforebeingsubsequentlyrebuilt,beforeitwasdismantledbytheRydersin1982.ThisbuildingwaswheretheoriginalH.O.RyderbusinesstradeduntiltheymovedtothecurrentlocationaroundMay1981.

One of the remaining oldest structures is the four-storey brickflourmill,whichwasbuiltaroundtheturnofthe20thcenturyandwasinitiallyknownastheChallengeFlourMill.Thisbuildingwasconstructedfollowingoneofthetown’sbigfires,whichdestroyedanothermillacrosstheroad,remarkablyownedbyanancestorofJamesIngrey.FromBlack&Co.,themillpassedintothehandsoftheGreatWesternFlourMillingCo.in1924,whoswitchedfromsteamtogassuctionenginesandthereby,doubledcapacity.Itwasthenpurchasedin1942bySydneybasedcompanyJ.J.Sullivan,whosebusinessnameremainsonthebuildingtothisday.

Theothermajorbuildingistherectangularwoodensilostructure,constructedinthemid-1920s,whichwaslastusedtostoregrainbytheAustralianWheatBoardin1960.Ithashugewoodenbeamsfashionedbyhandadze,woodwalls,andaladderstretchingtheheightofthetower.

“AsfarasIknowthereiseighttonneoffive-inchnailsinthemill.TheOregantimberwhichIthinkiscutfromDouglasFirTreeswouldhavebeenimportedfromAmericaintheearly1900s.Thetimberisoverlappedwithanailevery12inches,”Stephenexplains.

Healsomentionsthatinthe1960safterthestoragewasusedbythewheatboard for the last time,all theflourmillingequipmentwas dismantled, broken up and dumped down the “homewardbound”minewhichislocatedclosetotheGrenfelltownship.AtthetimeitwasexplainedthatthiswasdonetopreventtheJapanesefrombuying theequipment toproduce theirown flour, thereforeprotectingtheAustralianflourexportindustry.

Thisbusinessprecincthashadperiodsofgreatproductivity,andperiodswhereitfellintodisuse,andisasinterestingforwhathasbeenretainedaswhathasnot.

“AspurfromthenearbyrailusedtorunalongsidethesilobutIdugitup,”saysStepheninanacknowledgmentofthepastimportanceofrailintransportinggrainandproducetomarkets.

Aswellashisappreciationofhistory,Stephenimplementedmanypractical innovations during his years operating a rural producebusinessonthisblockofland.

His was one of the first rural produce stores to create a drive-through alley way and while working with his brothers Ian andRichardexpanded the fuel component of thebusiness to installextensivebowsersatthefrontofthepremisestoformastandardShellservicestation.

“Welaidall theconcreteoutthefrontourselvesbywheelbarrowload,”Stephensayswithpride.”Ourphilosophyhasalwaysbeenlowoverheads.”

SinceLachlanFertilizersRuraltookovertheownershipofthesitethree years ago, the historic structure has undergone a seriesof refurbishments which have been sympathetic, functional andtransforming.

The old open-ended shed that served as a customer serviceareawaslinedandextendedalongthefrontofthebuildingtocreateanopenplancentre.Itfeaturespolishedconcretefloors,largewindowsanddoorstoletinnaturallight,andanoff-whitecolour scheme. There is also new sheeting for the silo andsomeotherbuildings,andsignage.It’samodernisticofficeandcustomerservicecomplexupgradedtoservicethecurrentandfutureneedsofGrenfell’sruralcommunitywhilstretainingandutilisingtheotherpricelessrelicsofthetown’spast.

Externalviewofthetowerwall

Anoldsturdywoodenpost

AviewlookingupthetowerTheoldmilltoday

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Was agriculture a career path you were alwaysinterestedin?Ibelieveyouwereactuallystudyinglawandeconomics inSydneybefore returning to

theLockhartdistricttotakeoverthewell-respectedfamilybusiness G&C Cornell Agtrade… What influenced yourdecisiontoreturntothefamilybusiness?ThebusinesswasstartedbymygrandfatherGeorgeCornellin1903andIcamebackherein1966andstayedinthebusinessuntil itwassoldtoGrainCorpin2000.DuringschoolholidaysIwouldworkintheharvestandasthebusinesswasinthefamilyforsolongIalwaysdidhaveaninterestinit.WhenIwas19myfatherhadastrokeandIneededtomakeadecisiontocarryonthebusiness.I’veneverregrettedforoneminutecomingback,Ilovetheruralindustry.

Tell me about Cornell’s operations as grain merchants,fertilizerdistributorsandagchemicalresellersinthedistrict.Apart fromgrainG&CCornellwere involved in fertilizer rightback towhensuperphosphatefirstcame into thedistrict in railtrucks. We were agents for Cummins Smith AFL and finallyIncitec.Webecameinvolvedinagchemicalsmuchlater inthe1990semployinganagronomistandjoiningtheIAMAGroup.InfueldistributionCornellPetroleumwas thedistributor forMobilfortheRiverinawithdepotsinWagga,Lockhart,GundagaiandNarrandera,butgrainwasalwaysmyinterest-grainfertilizerandtheruralchemicalsideofthings.

