So Where To For The Bobby Calf ??

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

My mind is spinning, my heart racing, my body tingling...how good it feels to be back!

After having the extended 'holiday' that I apparently needed to have, my overactive imagination is gushing with ideas and strategies. You will all see some incredible opportunities unfold this year...played out in the very public arena through my presence in the wonderful world of social media.

If ever you feel the need to have a 5 month break from work...or life - SHINGLES should never be your preferred option. Trust me!! I knew very little about shingles, until I was struck down with a severe bout back in September. I knew it was a rash, and thought it would be irritating. WOW! If the shingles I knew about was a guppy sucking on my big toe - then the one that I came to know intimately was a GREAT WHITE - and it chewed me up and spat me out!!! The nerve pain was excruciating, initially deep in the muscles of my back, and later on the surface of my skin. I was unable to wear any kind of shirt for almost 8 weeks, as the nerve endings were so sensitive. Pretty much had to stay confined to one room of my house, because any air low was painful, as was temperature below 25C or above 27C. I could only sleep on my back, but could never pull the sheet up above my waste!! I felt physically ill most days and was subsequently struggling with appetite, energy and basic brain function. I tried just about every medical treatment and herbal remedy suggested, but the only thing that appeared to be working...was TIME.

That was just the excitement of the physical impact...but of course my good old mate the BLACK DOG had to pop in and keep me company for a couple of months too!! It is so incredibly difficult to explain to someone who may have never experienced depression. In fact even for many of us who have, it holds sway in many different shapes and forms. Physically unable to do any form of work, I cannot even begin to describe the frustration of not having any mental capabilities either! To spend most of the day lying down playing CANDY CRUSH!! Couldn't concentrate well enough to read more than two or three pages of a book. Sat at the computer at times for hours, looking blankly at the computer screen unable to remember what I was going to do. Watched my phone ring on countless occasion and let it go to message. Many emails were left unopened, as I knew I was neither capable of reading them, let alone responding.

In golfing terminology...I had the YIPS!! What used to be as easy to me as sinking a 1 foot putt, was not even catching the lip of the hole!! Only a few short weeks ago, I was questioning if I would ever be the same old irritating, shit stirring, 'bull at a gate' Farmer Gregie. My confidence and belief in all that I had done, and everything I still hoped to achieve had vanished before my eyes. I could not walk into a 4REAL store and instigate a conversation - with an employee or customer. I could not pick up the phone and speak freely. I could not even interact, by reading comments or answering questions, by post insights through social media. I COULD NOT :( I was a broken man who had lost his way. I had no purpose - had lost belief - had given up!

Depression is a strange beast. There'll be many well meaning people who will try and 'cheer you up'. Unfortunately it is just not that simple. You cannot think 'happy thoughts' and push it out of you mind. Your logical brain may suspect that the thoughts are not real, yet you are still powerless to feel anything other...the way you feel. There are tools to help and yes medication and therapy are important. But even if all hope appears lost, you must believe one thing. TIME will defeat depression. You might not know exactly how long this will take or when it will happen - but as long as you're sucking in oxygen, TIME has the opportunity to play its pivotal role. And should you again slip back, TIME will still be there to do its thing again... and again.

As each week passes, I look back at where I was and how I felt, in disbelief at my progress and improvement. I feel like, "Wow I'm getting better", yet I continue to get better, week after week. It sounds contrived to suggest that my recovery has been nothing short of miraculous...but it's true. It is like somebody flicked the switch a month ago, and I've gone from the dull glow of a candle, to the brightness of a flood light. Perhaps another four weeks from now I'll be radiating as brightly as the light towers over the GABBA!!!

