The seasons don't stop, they shift, as do producers. There's a fair bit being thrown at us at the moment with different parts of the country experiencing different pressures, but all trying to move ahead.
In the markets, numbers are lifting, particularly out of northern NSW where it’s dry, and there’s a slightly heavier feel creeping in. Not dramatic, but noticeable. The kind of change you pick up in conversations before you see it fully play out in the market.
Further north, it’s the opposite problem. Flooding continues across large parts of northern Australia, with the Bureau of Meteorology reporting Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle impacting North Queensland today. The system is expected to track west into the Northern Territory over the weekend and on toward the Pilbara, with widespread flood warnings in place.
Here in North East Victoria, we’ve been fortunate to catch some rain this week. A timely break from the dry but not enough to ignore what’s happening more broadly with a strengthening El Niño outlook.
Because alongside varied seasonal pressures - cost pressures are trumping and they are hitting everyone.
Diesel's rapid climb continues, fertiliser prices are high, but supply beyond May is now the worry, and this week the Reserve Bank of Australia lifted the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.10%.
It all feeds into the same equation, one that many are trying to rework in real time. Budgets are being adjusted, re-adjusted, and still not quite landing where they used to.
Across the board, sentiment is mixed. Some are steady, some are uneasy, most are somewhere in between, watching closely, making calls as they need to.
What hasn’t changed is the importance of having a productive, profitable base. In uncertain conditions, that’s what gives a business flexibility, and right now, flexibility feels critical.
There are still positives to hold onto. Demand for Australian lamb and beef remains strong across the globe, and the breadth of markets continues to support pricing. That underlying demand is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Away from the paddock, there were some other newsworthy items to note this week.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to arrive in Australia next week for a three-day visit, meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra. The long-running free trade negotiations are expected to be front and centre, with Australian beef market access still a key sticking point.
Gippsland MP Darren Chester has been appointed Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in the Nationals reshuffle, while Anthea Harris has stepped into a new role coordinating Australia’s fuel supply taskforce.
None of this, nor war in the Middle East, stops the world turning or the need for agriculture. The autumn equinox falls tomorrow, with day and night back in balance and the season turning whether we’re ready or not.
We will keep plugging away again another week, same job as always - just in a different season.