The business operated predominantly throughout theLockhart and Boree Creek districts for almost 100 years,howdidthesaletoGrainCorpcomeabout?My children had other interests and careers (Shane and wifeNoelene have two sons and three daughters) and I saw theopportunity there with GrainCorp wanting to get closer to thegrowerssoInegotiatedwiththem.Youdon’tgettheopportunitytosellabusiness likeourseverydaysowhen theopportunitycameupItookit.

What changes do you believe have had an impact on thegrainindustryandyourroleovertheyears?WhenIfirstcameback,thengrainhandlingwasatthechangeoverphasefromhandlingfertilizersandgraininbagstoallbulksoI’veseenalotofchangesthere.WhenIfirststartedonbulkitwasscrapinggrainoutofflattoptrucksthroughsmalltrapdoorscutinthetrayanddraggingbulkfertilizeroutofthebackofflattoptrucks,therewasnosuchthingastippers.I think the introductionofcanolawasoneof thebigchanges Isawtorotationswhichhasbeengreatforthisarea.WhenIfirstcamebacktherewasminimalchemicalusesothey’veprobablybeenthetwobiggestchangesincropping–theagronomics.IguesswithtechnologyIcanrememberthefirstaddingmachinewegotattheoffice,ithadapullhandleonit,whenyouputthefigureinyoupulledthehandledown,thatwasthefirstmovetotechnology.Myfatherwouldaddupthebiglongcolumnofgrainfiguresandthenwouldcheckthemmanuallytoseeifthemachinewasright,oftentalkingtoaclientonthephoneatthesametime.It’scomea longway to thecomputersandsmartphonesusedtoday.I think theservicegivento farmershas increaseddramatically.Therearealotofagronomistsservingthedistrictnow–almostpassingeachotheratthefarmgate.Thefarmersareextremelywell serviced now, that was never the case, the DepartmentofAgriculture had an agronomist but therewere never privateagronomists.TheprofessionaladvicenowavailabletofarmersisanothermajorchangeIhaveseen.

Whatisyourstanceonregulationandderegulationofwheatandcoarsegrains?I’veseenitgofromnoregulationincoarsegrainmarketingtofullregulationandthenbacktoacompletelyderegulatedmarketingsystem,sothat’salsobeenabigchangeinthelast40years.I’m sure with coarse grain there were no advantages inregulation…Sincethewheatmarket’sbeenderegulatedIhaven’tseenenoughtoconvincemeeitherwayreally.

Prospect|Delta Direct

ONTHERAILWITH

Shane TrotterGrainMarketerDeltaAgLockhartbranch

QuestionsandPhotographyIRosieO’Keeffe


We didn’t have anything to measure it with when it wasregulatedso it’shard tosaywhether it’sbetterornot, I’msittingonthefenceatthemomentwithwheat.

What do you see are the major challenges currentlyfacingthegrainindustry?GrainpricesapartfromcanolahaveprettythinmarginswithabigstockofgrainintheworldbutIamnotsureitwouldmatter if therewasawheatboardortherewasn’tawheatboard,that’stheworldmarketandwhatwe’vegottolivewithinAustraliawhenwe’reprimarilyexporters.Canola isverygoodsowe’reluckythat’sintherotationnow.Iguessruralproductsarealwaysgoing tobeupanddownwithsupplyanddemand,butthat’sprobablythebiggestchallengeatthemoment–costversusreturn.

WhatisthemostrewardingthingaboutyourrolewithDeltaAgribusinessandbeinginvolvedintheagriculturalindustry?I have enjoyed coming back into the rural industry andparticularlyamongstthepeopleIhavedealtwithforsolong,although theyareclients,manyhavealsobecome friendsaswell.TheopportunitytobeabletodoitwithaprogressiveserviceorientatedcompanylikeDeltahasbeenarealbonus.I feelas thoughmy inputandexperience isappreciated. IamcertainlyenjoyingmytimewithDelta.

You have been involved in various communityorganisationsandcommitteesespeciallysincesellingthefamilybusiness.Tellmeabouttheimpactyourroleas chairman of the community bank for the past 10yearssinceitsestablishmenthashadonthetownship.The bank’s been very successful and put a lot of moneybackintothedistrictimprovingamenities,sportingfacilitiesandhealthcare.We’veput$700,000backtothecommunitysinceweopened,comprisingnearly$500,000incommunitygrantstovariouslocalorganisations,andabout$200,000individendstotheshareholderswhocontributedtocommencethebank,soit’sbeenverygood.

I believe as part of your presidency of the LockhartProgress Association during the 1980s you wereinstrumental in the decision to restore the verandahsandshopfrontsofthebusinesseswhichhasledtoitsfame as “the verandah town”. Can you tell me moreaboutthisproject?A few of us one day saw how dilapidated some of theverandahswerelookingandwethoughtforstrangersvisitingtown it didn’t look good, so when the hotel’s façade waspaintedand theverandahfixedup,we launchedaprojectto restore thewholemain street.Eventually, after a lot ofhardworkandthesupportofthecouncilandshopowners,itgaveLockhartanidentityandforlocalpeopleitgavethemasenseofprideintheirtownandithelpedforabitoftourism.Itturnedouttobeabiggerthingthanwefirstenvisaged.

