Good start to industry retention Commodity

MOST shearing and woolclassing introduction course students this year were staying in the industry, according to trainer Stuart Neal.

Stuart said up to 70 per cent of students in courses in the first months of 2023 had become shearers or roustabouts.

“Although in the last few months we have seen some farmers looking for advanced training to have the skills needed to tidy up their own sheep without bringing in a shearer when there are still shortages of shearers,” he said.

Stuart last week ran a threeday improvers’ course at Kurting, his third school in the Loddon already this year.

Courses at Pompapiel in March attracted 25 students and he will be back in the area for shearing schools at Wycheproof in August and Wedderburn in September.

“There are still a lot of young people looking to work in the industry. It’s a tough gig and not just all about the money,” Stuart said.

“We still need workers in the industry.”

Among participatants in last week’s school at Geoff Wilson’s Kurting shearing shed was St Arnaud’s Jacob Griffiths.

Jacob was part of last year’s introduction school in Wedderburn and said he had since “been flat out shearing”.

Prices Drive Lift In Farm Confidence

VICTORIAN farmer confidence has lifted with the increase attributed to good seasonal conditions and commodity prices, the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey found.

The survey found while still in negative territory overall, 13 per cent of farmers now expected business conditions to improve in the coming 12 months, up from nine per cent for the the previous quarter.

And 37 per cent anticipate conditions to worsen (39 per cent). Just under half (49 per cent) expect conditions to stay the same (down from 51 per cent).

The main driver for those farmers expecting improvement is good seasonal conditions. And while cattle and sheep prices have eased in recent months and wool prices are softer, Victorian farmers listed commodity prices as a further reason for optimism. There was increased concern for drought and government intervention and policies.

Grain

Boort Grain Co-op prices Tuesday.

Wheat – ASW $332 FIS. AGP1 $332 FIS. SFW1 $332 FIS. FED1 $310 FIS. Barley - Bar1 $295 FIS. Bar2 $275 FIS. Bar3 $257 FIS. Bar4 $237 FIS. Faba1 $380 FIS. Faba2 $380 FIS.