Physically I'm still struggling and learning what works best for my body. Mentally, I'm getting there - despite frustrating lapses of...FRUSTRATION. One thing I know for sure is that our business stands a much greater chance of survival with me working 'off farm' than on farm. We've put together a really good team on the farm, who with Dad and Uncle Ray's guidance and wealth of knowledge have kept things running very nicely indeed. The survival of our family farm is reliant on the survival of 4REAL MILK. During my absence I have come to understand with clarity, that nobody within our organisation has the ability to communicate the message, and interact with the people who will in turn save 4REAL MILK - YOU!! Nobody...but Farmer Gregie!!

I have become an accidental activist. A voice for all Aussie farmers, that has been lost for decades. A forgotten story that has not been told by corporate dominance. A future pin-up boy for Australian Agriculture...a GLOBAL SENSATION...sorry...wait...too far?? Okay getting a little carried away there!! It's good to aim high right? I talk in seriousness about the comparisons between what Steve Irwin did for wildlife conservation in his short time on the planet, and what I have set about achieving for the future of Agriculture. His ability to communicate a message was as irritating to some, as it was inspirational to others, and appears to be a talent I share. His global impact on his chosen field was actually magnified through his work away from Australia Zoo - although it will forever remain his legacy. I say in jest, that I will one day be as big as Steve - but no stingray will take me out! More likely a runaway tractor. But in seriousness I also recall vividly the indelible mark that fateful day left in my heart, when the news broke on the radio. I was in the tractor raking hay - I could take you to the paddock and almost drop my hat on the spot where I heard of the tragedy :(

Sometimes structures are unable to be repaired. The integrity of their framework has been compromised or destroyed. They are condemned and need to be rebuilt from the ground up - for the protection of human life. That is today true of the Dairy Industry I've grown up in, as I look on astonished at the unnecessary devastation since the 1990's. The systematic dismantling of a once strong and thriving industry has gone on unabated to far too long, without government intervention or consumer comprehension. Corporate greed will be the death of agriculture in Australia - but it is what gives me strength, gives me purpose and fans my fire. I refuse to idly sit around any longer, to watch my farming friends drop like flies - and see your LOCAL FRESH MILK evaporate into thin air.

I am making a STAND, and you are all more than welcome to join me. No longer am I fearful of the all conquering CORPORATE MACHINE. They have bought their way into media and bombard us every day with subliminal messages built on retail profits, not commercial realities. Their propaganda has so effectively infiltrated every aspect of our lives, that we are oblivious to the fact that CORRUPTION is determining market value...not COMPETITION. The Australia you live in today is no longer a capitalist society, but a dictatorship. CORPORATE GREED are now running the show - and we are funding their ongoing campaign, by spending 80% of our money with them instead of supporting independent businesses. Market manipulation, compliments of predatory pricing is simply a means to an end. Whose end? Gigantic Multinational Companies desire to kill off competition. The means? Gain absolute control of the market, to maintain control of the MONEY. They may have bought air time on TV and Radio - but they cannot buy your loyalty or trust. They need to earn that the old fashioned way, by walking the talk. TALK is cheap...no matter what price you paid for it!!

The definition of INSANITY?? Doing the same thing and expecting a different result. If you don't like where we're heading - then you'd better make some life changing decisions NOW. If you want to wait for the right time...wait. If you want to wait for government intervention...still waiting! If you want to wait for RETAIL and FOOD PROCESSING GIANTS to develop a social conscience...keep waiting!!

I'm done waiting. It's time for decisive action, not procrastination!! YOU SNOOZE YOU LOSE :(

Cheers,
Farmer Gregie 

It's funny how our own mind plays tricks on us - and at times incredibly frustrating! 

I realise after sleeping on it, my anxiety of succeeding or failing in the Crowd Funding campaign has nothing to do with 'success or failure'...as such. It has everything to do with the belief among the thousands of supporters like you who have been on the journey until this point in time. Do you believe strongly enough in me? Do you believe strongly enough in my message? Do you believe, beyond a shadow of doubt that I will take this message to the world - and create the awareness that I speak of?

