Shared experiences with Anthony Lines

Where and what do you farm? 

We grow wheat, canola, beans, peas and hay at Laura in the Southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia

Have you used a pre-harvest payment product before?

Yes - Production Advance. The first time we used it we were looking for some dough three quarters of the way through the year and it seemed like a reasonable way to access it. It gives us more flexibility by improving our cash flow, it’s another tool in the tool-box.

 

 

AWB’s production advance is an alternative to going to your bank, but is the process easy?

Once you’ve done it one year you can keep hold of the paperwork and just update the figures for the new season. So once it’s set it up it’s probably only an hour in the office to get it sorted out each year.

 

What marketing strategies do you use?

We use the Season Starter pool. The advantage we see is that marketing experts have got the commitment of some tonnage of grain for the full 12 months, so in the end the price is better than what you would have got on your own. They keep a commitment to you by marketing the best they can and finding the best markets. I think you need all your options because the markets are just so much bigger than what we can handle, they’re world-wide and we just can’t keep up with that. 

 

What advice would you give to a young grain grower?

Farming isn’t such "a way of life" anymore as it was with our forefathers. It is a commitment to the industry and very much a business to control. Most years are challenging in some shape or form, but it is so very worth to strive to survive, manage your risk from pricing to low rainfall events,  commit to the challenges and learn from your mistakes. You will reap the rewards of hard work and life as a Farmer and take time to enjoy your family.

 

How do you see the season turning out?

The season around our area has started later than we would like . All the crops have germinated now as we get to the end of  June. We have minimal subsoil moisture so crops are surviving hand to mouth at the moment. Hopefully we get a wet winter and a kind spring to receive average crop yields.

 

Originally published 27 June, 2018