News
16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – January 25, 2021
Australian farmers bounce back Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz A YEAR after devastating bushfires roared through rural Australia, the worst hit regions are reporting a complete turnaround in fortunes. Last year’s fires seared through 18.6 million hectares over a six-month period with no state untouched, killing 100,000 sheep and 25,000 cattle, and also wiping out 1250 beehives and 3500ha of vineyards. The final tally of losses was lower than initially anticipated, with early estimates by analysts putting stock losses as high as 450,000 head. The other silver lining was the fires marked the end of a protracted drought period and the Australian pastoral sector is surging in response to unexpectedly high rainfall events and cooler than usual temperatures so far this summer. Central Victorian hay cropper Dave Cossar says he is in the fifth year of an exceptional run for his district, which was one untouched by last year’s fires. His hay business surged on the back of the feed shortage resulting from the drought and the fires, but he says this year all regions are benefitting from moisture with exceptional feed levels depressing demand for his hay supplies. Last year he donated significantly to help farmers hit by the devastating fires (see Farmers Weekly February 25, 2020). His region, which only receives about 400mm of rain a year, got 120mm of that last April alone and rainfall continued with generous spring downfalls kicking crops along well into this summer.
And December has been one of the coolest on record for Victoria – even in January we have not had any real heat yet. Dave Cossar Hay cropper
BOUNTY: Central Victoria hay cropper Dave Cossar says Aussie farmers are celebrating a boomer year, thanks to generous and timely rainfall.
“And December has been one of the coolest on record for Victoria – even in January we have not had any real heat yet,” Cossar says. A new baler he purchased this year, partly aided by a generous government covid allowance of $150,000 per farm business, has already worked through 44,000 bales. Australian Fodder Industry Association chief executive Paula Fitzgerald says the biggest issue facing farmers was finding space to store fodder surpluses this year, with demand for hay being low for several months and not expected to increase.
All of southern Australia is reporting some of the highest yielding crops seen in years and for some areas harvesting has been limited due to exceptionally wet weather. Australian farmers are presently in the process of restocking post-drought, and agents are reporting demand for stock is also intensified by the “grass fever” market driven by good crop and grass growth and a capital livestock shortage. Cossar says all livestock classes have experienced surges in values. “For example, 12-month
weaner steers that were selling at $1100 a head last year are $1800 this year, and that is right up the eastern seaboard and in New South Wales,” he says. There were expectations that in-calf cows could be worth up to $4000 each amid stock shortages and even four-day bull calves had sold for $300 a head. Southern Victoria farmer and BlazeAid charity manager Kevin Blake says he had just sold 2500 store lambs for $146 a head in what has proven to be a “fabulous” summer to date. “I think that if you cannot make money this year there is
something wrong with you,” Blake says. He says some buyers with deep pockets are paying up to $400 a head for ewes this year. Cossar says the renewed optimism within rural Victoria after a tough few years for some districts is now feeding into land prices throughout the state, as well as livestock prices. “Good potato country that sold for $7000 an acre four years ago sold last year for $11,000. Broadacre cropping country southwest of Ballarat has sold for $7500 an acre, that does not seem sustainable,” Cossar says. Thomas Elder Markets analyst Matt Dalgleish has highlighted the stock building process happening in Australia. He reports lamb throughput at yards along the east coast being 16% up on average, and as high as 33% up in Victoria. Meanwhile, lamb slaughter rates are well down at 22% below seasonal averages and beef cattle slaughter numbers are a third lower than the five-year average, and 43% behind that seen a year ago.
Aussie volunteers hope for summer break Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz TWELVE thousand volunteers, $15 million of donations and thousands of kilometres of fences later, the rural Aussie charity BlazeAid can claim to have finished the mammoth task last year’s bush fires set for it. Established to help farmers rebuild fences and structures after natural disasters, the charity has had bushfires occupy much of its volunteers’ time and efforts in recent years. Charity founder Kevin Butler who farms near Melbourne says this summer has so far provided a welcome reprieve for him and fellow organisers, with cooler temperatures and an El Nino weather pattern lowering fire risks so far. “We have only had one total fire ban day so far all summer this year. Last year we would have already had 15-20 in Victoria,” Butler says.
The damage inflicted last year commenced over a long season, starting with early fires in September 2019, peaking in the ravaging blazes of early January 2020. “Last year we had 45 base camps across Australia, extending from Kangaroo Island right up into Queensland,” he says. Four base camps remain open and only one significant fire event has been recorded so far, in South Australia. The camps were staffed with volunteers who on average gave up to 10 working days each to work in hot, demanding and often isolated conditions helping restore farm fences and water systems. Butler says their efforts have gone a long way to help fireproof the properties against future devastating events, with largely steel components replacing timber posts and rails. Covid lockdowns slowed work significantly after March,
with volunteers restarting in June, including thousands of backpackers who had stayed in Australia with extended visas. Camp organiser Bill Gerritsen says farmers in his north-eastern Victoria zone of Corryong have got their lives back on track and are having an extremely good year. “I have just seen a crop of canola that is above the fence line, I have not seen one that high for a very long time,” Gerritsen says. His camp peaked at 90 volunteers working in the steep hill country before having to go into lockdown, after which numbers were limited to 20. Both men say they have their fingers firmly crossed this summer will be more forgiving after last year’s stressful impact on rural communities. “The risk is still there for fire this year … there have been a couple of grass fires here and there. “It is ready to go,” he says.
REPRIEVE: Bill Gerritsen says this summer is proving more forgiving so far, with lower temperatures and timely rainfall helping reduce fire risk, so far.