As I look at my own track record - I cannot dispute our achievements...they are real. I have already left an indelible mark in my small corner of the world. I have taken a U-turn from tradition, and flipped the way milk is sold on its head! The way we do business is the way of the future. The way we produce and market food is the way of the future. The corporate alternative has no future. It will self destruct, not a question of if - but when? It's a paradigm shift for many - one future, very bright - the other future, extremely bleak. You will determine that future...you already are today.

A promising start to the campaign, with 19 backers. It is a nice mix of some original and very loyal believers, and some brand new faces. This is a great test of the 'care factor' of the wider community. I am already feeling much more at ease with the outcome, as it will help shape my way forward. You see - it will be for the best if the campaign is not supported, as that indicates to me that target audience I thought was out there...does not exist. However if the campaign is heavily backed, that is awesome news, giving me the green light to be the one who shows the way of the future, ably assisted by YOU!

This will prove to be a great release of the pressure I've put on myself. It can be exhilarating to be a creative, to act on a faith, to believe what I've already foreseen to be true and real. It can also be draining and daunting for those closest to me, those who don't always share in my visions. I have been working on this project (educational documentary), mentally, for the past 5 years. As soon as that report was released in 2011, of Year 11 Students who thought Yogurt grew on trees, and Cotton came off animals, I knew that awareness had to be created, that education was key. That was also the motivation to start our farm tours.

Over to you now...no pressure! After 12 hours of going live we're at $814. Unfortunately that puts us on track to reach the target in 74 days time, which is 53 days beyond my deadline. As my wife always tells me - "You snooze, you lose". I will know whether to action my plans or not in the coming days. I already believe in 'me', but if you do too...then I need your help. It's in your hands.

Cheers,
Farmer Gregie :)

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/farmer-gregie-s-bridge-the-gap-campaign/x/6275727#/

 

AUSTRALIA DAY!!

This day will likely be bittersweet forever more...for me. Sweet - because it signifies the event that became the catalyst of 4REAL MILK's birth. Bitter - as I continue to question the cost?

January 26th, 2011 - Coles launched the sale of 'fresh milk' for $1 a litre. They were actually following a price already set by ALDI (who were not seen as a major threat at the time), which in turn forced Woolies hand and saw them follow suit. And so it was, the biggest of all price wars this country has ever seen was set in motion.

Dairy farmers watched on in anger, disillusioned. Rallies were organised and protests coordinated. Our farm gate price was about to crash and despite our attempts to create a public awareness of the direct and very real impact - we were powerless to effect change. Not surprisingly, farm gate milk price across Queensland and NSW did crash in the ensuing months by between 20% and 30% depending on which milk processor you were contracted to. With a force as destructive as the 2011 floods, the dairy industry was left decimated in it's wake - losing almost one third of its farmers in the coming months and years.

I look back astonished, as we all felt confident the milk wars would only last a matter of months. Supply and Demand would dictate a turnaround by necessity as the local milk shortage kicked in. Well I've been right about many things in the past decade, but in this case I couldn't have been further off the mark! The status quo has been maintained and consumers continue to be misled to believe that $1 a litre is a good deal for fresh milk. The truth? The fallout happened so rapidly that here in Queensland, retailers have been forced to truck milk thousands of kilometres to meet the market since 2012. This continues to happen as local farmers (within a 2 hour radius of their major centres) are paid below the cost of production and forced off their generational dairy farm. Interstate fresh milk imports have increased by between 300-400% in the past three years (from 40 million litres in 2012, to about 150 million litres last year), to ensure consumer demand was met. Pauls, Norco and Dairy Farmers milk products are indeed trucked up and down the entire east coast of Australia, every week of the year.

