North East and Goulburn Murray Farmer

Page 1

Published since 1986

JANUARY, 2020

Pork business thriving

www.farmernews.com.au

Beef Week PAGES 4-5

Fire awareness and prevention PAGES 13-15; 18-21

PAGES 26-28

Hay while the sun keeps on shining 2019 hay season one of the best on record Ű

THREE GENERATIONS: Three generations of McCormacks, including (from left) Darby, Bruce and Adam McCormack, take part twice yearly in their High Country Muster. It’s a family affair that dates back 150 years and sees the group take the weekend to bring the cattle in. „ Turn to page 30 for their story.

YOUR HOME OF 6

CYLINDER TRACTORS. TALK TO THE TEAM AT

MANSFIELD farmers have been spared the feed crisis crippling Australia, with welltimed rain resulting in one of the best hay seasons seen in decades. Hay contractors have been busy cutting, raking and baling as farmers scramble to make room in sheds that were barren just months earlier. Twelve months ago, hay was being bought into the district from across the country, with many choosing WR RIp RDG VWRFN LQ DQ DWWHPSW to ride out the conditions. Local producers were wondering what lay ahead when the Bureau of Meteorology forecast a long, dry summer - many predicting 2020 would be the hottest, and driest, on record. $OO RI 0DQVo HOG V neighbour shires are government drought declared, with outrage initially building that 0DQVo HOG KDG QRW EHHQ included; especially when less than half of the average spring rainfall was received. But luckily, weather has VSDUHG 0DQVo HOG WKH ZRUVW q and now record yields of hay are being baled. “Two months ago, we were wondering if we could cut,� Jamie Beckingsale, head

BY RHYLL McCORMACK rmccormack@ nemedia.com.au

stock and station agent with 5RGZHOO V VDLG k:H KDYHQ W KDG D ORW RI UDLQ EXW ZH YH KDG MXVW enough rain, at just the right time, to grow a lot of grass. “Some of the amounts of hay being cut are almost UHFRUG OHYHOV q PRUH EDOHV SHU acre than ever before. “Other parts of the country are either in the middle of drought, the middle of a EXVKo UH RU ERWK q ZH KDYH been very lucky here.� No one knows that more than Ken Skinner, who farms RXW SDVW :DOVK V $LUVWULS Last year, he was looking for outside hay to feed his VWRFN q WKLV \HDU .HQ KDV FXW enough to last him the next two seasons. k:H YH JRW D IDLU ELW y KH said. “1000 round bales - for us, compared to the last few years, this has been great.� After running short, Ken made the decision to prepare HDUO\ IRU q VRZLQJ additional pastures and investing in fertiliser.

FOR MORE INFO!

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Continued page 2

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7847 GOULBURN VALLEY HWY, SHEPPARTON VIC 3631

www.goulburnvalleyag.com.au


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