What do you think makes the Lockhart region’sagriculturalsectorsoproductive?Doyouseeabrightfutureinfarminginthelocalarea?YesIdoseeabrightfuture.It’salwaysbeenasounddistrictandtherearealotofpassionateefficientfarmersincludinga lot of younger “switchedon” farmerswhoarenotafraidtoembracenewtechnology.TheyarealsosupportedbyastronglocalAgBureau.YouarenaturallyattachedtotheareawhereyouhavelivedandworkedandtheLockhartdistricthasbeengoodtomeandmyfamily.

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TakingStockAaronMackayLivestockManager/AuctioneerDeltaAg/HLB

Stopthedrop!

There has been a major fall in lamb prices over the lasttwo months, and clients have been asking why this has

happened.Themainfactorsaresupplyandconsumption.

If we look at domestic consumption it has dropped back aswell with the average household looking to cut back costs,rememberingthatmostofyourlambendsupinamajorcityortownontheeasternseaboard.

Thisinturnchangesthebuyinghabitsofthefamily.Thebottomlineislambishardtoreplaceasaspecialmealonceaweek.Withrivalsonthesupermarketshelfatnearlyhalfthepriceperkiloitwillnottakelongforpeopletobeswayedawayfromtheirfavouritelegorrackforachange.

Major supermarketsnormallydominate themarket.However,overthepasttwomonthstherehavebeenweekswheretheyhaven’tevenhadabidinthemarket.Thelikelyreasonisthattheyhavelambsbookedinoverthehooks,andrememberingthatthehookpriceissetbysaleyardpriceonaweeklybasisinmostcases,ifyoukeepsendingthemlotsoflambatapricethattheyofferwhywouldtheycometothemarketandbidagainstotherprocessorsandcompete?

Thisstartsofftheoversupplybythemtellingyouwhenyoucanhaveyourlambskilledandoftenenoughthisistwoweeksdownthetrack.Youacceptandwaitandtheysitback, then in turntheybuylessinthemarketbecausetheyhavethesupplytheyneed.Thenthepricesfallandthecyclebegins.

This can take weeks to get over and we need as muchcompetition in the market as possible. Don’t think that I amagainstsellinglambsoverthehooks,butithasadirecteffectontheweeklymarkets.Theotherfactorsthathaveputpressureonsupplyarebetterthanaveragesummerrainsandtheabilityfor lambproducers to fattenandsell theirown lambsquicklyand then return into themarketandpurchasestore lambs tofattenandsell.Thisyearithasbeenpossiblewithoutgrain,orverylittleinmostcases.Mostproducersarenearingtheendoftheirboughtlambsnow;thiswillslowdownsupplyandcorrectprices.Although,Ithinkitwillbeabitlongerbeforeweseelambbackover$5.40/kg.

ExportlambmarketThebigquestionontheexportlambfrontiswhetherthemarketoverseasisgoingtohandlelotsofpremiumqualitylambfromAustralianmarketsatsuchahighdollar.It isacaseofsofarso good, but I do askmyself if whatwe are experiencing inAustralia at the moment is the great Global Financial Crisis(GFC)howcantheybuyalegoflambintheUSatthemoment?Theyhavethesameoptionsasusandinduecoursetheyturntootheroptions:chicken,porkandtheiroldfavouritebeef.Thiswillsoundharshbutthelambmarketasweseeittodayisrallyinghardtomaintaintoday’slevels,wedon’tneedtoomanymorehiccupsinworldeconomies.

Recentlywehaveseendecline inskinprices.Windtheclockbacktomid-2011whenexportlambscarrieda$30skinvaluecomparedtomid-2012at$6-$9skins.

Thiscomesbacktoworldeconomiesandtheirabilitytoretailuggbootsandseatcoversandthelike.Letalonethatmid-2011lambperkilowasoperatingataround$6/kgandmid-2012strugglingtobe$4/kg.

Overallnothingsomegoodrainfallwouldn’tfix.Goodluckfortherestoftheyear.

ProductWatchKevinHoltDeltaAgProcurementManager

Game,setandmatchforweedswithnewmolecule

Theregistrationofanewherbicidemolecule,Sharpen,willgivegreatercontroltogrowerswhentacklingbroadleafweeds.

Sharpenisawettablegranuleformulationthatcontainsthenewactiveingredient,KIXOR.

Sharpenwas registered for use thismonth in knockdown andfallowsituationsandishighlyactiveagainstarangeofbroadleafweedspriortoplanting,includinghard-to-controlweedssuchasfleabane,capeweed,sowthistle(alsoknownasmilkthistle),wildradishandmarshmallow.