It truly has been a great case study for the good old 'divide and conquer' strategy. Of course Coles, Woolies and ALDI don't collude - that would be illegal. Incredibly however they have remained rock solid on their milk price since 2011. Yes, without speaking to each other, they have managed to maintain a retail price point for milk - which is lower than you the consumer were paying in store back in the 1990's, over 20 years ago! Major milk processors (be they internationally owned public companies, or Aussie owned Co-ops) lock their farmer groups into long-term contracts (whereby farmers are obligated to sell every last litre of milk they produce to their milk company...because they signed the legally binding document), yet have 'supply agreements' with their enemy (or should I say 'fellow') milk processors which enable them to shuffle tens of millions of litres of milk between factories year round. Again perfectly legal I'm sure. They have also done a tremendous job in stimulating hatred among farmers, be it State vs. State - Factory vs. Factory or Mate vs. Mate!! Out of fear for their own survival, individual farmers scramble aimlessly as the 'fight or flight' instinct kicks in.

Much like the political argument in my last blog, I question whether all this frantic activity happening behind closed doors driven by selfish short term motives or with a long term view of the greater good? Instincts can be hard to override, but sustainability depends on a fair and balanced approach. Survival today is all for nothing if any chance of future prosperity is corrupted or compromised. 'Charity starts at home' was never intended to mean that's also where it ends. It starts at home, so that it can flow freely to others - in strengthening relationships, and business partnerships - in our country and overseas.

As we expand our 4REAL market it is a double edged sword. Low food miles and supporting local remain among our core beliefs. In regions like Charleville and Longreach - there is no local dairy industry. Despite the many hundreds of kilometres in transit, 4REAL MILK may well still be their closest 'local' option. Even towns like Townsville and Cairns, major milk companies are trucking milk thousands (not hundreds) of kms up and down the east coast of Australia, while local industries like on the Atherton Tablelands have been systematically dismantled. It is true - Far North Queensland are now NET IMPORTERS of fresh milk all year round, with less than 40 surviving dairy farms!! Even if we come closer to our home base, it's fraught with danger of rejection. You see our farm is only 35 minutes from the NSW border. Our milk is produced and bottled closer to Kyogle, Casino and Lismore - than it is to Toowoomba or Warwick. We are closer to Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah and Ballina than we are to Dalby, Roma or Gympie. We have been fielding an almost fanatical level of support from Northern NSW consumers (and many retailers too), desperate to get 4REAL over the border...into what is effectively still our own 'backyard', since our inception. This is something I'm very proud to say we have finally achieved.

Perhaps I need to elaborate on the double edged sword analogy? Our milk had been over the border all of 3 days, and some small minded people had lodged complaints and threatened to withdraw their support of some of these retailers, who they claimed are "no longer supporting local".  This displays with great clarity the fear that has been instilled in consumers and farmers, seeds deliberately sown by milk processors themselves. I don't care whether a milk company is internationally owned, or an Aussie owned co-op who claim to support local - they all act with level of disrespect to our industry as a whole. How so? When we started our milk company, the immediate motivation was to save the family farm...so far so good. The much bigger picture was always to save other family farms by putting upward pressure on an unsustainably low farm gate milk price. As I now get to see and hear first hand the goings on within industry, every single big milk company is about eliminating whoever they believe to be competition, regardless the cost. The issue I face (and sadly the small retailer who is simply following through on the requests by their supportive loyal customers in sourcing a product on demand), is that this disappointing situation has risen its head under the camouflage of interstate rivalry. However, a friend of ours from over the border, told me of his own experience last year. He built a small milk company about the same time we did, and quickly established a strong local following - even winning a Gold Medal at the RNA Fine Food & Wine Awards dairy section. Within two years of startup, a big milk co-op went into his biggest local stockists (some within minutes from his farm), and undercut his wholesale price by more than a dollar a litre. Hmmm...did you too just pick up the scent of hypocrisy in the air?? Forget about the marketing spin that milk companies have become so proficient at, their motivation at every opportunity is to search out and destroy any threat, perceived or otherwise. Shoot first - ask questions later. I'm embarrassed that some of our Co-ops today tug on your heartstrings and trade off the "Aussie Made and Owned" mantra, while trying to bury little blokes like me, like 4REAL who are also Aussie made and owned.

