Stop-start harvest nears completion

As we near the end of January, many headers continue to roll as they try to clean up the final stages of 2016-17 harvest.

With several hold-ups due to rain in the past couple of months, growers have had to muster all of their energy to get going again on more than one occasion.

Many have developed somewhat of a love-hate relationship with harvest while they think ‘what did I do to deserve these high-yielding wheat crops which are holding me up from going on holiday?’.

And not much of a holiday they will get with many tasks such as summer spraying and preparation for the 2017 winter crop all to occur within a relatively short space of time before sowing gets underway in mid-april.

Although the stars have not completely lined up for grain growers this year on the farm itself, and there are patches that have not done as well as hoped, the sheer volume of grain that has been produced overall has, and will continue to, provide a boost for the wider economy for some time.

It was a more familiar site during harvest this year to see young school leavers and university students stay in the region to gain experience and an education in handling ‘and spilling’ grain.

This along with the many other jobs that are required to manage such a big harvest.

Although at the time, many of this younger generation would have felt like they had landed in hell, the memories that are now seared onto their brains have given them a taste of the industry that is hard to eradicate.

These memories might in many cases keep them in the region or bring them back to the area in the future.

After all, there is nothing like a bit of hard work to build your character and resilience.

Adding to this, many of the wages that are being paid to harvest employees are largely coming from outside the area and from the pocket of big business, a portion of which is undoubtedly getting fed back into the local community.

Logistics

Going forward, all of the grain that has been produced will need to be marketed and delivered to port or the end user.

This is a huge logistical exercise in itself and will keep freight companies rolling, along with the mountain of administration and paperwork that comes with such a task.

Even activities that come as an afterthought such as the maintenance of roads and machinery, along with the social happenings that come as a result of increased levels of activity, will again sustain current and create new employment.

This brings people to the area and churns over more money throughout the region.

This is a consolation to continued feelings among many growers that they are not, at this stage, back to hitting the ball out of the park.

Although townships throughout the Wimmera and Mallee, and particularly Horsham, are agricultural centres that rely directly on farming activities to keep their businesses running, there are many businesses that are removed from agriculture and not all people who reside in our towns are from an agricultural background.

One hopes that these folk and their businesses will also feel the positive effects when a local farmer or truckie stops at the local shop for their morning sausage roll and can of soft drink – or that extra dentist appointment is made for the year due to too many sausage rolls and cans of soft drink.

Even though the region will need a string of seasons similar to 2016 to really start making some headway, the fact there is product to work with in 2017 will ensure the wheels of the area keep turning for another season at least.