Business Manager for Nufarm, Geoff Raymond, said with theincreaseoffleabaneacrosstheeasternstates,itwasimportantthatgrowersimplementedaneffectivecontrolstrategy.“Sharpen is very effectiveon small, actively growing fleabane,whichismucheasiertocontrolatthisstage,”hesaid.“OurextensivefieldtestinghasshownverygoodresultswhereSharpen is used in conjunction with Roundup Attack with iQinsidetocontrolfleabaneandotherbroadleafandgrassweeds.”

Mr Raymond said this combination of Sharpen and RoundupAttackwith iQ insidewould provide control ofmost of the keyweedsthatarepresentpriortotheplantingofmanysummerandwintercrops.

“Sharpendeliverseffectivecontrolundergoodgrowingconditionsinonetofourdaysandishighlyeffectiveatverylowrates.Italsohasarain-fastperiodofonehourandashortplantbackwindowinmostcerealandgrainlegumecrops.”Sharpen is now available from your nearest DeltaAg branch.MoreinformationonSharpencanalsobefoundbyvisitingwww.nufarm.com.au/sharpen

SharpenhasshowntodeliverexcellentcontrolonanumberofweedsthoughNufarm’sextensivetrialprogram.Theareaontherighthasbeen treatedwithSharpen,while theareaon the leftremainsuntreated.Source:Nufarmtrialsite,Brigalow,2009

Prospect|Viewpoint


GrainWatchLukeKirkbyGrainMarketerDeltaAgribusinessNorthernNSW/SouthernQueensland

Opportunitiesinmarketing

Aswesay farewell to the2011/2012croppingseason,alleyesareon2012/2013whichhasseenthebeststart in

manyyears.Asallwouldbeaware,prices for lastseason’scropswereingeneralatthelowerendoftherangewiththeexceptionofhighproteinwheat.

The wheat market has suffered greatly from burdensomeworldstocks in2011but theUSbalancesheet inbothcornand soybeans are record tight,which has proved to be thecatalyst for aweather-driven rally frommid-June.As usual,theUSDA (USDepartment ofAgriculture) hasmuddied thewaterswiththeirhopesofrecordcornyieldsearlyinthecropyear,but themarket isgraduallywindingback itsestimatesagainstaveryhotdrysummerintheUSandacrosssomeofEasternEurope.

Meanwhile, canola has also been driven higher by thesoybean/oilseed balance sheet, and the chickpea marketremainsextremelystronginIndianRupeeterms(althoughtheRupeehasfallenagainsttheAUDbysome20percentoverthepastyear).Inshort,mostofouragriculturalcommoditiesareinthetop20percentoftheiraverageranges,excludingtheanomaliesof2007/08.

Againstaweakglobaleconomy,andassumingthattheworldisabletoquicklyrespondtohighcommoditypricesifgrowingconditionsallow,theriskfordownsideinpricesovercomingmonths,orcertainlyby2013lookslikely.

Itisimportantthatwetakesomelessonsfromthepastandtrynottorepeatthem.

Herearesomeimportantquestionstoaskwhenconsideringsales: 1.Whatisthecostofmyproductiononahectare basisforeachofmyenterprises? 2.Doesthepricebidonthiscommoditygivea satisfactoryreturnformybusiness? 3.WhatistheaverageyieldIcanexpectgiventhe currentsoilmoistureandtimingofplanting? 4.Hasmyyieldexpectationchangedsinceplanting, anddomysalesreflectthatchange? 5.Arebuyersseekingtobuynow,oraretheirprices tellingmetowait?

If theanswers to thesequestions tell us there is agenuinepricingopportunity,thenpleaseconsidersellingonascale-inbasis,puttingastrategyinplacewhichsellsapercentageofthecropandwhichallowsyoutosellmoreonfurthergains.Itiscriticalonceyouhavemadethesesalesthatyoureviewyour production eachmonth to ensure that you keep thosesalesappropriatetoyouryieldestimates.

There is a risk of a significant fall in domestic basis if thecropperformswellover theeastcoastbyharvest.Logisticsconstraints like a lack of packing space, lower numbers ofcontainers, trainavailability,poorport logistics,multipleportsegregations by an increased number of exporters, all putpressureonharvestpricesorbasis.Forwardsalesgivesomeofyourcropahome togo to,allowingshort termcashflowneedstobemetandharvestgrainmanagementtobebetterplanned.

LivestockHealthDrPaulCusack(BSc.BVSc.(hons)MVSt.MACVSc.PhD)AustralianLivestockProductionServices

Preventativemeasuresthekeytoensuringimprovednutrition

In winter, the major animal health and nutrition issues weneed to consider in our livestock management calendars arepregnancytoxaemia,grasstetany(hypomagnesaemia),milkfever(hypocalcaemia),andfootabscess.