All seems so bitter! There really is a big whack of SWEET too thankfully. Every hit I take from a big milk company - I will wear as a badge of honour. They are watching what I'm doing - they're hearing what I'm saying - they're more than a little rattled... I think I've got them on the run!! I have figured out something they don't deem necessary to their survival - pay the dairy farmer a FAIR farm-gate milk price. As generational dairy farms in our sub-tropical region continue to close down, BIG MILK still think the 'stick' is a much better prompt than the 'carrot'. If you understand human nature - when people have been battered from pillar to post for long enough, fear ceases to be an effective motivator. A growing number of these people (otherwise know as dairy farmers) are saying...ENOUGH!! They are exercising their freedom of choice, to depart the dairy industry. When all hope is lost beyond the foreseeable future - there is no reason to stay.

Ooops - sorry! This was supposed to be the sweet bit - and I've slipped back into bitter!!

Big milk companies continue to pay farmers what they think is fair - but that isn't even covering the farmer's bills, let alone repairs and maintenance. At the same time a little milk company with a big plan, is paying farmers what he knows they are worth - so that they can pay bills, and maybe...just maybe dream of a future. There is a catch however. The only way these grandiose plans will ever fly, is thanks to YOU! It can become very confusing - who should consumers support? But when you can get a grasp the benefit, you can't help but want to do what is right. The most important factor in enabling you to make a judgement call, is to be armed with the relevant facts. Below is a breakdown of the numbers that you don't get to see. Nobody within milk processing or retail have ever shared them publicly. They are real - based on industry figures, not Farmer Gregie opinions. Prior to our venture in the wonderful world of processing, distribution and retail, I had neither the tools or the knowledge to share with you.

Itemised breakdown of retail milk in QLD -
Cost of production (on farm) - 65c/L
Cost of processing (approx) - 50c/L
Cost of warehousing and distribution - 10 - 20%
Cost of retail mark-up (varies) - 25 - 40%
 
Cheap Supermarket $1/L Milk
Farm-gate price to farmer - 35c/L (30c/L loss)
Cost of processing - 50c/L (maybe not covered?)
Cost of distribution - (covered)
Cost of retail mark-up (loss leader) - loss of between 5-20c/L

Sustainably priced $2/L
Farm-gate price to farmer - 65c/L (costs covered)
Cost of processing - 50c/L (covered)
Cost of distribution - 35c/L (approx)
Retail mark-up - 50c/L (approx)

*Approximations are due to differing economies of scale

I understand that this all seems rather long winded - so please give yourself a pat on the back from me if you got this far!! But here's the kicker. If the difference between a future with fresh milk...or without, is KNOWLEDGE, maybe you'd agree this has been time well spent?? What are the odds of long term availability of locally produced fresh milk, in a supply chain that distributes a LOSS to each and every sector? I reckon - "A snowflake's chance in a Queensland summer". Just saying!!

Cheers,
Farmer Gregie ;)

You know the old saying - "Absence makes the heart grow fonder". Of course that is referring to people and relationships, but it will be equally relevant to availability of fresh food and it's subsequent impact on our quality of life. Sadly it is also true that you don't appreciate what you've got - until it's gone. Here in the lucky country, Aussies en masse have been spoiled with abundance since the Great Depression. I look on incredulously, as complacency runs rampant and our freedom of choice in the very near future is eroding before my eyes.

Some of us have been taught from an early age, that charity starts at home. I hear some of you gasp...what a selfish motive! Not at all. Have you ever considered why the flight attendants request that you put your own oxygen mask in place before attempting to help others? How could you possibly help anybody else, let alone yourself, if you're lying back - passed out in your seat?? If as a country, a community and a family, we don't nourish our bodies and strengthen our own financial position - then we will be rendered powerless to help others, at home or abroad and cease to exist in the literal sense of the word :(

We should not be surprised that the Chinese, and any other intelligent society would want to secure food supplies from Australia. In fact I consider it a compliment of the highest order! We have a well earned reputation as one of the 'cleanest and greenest' agricultural producers in the world today. The 'green'? Well I'm happy to agree that as an industry we can keep working on that one, and continue to lift our game. The 'clean'? Thanks in part to import regulations surrounding biosecurity...but most importantly the fact that we are quite literally an island - with a fairly substantial protective barrier know in some circles as an OCEAN!! We can all look on in amazement at the structural feat that is the Great Wall of China - but just imagine what it would have cost to pile up dirt the size of Australia, and plonk it in the middle of a big pond!

