First of all I would like to say a big congratulations to Rob Massina on his election as RGA president. Rob will do a great job in this role as he is passionate about the industry and agriculture in our region, and gives everything his best shot.
What was looking to be a reasonable year until the tap turned off 3 months ago, has seen some good bulk crops in the region that weren’t going to make grain. A good amount of crop was cut, which has seen a lot people flat out organising hay and all the joys that come with it.
In the last week harvest on barley has started, with an indication of around 1.5- 2/ ha yield. Which is a good result given the year, prices have been pretty steady with every one watching what’s going to happen in the Mallee in terms of production
With water prices still quite high not a lot of summer crop is going in, with the exception of some bores and carry over. It looks like a quiet summer for a lot of irrigators in the Berriquin area. This poses a good opportunity to catch up on things that get neglected around the farm when we are all busy putting summer crop in!
Another great opportunity this summer is the opportunity to be a part of the RGA leadership programs, two will be run in 2020. These programs are fully funded residential programs, they provide participants with the opportunity to take themselves out of their business/employment to learn and network with like-minded people who are passionate about agriculture and our communities. I think it is a great opportunity everyone should think about.
Will Robertson,
Vice President Berriquin RGA Branch