Pregnancy Toxaemia: An adequate intake of fermentablecarbohydrate by ruminants is essential for the maintenance ofblood glucose concentration. The dietary carbohydrate yieldsglucoseeitherdirectly,wheresomeescapes fermentation in theforestomachsand isdigested in the truestomach,or indirectly,throughthemanufactureofglucoseintheliverfromtheproductsofrumenfermentation.Theglucoserequirementsofthefoetuswilloverridetherequirementsofthedamifglucosesupplyislimited.Pregnancytoxaemiaoccurswherethereisaninadequateintakeoffermentablecarbohydratebythecoworewetoprovidesufficientbloodglucosetomeettherequirementsofthefoetusandthedam.Pregnancy toxaemia can occur either through insufficient intakeof an energy dense diet, or secondarily through excessivemobilisationofbody fatwhich interfereswith thecapacityof thelivertomanufactureglucosefromprecursorsintheblood.Basedon this understanding of the condition, there are some simplepreventativemeasureswecantake: •avoidhavingcowsorewesexcessivelyfat(BCS≥4)in latepregnancy,particularlywherefeedavailabilityor qualitymightbelimiting; •iffeedintakeorqualityarepotentiallylimiting, supplementationwithcerealgraincanbe usedtomaintainbloodglucoseconcentrationindams (butALWAYSsupplementwithadditionalcalcium).

Grass Tetany and Milk Fever: These conditions (low bloodmagnesiumandlowbloodcalciumrespectively)commonlyoccurtogetherandcanoccurinconjunctionwithpregnancytoxaemia.Allcerealgrainsarelowincalciumconcentrationandshouldalwayshave limestone added at 1 per cent on a weight basis (10kg/tonne). Further, all grazing cereal crops are low in calcium andmagnesium.Untilrecently,weroutinelyadvisedthatallpregnantand lactating animals should have supplementary calcium andmagnesium provided whilst grazing winter cereals. However,clinical cases of hypomagnesaemia were verified by bloodmagnesium concentrations with steers grazing oats last winter.Further,weareaccumulatingadditionaldataonanimalresponsesto supplementation of calcium and magnesium with grazingcereal crops.Therefore, it is now recommended thatall classesof livestock on grazing cereals should be supplemented withcalciumandmagnesium topreventdeaths fromhypocalcaemia/hypomagnesaemia,andtocost-effectivelyincreasegrowthrates.

FootAbscess:Footabscessoccurswherebacteriacommon intheenvironmentgainsaccesstothetissuesofthefootduetosomeformofinjury,includingthesofteningeffectofconstantexposuretowetgrassandmud.Thebacteriacommonlyinvolvedoccurathighconcentrationsonstockcamps,athightrafficareassuchascreekcrossings,andinyards.Therefore,preventativepracticesshouldbeaimedat improving the integrity of thehoof and surroundingtissues,andreducingexposuretoareasthatcarryahighbacterialburden,suchas: •footparinginlatesummer; •zincsulphatefootbathsatexitfromyardsunderwet conditions; •rotationalgrazingtoreducethebacterialloadoncamps wherepossible.

PropertyReportTimCorcoranPropertySalesDeltaAg/HLB

Strongdemandforhighlyproductivefarmingland

Theruralpropertymarketduringthepast12monthshasbeenaroller-coasterridetosaytheleast.Inamarketwheretherehas

beenmuchuncertaintyandmixedopinions, itstillhasproducedplenty of positive results across the state. Bearing in mind theuncertaintyintheruralmarket,Iwouldhavetosaywherewehaveachievedgoodresults,nomatterwhatmethodofsaleischosen,itiscrucialtopricethepropertyrightfromthestart.Beingrealisticconsideringmarkettrendsmaximisesyourchanceofachievingaquickandsuccessfulresult.

I believe commodity prices have had a huge influence on theproperty market. Interesting enough, considering last year’sharvest was mainly positive as far as crop performance, butdisappointing in terms of prices. The cattle job has remainedstable,whilelambpriceshavebeendescribedasslightlyvolatile.Havingsaidthis,alargenumberoffarmersareaspiringtomakethemostofthisgoodrunofseasonsbeforetemptingtheirpropertyonthemarket.Questioniswhenwilltherunend?Goingoffresultsobtainedthisfinancialyear, intermsofthesuccessfulmarketingofourpropertiesweareseeingmoreandmorepositive resultsfromourauctioncampaigns.Quitesimplybypushingthepointandbringingallinterestedpartiestogether–atauctionday.

Inthenext5to10yearswearegoingtoseechangesinthewaypropertiesaremarketed.Assellingagents it’sup tous tocomeupwith new, innovative and cost effectiveways tomarket yourpropertytotargetaspecificaudience.Thiscomingspringwithalreadyapositiveseasonal start to theyearwewillbegintoseeanincreaseinthemovementofhighlyproductivelargerparcelsofland.Alreadytheplanninghasbegunforanumberoflargerholdingssettomakeamove.WealsolooktocontinueshiftingsmallerlifestylepropertieswithrecentsuccessinAprilandMay.Thisisduetoadropininterestratesalongwithgood inquiry from professionals and dual income earners, alllookingtosecurelifestylepropertiesclosetoourregionalcentresobtainingthebestofbothworlds.

