Growth, Grit and a Wandering Wildebeast
As it happens, Sally didn’t need to travel to Zimbabwe to spot a wildebeest, there was one spotted roaming around Bethune Lane.
Sally is heading for Perth, Zimbabwe, the U.K, U.S.A, Chile and Brazil. If you see me looking like a lost, hungry , unshaven, unclean wildebeest you better just leave me alone, its best not to try and tame or feed wild animals, just let them be in their natural environment. Sally is pretty amazing and my hope is she learns a tonne and has a great time.
A month is a long time in agriculture. The farm is going better than I could have hoped for, grass growth rates are strong, cows are in excellent condition and are milking well, the young stock look fat, well and content, and the baby calves are growing like weeds.
Our workforce is strong and stable. The highest standard I think we have had in the last decade, with the addition of a handy allrounder, a diesel mechanic and a part time chief financial officer we are in great shape. I know that form is only temporary and pride comes before the fall but I’m quietly celebrating the achievement that has been years in the making and might last 2 weeks or two years.
The person that I trust to give me financial guidance is the key one, I have known for years that I am the biggest weakness (and the strength), in continued growth and success in this business. As we grew we reached past the point of my capacity to run the business based on gut feel and instinct. Actually I think that’s unfair on me, the decisions are really easy when you have accurate information to work with. We tried monthly board meetings, accountants and consultants but I couldn’t fit into their system because order is not my natural home, chaos is. The fault lay with me not them but just maybe we now have a model that will work for and with me.
Crops are just starting to poke their heads through the ground, emerging barley crop green is one of my favourite colours. We will finish sowing the last paddock at Kerang this week which is a full month earlier than last year and we have done a better job.
In breaking news I actually sat on the air seeder for a day before the rain, first time ever ! By the end of the day I had half learned how to use the GPS, at the start of the day I have created some lovely not so straight lines (I prefer the term artistic) that will give my employees ample ammunition to make fun of their boss for several years to come.
Thank you to Jason Collins from Swan Hill Wholesalers who has lent us a fridge truck while ours is out of action getting a motor rebuilt. Swan Hill Wholesalers have been a very big part of our business from the get go- they gave us support before we probably deserved it and they have been faithful at every turn in trying to get a small local food producing business off the ground.
I should be concerned about the spring and lack of irrigation water and the super El Nino ( sounds like something out of Sesame Street), but I’m not, I don’t even know where the panic button is located at the moment so I can’t hit it. Besides, I have other things to do, when wild animals are left to their own devices, they party, they travel, they run wild!