Don't be mistaken however - if we make the decision to sell off any of our farm land to foreign investors (from any country without discrimination), we lose control of where the resultant crops or produce with be sent. Other countries are already setting about securing their food future. They won't be looking to feed Australia first, with the food they've grown...off the land they own. Investment in agricultural land is a very different beast to investment in manufacturing, industrial or residential land. There are many things we can do in a free country - but that call is above our pay grade. In this instance we must apply political pressure, and never allow the powers that be, during any given term, sell out the future of generations not yet born. NEVER!! We own the land - we control the market.

It is true that in democratic countries we can all vote governments in or out, and have an expectation that they will make the appropriate decisions that will benefit us as a whole. Unfortunately the events we used to call 'Elections' have become farcical in recent decades, even more so with the advent of Social Media. (KRudd is probably only marginally behind Kim Kardashian and Farmer Gregie for the most selfies taken since '07)!! Today these elections are little more that a 'Popularity Contest'. I fear for the day when they become a 10 or 12 week TV series, like X Factor, MKR...or "I'm a Politician Get Me OUT OF HERE!!" Through a process of elimination, the last person standing will be our newly crowned Prime Minister. (Although now that I've suggested it the Commercial TV channels will be soon bidding for the exclusive rights - with Coles and Woolies tendering for major sponsorship package that will likely return their investment 10 fold).

Yes the little voice inside my head continues to chirp away, "But is it UNAustralian to believe the Australian way is no longer... Australian??" You see we have been subtly building a Brand New Australia since the 1980's on a foundation of 'greed is good', under the guise of a corporate propaganda machine, being ably assisted with a high level of inactivity I like to call AUSSIE APATHY!! Oooo that sounds harsh now that I've typed it - maybe I really am being UNAustralian by simply making such a suggestion. I just think it's about time we stopped playing the blame game with all that's going wrong in our world - and own up to our personal contribution. As sensationalist media happily frame governments and giant corporations as evil...they willingly take copious amounts of money under the table, to pay for the advertising with which we are bombarded 24/7, about the very same governments and corporations. Not surprisingly, as apathy kicks in - we mindlessly soak it all up, swallowing the sugar coated poison that is breaking our spirit from the inside out.

Are we really so powerless? Are YOU really so powerless?? Understand that you DO have the ability to choose - in a free country. The choice of what to watch, what to believe, what actions to take - and who to support. Ignorance is NOT bliss. Inactivity IS a contribution. What you do...or don't do about the situation we face will help determine the future, just as all that has been done before has shaped our past. The situation I speak of? FOOD SECURITY!

Until something impacts directly upon your life, it is difficult to consider it a problem. That is basic human instinct, as we are hard-wired for survival. The past couple of centuries have seen a huge shift in the value we place on differing roles in society. After many thousands of years of being  predominantly agricultural, we've moved through the industrial age...and into the technology boom. So we've gone from food producers comprising a dominant sector of the workforce, to today in Australia less than 1% of the workforce are farmers. If you were to talk to many of the farmers, their morale is especially low, they feel there is little or no respect for the role they play and the efforts they go to on a daily basis. As opportunities on the land have all but dried up, farmers insist that their kids and grandkids get a trade, or a degree. Become a professional and live without the hardships faced on farm (of course the grass is always greener!). People continue to flock from regional centres to the coastal cities - who in turn are unable to cope with infrastructure and population growth.