As a whole the demand has been by far strongest for highlyproductivemixedgrazingandfarmingcountry.Theexpansionoffamily businesses and the competition from outside influencessuch as local and overseas investment companies has meanttherearemanyinvolvedintheracetosecureprofitableparcelsofland.Thisisinfluencedbyglobalfoodsecuritybytakingtheviewthat if usedsustainably landwill haveavirtually infinite lifeandsecurefuture.ForallyourpropertysalesenquiresandmarketappraisalspleasecontacttheruralsalesteamatDelta-HLB.


LandscapeWarwickNightingaleAgronomist/Consultant,DeltaAgLockhart

Managementofnitrogenlevelsakeyfactorforwintercropproduction

Agriculture and crop production is determined by manyvariables, ultimately driven by seasonal conditions. The

performanceofacropwillbecappedbyitsmostlimitingfactor,beitmoisture,nutrition,weedcompetitionetc.Weareable tomeasuremuch today inanobjective fashion,it is thenequally important thatweuseexperienceandoftensubjective skills to properly use the information to make themost efficient use of inputs required and to ultimately be asprofitableaswecan.Thisseason,DeltaAghasfocusedparticularlyontwoimportantareaswhereadditionaltestinghasbeencarriedoutinordertoproperlyaddress themanagementof soil nitrogen levelsandresistancestatusofweedsinourcroppingpaddocks.NitrogenAftera verywet summer throughout themajorityof southernNSW on top of reasonable crop removal from the 2011season,nitrogenmanagementwillbeacriticalaspectofcropmanagementthisseason.Initialdeepsoiltestingisconfirmingthe expected low soil Nitrogen levels with many paddockscomingbackbetween20-40kg/haavailablenitrogen.Last season locally one of themost disappointing outcomeswithwheatproductionwas the lownitrogencontentofgrainsresulting in much grain being delivered as ASW (AustralianStandardWhite),compoundingthealreadyweakgrainpricing.Withsimilarlylowsoilnitrogenconditionsas2011weareurgingour growers to carefully consider their nitrogenmanagementstrategy as the season progresses. Growers in the westerncropping areas tend to be more conservative with nitrogenapplications upfront with cereals, in order to maintain aconservativetillerdensitytobettercopewithapotentiallytoughspring. By the same token where seasonal conditions allow,adequate nitrogen and tiller density is required to achieveadequateyieldandquality.WherenonitrogenhasbeenappliedatsowingonlowNsoils,growerswillneedtoplananitrogenapplicationearlierthanusualtillering.A 3.5t/haAHwheat crop on a typically low nitrogen soil willrequireapproximately60kg/haofUreabytheendoftilleringtoeitherstimulatetillerproductionortomaintaintillerstosupportgrain head production. If seasonal conditions allow, a furthernitrogenapplicationofasimilarquantitywillberequiredduringjointingtoheademergencetomaintainyieldandprotein.TalktoyourDeltaagronomyadvisertobestmanageyournitrogenstrategy tooptimiseyourefficiencyofappliednitrogenandtoensureasmuchaspossiblethatyoumatchthebestyieldandqualitythattheseasoncanallow.ResistantWeedTestingAsagroupDeltaAg facilitated thecollectionand testingofasignificantvolumeofweedsamples,includingradish,ryegrassand wild oats. These samples were tested at Charles SturtUniversity(CSU)WaggabyJohnBroster.

Ryegrass samples have started to filter through confirmingatrend in developing resistance to commonly used herbicidesincludingClethodim(GroupADim)withupto25percentandover50percentofsamplesshowingresistancetoGroupAFOPandGroupBchemistryandevenasmallnumberofsamplesdevelopingresistancetoglyphosateandtrifluralin.

Ongoing objective assessments of weed resistance status willcontinuetobeofgreatimportanceforthesustainabilityofprofitablecroppingsystems.Thereareanswersbuttheydoinvolveastrategicuseofadiverserangeof tactics includingwindrowburning,green/brownmanurecrop rotations, hay, pasture and even new herbicide chemistrysuchasSakura®,Outlook®andBoxerGold®.

DeltaAgagronomyadvisorsspendconsiderabletimewithclientsputting in place short and long term strategies to manage thiscontinuingissue.

OnbehalfoftheDeltaAgagronomyadvisoryteamwewishyouallthebestasweworkwithMotherNaturetomakeagoodliving.

Prospect|Techno TalkSeanSampsonLicensee,TelstraStoresYoung,Parkes&Dubbo

GettingthemostfromyourConnectedHome

Sitbackandcounthowmanyinternetconnecteddevicesyouhaveatyourhomerightnowandthinkhowthisnumberhas

probablyincreaseddramaticallyinthelast12months.Atmyplacewehave threesmartphones,aKindleReader,aniPad,threelaptops,anXboxandourtelevisionallconnectedtoourhomenetwork.The recent visit from the NBN discovery truck to Younghighlightedthatthenumberofconnecteddevicesinourhomesissettoincreasefurther–apparentlyevenyourfridgecanbeontheinternetwithabarcodereadertoemailyoushoppinglistsasyouuseitems.HavingalltheseinternetdevicesmeansyourhomenetworkmayneedsomeupgradesandwehavesomegreatproductsavailableinourTelstraStoresinYoungandParkes,aswellasourstorerecentlyopenedinDubbo.1.UpgradeyourplanforincreaseddataAllthesedeviceswillusemoredataforYouTube,ABCiViewandothermediasoaskusforadviceonthelatestplansandbundlesavailable.Thisisagoodideatodoeverysixmonthsanywayasyouwillprobablysavemoneyaspriceshavedropped.

