With the outlook from the weather bureau on the dry side for the next part of the year, every rain will be crucial to getting a productive result. With grain prices starting to increase, a lower production year may still be a good financial season, barring a frost or heat wave event through October and we can feel very lucky as across Australia the Wimmera Mallee region is travelling by far the best at the moment.

With cropping now well behind us, our early post emergent spraying program is under way. This year we took advantage of the early break, like most farmers, to spray early germinating weeds prior to sowing which has given us an excellent weed break with nearly all crops very clean for weeds. This has taken some pressure off spraying while the weather pattern has been frosty and showery. I expect that we will see day temperatures increase in the coming fortnight and crops will start to respond with quick growth.

Currently, our White Suffolk stud ewes are lambing and this is a constant job - weighing and tagging lambs at birth, giving us valuable data to manage the genetic gains within the flock.

It has been very noticeable this year the return of sheep to the region, with excellent prices in the saleyards and low grain prices. Returns from sheep have never been better in my farming life.

We have started to renovate one of the main woolsheds on the farm to make it more user-friendly. Preparation for our annual on-farm ram sale in September has also started and shearing of the rams will happen in mid-August so we are hoping to finish the shed by then.

Off the farm, I have been working on a number of issues but one which is important to our farming future in Australia, in particular, is biosecurity. The organisation that I chair in Grain Producers Australia has direct involvement with government around managing incursion risks of pests and disease. I recently attended a meeting in Canberra where we discussed the ongoing concerns and the need to educate the community more about the potential risks.

On the local scene, it has been interesting to observe the discussion around the bypass of Horsham, which has unfortunately created uncertainty around its future. From my perspective, there are already major issues in transport movements within Horsham, in particular, the western highway corner into Horsham, at the junction of the golf course road and Hamilton Road. Whatever happens, this area needs to be a priority in any future plans for the Horsham precinct, as it is an important area for future growth with grain and Hay movement and large trucks trying to turn across a busy intersection. Until next time here’s hoping the Wimmera and Mallee get great rains for the remainder of the year and avoid any temperate issues.