Let me say, to all the farmers out there, and anybody who lives in Australia and eats food (covers most of you I reckon?)...I want to put this in perspective. Less than 1% of Aussies supply 93% of domestic food requirements, and export enough to feed another 60 million people (valued at $41Billion p/a). Has anybody stopped for just one moment, to consider how their body would operate - how their brain would function, without food, without being regularly refueled? Have you ever sat in a car turning the key, willing it to start, when the fuel gauge reads EMPTY?? Not going to happen!! Yet despite the fact that logic dictates we are nothing without food, farmers feel unworthy, and many (not all) city dwellers don't care. We are turning the corner, but it is a slow turn that's been a long time coming.

The very big issue we face here is education. It's not going to be resolved without the will of the people who have lost touch with the land, who no longer have that direct generational connection through farming. The truth is that as farmers, we let ourselves down badly. We get so busy being busy, that we allow the huge profit driven processing and retail machine to promote and sell our 'labour of love' on our behalf. We've all seen with clarity how that's played out over the past 30 years or so, and it's leaving a bitter taste in my mouth! You see the greed of CEO's and shareholders (yes we too have been contributing as a collective) is driving retail price-point, while you the customer have been taught what is an appropriate spend on food. Sadly this has little to no relevance for sustainability, and most certainly doesn't translate to value. In simple terms, the price is what you pay - set by the retailer. In recent decades, the disparity between price and cost (the actual money required to maintain profit at farm level) has grown so rapidly, that many agricultural sectors have gone past the tipping point. Pressure on farmers across sectors has been delivered with one core message - "Get big or get out"! This philosophy has undoubtedly been driven by corporate accountants who understand the economies of scale. But when you get into negative territory, you lose more money faster. Great 'price' may not align with great 'value' if there is no margin at farm-gate. Ask anyone with a degree in Economics, is it possible to continue running a business when expenses exceed income every single month? Actually...ask anyone with a calculator! That continues to be the experience of the humble Dairy Farmer. We've allowed external forces to create a market and educate the masses that $1 milk is a good deal...but at what cost? As the cheap milk market continues to grow in volume, high level dairy farms are shutting their gates at an increasing rate.

The role we play as individuals is critical. We can't wait for government intervention - things move too slow through that forum. Governments are too busy 'sledging' the other team, instead of making positive and effective policy to benefit our country. In fact - democracy as we know it has failed us all badly...just my opinion! If politicians were genuinely about what is good for Australia as a country, then opposition would work with, not against the incumbent government in the spirit of bipartisanship - for the greater good. Opposition do more harm for our country than the worst performing government ever could, as they erode confidence and instill fear in us all, as to what inevitably lies ahead...and I mean ALL opposition, Federal and State!! I wish they would GROW UP and show some leadership, for the sake of the people they've been elected to serve.

This Australia Day - and every other day of the year, all I ask is that you think about your choices. Is the way you spend your money on food going to help strengthen an industry or destroy it? Are you comfortable with importing your fresh food in the future, pending availability, from countries who have surplus to their domestic requirements? Have you really considered the consequences of your actions today - and how it will flow on to Australia's future prosperity? 

If you genuinely care, as you tuck into your family feast...spare a thought, and say thanks to the farmer you've never met who put that food on your plate. I want you to know that they will keep doing it for as long as they physically, mentally and financially can, day in day out. I know this because I'm one of them. But should the day come, when it's no longer possible...only then will you realise just what you had and how much you are going to miss it :( 

Happy Australia Day!
Farmer Gregie :)

While we call it anecdotal evidence...it is REAL!!

Just ask one of the thousands who have discovered that our milk is not causing any of the nasty side-effects they had come to associate with anything dairy!

I continue to question..."Has our body really changed in one generation - or are we continuing to do more damage to our food through processing, in turn creating digestive issues". We're all chasing that elusive property we've trained to look for through cleverly coordinated propaganda campaigns..."SHELF LIFE" !!