2.Useawireless‘N’Wi-FirouterYoucanaddWi-Fi to your3Gor4GNextGorBigpondUSBdongle with theNetcommWirelessN150Router – 3GM2WN.ThisisagreatcombinationwhenyoucannotgetADSL.


OrupgradeyourADSLmodemwiththenewBigpondTHOMSONGATEWAYTECHNICOLORADSL2TG587NV3WI-FINMODEMROUTERforjust$49.

3.ExtendyourWi-FiornetworkWe have Netgear Wi-Fi and Netcomm Ethernet over Poweradaptorsavailablethatallowyoutoextendthecoverageofyournetwork inyourhouse.ThePoweradaptorsplug intostandardpower points and give you a network connection at each endwhiletheWi-FiExtenders increasetherangeofWi-Fibyupto50percent.Theseproductsareallself-installbutwecanrecommendlocalqualified ITcontractorsshouldyouneed thirdpartysupport forinstallationandset-up.

4.ThinkbeforebuildingorrenovatingThisisthechanceyouhavetopre-wireyourhomewithNetworkcableascablewilloutperformWi-Fi.Pre-wiringanetwork intoyourhomemeansyoucanhavephoneanddataoutlets intheroomsyourequireandyouwillbe“NBNready”.RememberallcablingmustbecompletedbyaRegisteredDataCabler.

Forlocaladviceandservicecallintooneofourstoresorphoneuson:

Young(02)63822900Parkes(02)68626200Dubbo(02)68827007

BROADACRE PRODUCTS

Free Phone

Web

1800 65 47 58+61 7 3801 9000 agrichem.com.au

2012

“You could lose 50% of your production due to the impact of worms. To combat against resistance, you have to rotate your drenches. I will be using ZOLVIX in my rotation with confidence.

We tested fourteen days after using ZOLVIX onto this new country and it was zero zero all the way, it was very good. With ZOLVIX you get better production, more cut per head, it’s all plus, plus! We are very happy with it and it’s money well spent. ZOLVIX definitely works.”

zEro rEsistancE zolvix®. worms don’t stand a chancE.

tim BowEr

“i usE zolvix BEcausE it Prolongs thE lifE of

all thE othEr drEnchEs on this ProPErty”.

Bleed lineEvEry flock, EvEry yEarwww.zolvix.com

• Kills ›99.9% of worms,1 even resistant worms.

• Prolongs the lifespan of older drenches.2

• Boosts farm productivity.3

• Revolutionary, easy to use drenching system.

• Impressive safety profile.

ZOLX

AV25

809A

US07

11_A

kills>99.9%

of worms1

References1. Kills >99.9% of barbers pole, small brown stomach and black scour worms. A pooled analysis of the efficacy of monepantel, an amino-acetonitrile derivative against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. Hosking et al., Parasitol Res (2010), 106: 529-532. 2. Minimising the development of anthelmintic resistance, and optimising the use of the novel anthelmintic monepantel, for the sustainable control of nematode parasites in Australian sheep grazing systems. R.J. Dobson et al., AVJ (2011), Vol. 89, No 5. 3. The production costs of anthelmintic resistance in sheep managed within a monthly preventive drench programme. Sutherland et al., Vet Para(2010), 171:300-304. ZOLVIX contains 25 g/L monepantel, a member of the Amino-Acetonitrile Derivative (AAD) class of anthelmintics. ZOLVIX® is a registered trademark and OPTIMUM™ is a trademark of Novartis AG, Basel, Switzerland. For full product details contact NOVARTIS CUSTOMER ADVISORY LINE on 1800 633 768 TOLL FREE between 8.30am and 5.30pm E.S.T. Monday to Friday. Novartis Animal Health Australasia Pty Limited, ACN 076 745 198, 54 Waterloo Road, North Ryde NSW 2113.

Nutrition forms the cornerstone of most agricultural production systems. The agronomy and horticultural team regularly conduct:

• Soil testing (shallow) for all crops and pasture to assess nutritional and soil pH status.

• Deep soil nitrogen and sulphur testing

• Leaf tissue and micronutrient testing to evaluate and diagnose in crop issues for all winter crop, pasture and orchard issues.

• On farm replicated fertiliser trials

The testing and diagnostic services are conducted with accredited laboratories.

As an extension to the testing program, the advisory team formulates farm nutritional packages on an individual paddock basis combined with any nutritional testing results.

