Dry not dampening Victorian farmer hopes: poll
MOST Victorian farmers are confident conditions will not worsen for them in the next year.
MOST Victorian farmers are confident conditions will not worsen for them in the next year despite the prospect of a drought.
The latest results from the quarterly Rabobank rural confidence survey say their confidence is underpinned by strong commodity prices, and preparedness for El Niño and a possible drought.
The survey found 32 per cent of farmers expect farming conditions to improve in the next year (down from 39 per cent three months ago), 16 per cent expect them to worsen (up from 13 per cent) and 46 per cent expect stable conditions.
Rabobank state manager Todd Charteris says beef producers are enjoying record high prices while autumn planting rains were good in some grain regions.
“As it stands today, the season is favourable across much of the state and while the rain was late coming and a bit patchy, it has enabled farmers to get their planting program underway and put in their crops which appear to be generally in line with last year,” he said.
The survey found 68 per cent of farmers were preparing for drought by banking money, storing feed, managing livestock numbers or buying water infrastructure.
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