A strong crop can expose a problem that is easy to ignore when production is lower. There is not enough storage. Existing silos are already committed. Grain handling is too slow. Another shed is needed. The auger setup is creating delays. Or the business is likely to rely more heavily on off-farm storage and freight
Growing an agricultural business does not always begin with buying another tractor or truck. Sometimes it begins with taking on more country. A cropping or mixed farming business around Maryborough may have an opportunity to lease additional hectares, expand an existing operation or take over land that has become available nearby. On paper, more hectares
More Land, More Inputs, More Cash Required: Funding Farm Expansion Around Maryborough Read More »
You’ve got the country. Feed conditions are suitable. Prices look workable and there’s an opportunity to increase livestock numbers. Maybe you’re rebuilding numbers after a period of selling down. Perhaps you’ve taken on additional country. You could be buying breeding stock to expand the herd or flock, or purchasing livestock with the intention of growing
The crop doesn’t wait for the finance application. When harvest is approaching and a header, tractor, chaser bin or other critical piece of machinery needs replacing, the timing can become just as important as the purchase price. Perhaps the existing machine is becoming unreliable. Maybe you’ve increased the area under production. You might be bringing
A good buying opportunity comes up. The cattle suit the operation, the numbers look reasonable and you’ve got the country to carry them. The problem is that purchasing the livestock outright would take a substantial amount of cash out of the farming business. That cash may also be needed for feed, freight, fencing, wages, fuel,
Need to Buy Cattle but Keep Cash in the Farm? Financing Livestock Purchases Read More »
Buying or leasing more country can change a farming operation very quickly. The extra hectares might create an opportunity to increase production, spread fixed costs across a larger operation or grow the business for the next generation. But more land can also expose something that wasn’t a problem before: the existing machinery fleet may no
Bought More Country? Work Out the Machinery You Need Before You Start Buying Read More »
Harvest dates don’t move just because a machine has developed a problem. If a header, tractor or other critical piece of agricultural machinery needs major work shortly before it’s required, a farming business can face an expensive decision. Do you repair the machine you already have? Replace it with another used machine? Buy new? Or
Harvest Is Coming but the Machinery Isn’t Ready: Finance the Repair or Replace It? Read More »
Labour has become one of the biggest challenges facing many agricultural businesses. Across Yass and surrounding farming districts, producers are finding that labour is not simply becoming more expensive. It is often becoming harder to find, harder to retain and harder to replace when skilled workers leave. For many growers, this has sparked a different
Not long ago, drones were often viewed as gadgets. Interesting technology. Useful for photography. Perhaps something to experiment with. Today, many agricultural businesses see them very differently. Across Young and surrounding agricultural districts, drones are increasingly being used as practical business tools capable of saving time, improving efficiency and providing information that would otherwise be
Across Collarenebri and the surrounding agricultural region, water has always influenced farming decisions. It influences planting decisions. It influences stocking rates. It influences productivity, profitability and long-term planning. Yet some of the most important water-related decisions are often made long before seasonal conditions become difficult. Many producers are increasingly assessing whether their current water storage,