AVAILABLE NOW


www.deltaag.com.au


CentralQueenslandGrainsConferenceEmerald12-13MarchPhotography:MelissaMartin,QueenslandCountryLife

Around the Traps

DeltaGrainMarketing’sSamanthaNoonwithSteveCathcart,“Glenora”,Springsure

GuestspeakersSam&JennyBailey,CroppaCreek,NSW,chatwithDeltaGrainMarketingCentralQueenslandManagerTonyMatchett

TimGersbach,“Kurrajong”Capella,&CourtneyPress,Emerald

Sarah&BradMifsud,“UndaraDowns”,Clermont,chatwithKasie&JoshScott,“Manar”,Clermont

DeltaAgBurrenJunctionBranchOpeningBurrenJunction14June2012Photography:ShannaRowlands,SKWImages

AshCarolan,JohnPattinsonandGerardHines


CarrieHaireandGerardHines CarrieHaire,EloiseHaire,ChrisBrownandYvonneFindley

JohnFisherandNickiCollins EloiseHaire,JackFindleyandGerardHines NickiCollins,DeanKinlysideandChrisBrown

PhilMcGeogh,LukeKirkby,MickParry,NickiCollinsandBarryAlcorn BillFindley,JackFindleyandCarolineFindley

(F)BillFindley(B)JackFindley,AshCarolan,Kim‘Spanner’Pattison,ChrisDuffandGerardHines

Call toll free 1800 700 096www.dowagro.com.au

20JulyPartnersinGrainTechExpo,WaggaWaggaThisexpowillofferattendeesaccesstoallthelatesthardware,networking,applications,devicesandupdatesinfarmsoftware.www.murrumbidgeelandcare.asn.au

31JulyGRDCGrowerUpdate,GrenfellTheGRDCGrowerUpdatesareaboutprovidinginformationontopicalandpracticalissuesrelevanttotheproductivityandprofitabilityofgrainenterprises.www.grdc.com.au

10AugustGrahamCentre,AnnualBeefFieldDay,WaggaWaggaTheprogramwillincludeseveralshortpresentationsfollowedbyaseriesofworkshops.www.csu.edu.au/research/grahamcentre

14-16AugustAustralianCottonConference,Broadbeach,QueenslandTheconference,nowinits32ndyear,isajointventurebetweenCottonAustraliaandtheAustralianCottonShippersAssociation,andencompassesallsectorsofthesupplychain.Theextensiveprogramincludessessionsonfuturefarminginnovations,carbonandenergycosts,coalseamgasandmining,thecottonmarket,betterdrylandsystems,andthemanagementofweedsandinsectpests.www.australiancottonconference.com.au

17AugustBredwell/Fedwellworkshop,“Valera”LockhartThetopicswillincludeimprovingewenutrition,developingabreedinggoal,developingafeedbudget,andbreedingbetterewes.www.triggervalesheepstuds.com.au

21-23AugustCommonwealthBankAgquipFieldDays,GunnedahStagedoverthreedaysatGunnedah,theeventprovidesprofessionalsonthelandwithcomprehensiveaccesstothelatestmachinery,equipmentandservices.www.farmonline.com.au/events/agquip

18-20SeptemberHentyMachineryFieldDaysThisyearmarksthe50thanniversaryoftheHentyMachineryFieldDays.Thefielddayshostmorethan800exhibitorsfeaturingthelatestinmachineryfarmequipment,outdoorsandcamping,countrylifestyleandfarmproduce.www.hmfd.com.au

12-14OctoberRuralWomen’sGathering2012,ParkesThisisthe20thyearofthegatheringsandthethemeoftheeventcoincideswiththeNationalYearoftheFarmerandtheNationalYearofReading.Theweekendwillfeaturekeynotespeaker,well-knowntelevisionpresenterJessicaRowe,alongwithworkshops,informationsessions,marketstallsandentertainment.Ruralwomenareencouragedtocomealongto“reach,engage,achieveanddream”.www.parkesruralwomensgathering.wordpress.com


On the RadarProspect|DELTA DIARY

PLANTING WITH DIVIDEND + EMERGE PAYS

Syngenta Crop Protection Pty Limited, Level 1, 2-4 Lyonpark Road, North Ryde NSW 2113. ABN 33 002 933 717. ®Registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. All products written in uppercase are trademarks of Syngenta Group Company. Renard SYN6012.

For more information contact Syngenta Product Advice Line on Freecall 1800 067 108 or visit our website at www.syngenta.com.au

The ultimate combination to establish and protect a higher yielding crop.

It’s only when you plant with DIVIDEND + EMERGE that you cover yourself against

the major root diseases of Rhizoctonia and Pythium Root Rot plus protect

yourself against aphids and aphid-transferring viruses. DIVIDEND + EMERGE:

get your crop off to the ultimate start, then reap the rewards down the track.

prospect winter 2012

Documents

company andwe

promising start

cover storysocial media

thisisanexciting opportunity

couple ofmonths

im sureyoullenjoy

jja attrangieinmarch