The Wagga and District Branch of NSW Farmers' Forum will bring its workers together

With the potential of a dry April, fears of a drought are emerging. Alan Brown, chairman of Wagga’s NSW Farmers Association branch, said all fingers are crossed for wet weather. 

“It’s seasonally dry at the moment, if we get winter rain in May then we get back on track,” he said. 

“But livestock feeds are at a premium at the moment, most people I know are hand-feeding and people are starting to get rid of their surplus stock, stock that is not a core part of their business, so it’s tough decision time. 

“If it rains in May, if we can get opening winter rains, well we can get back on track.” 

Mr Brown said these concerns and other topics will be a part of the Farmers Forum on Tuesday hosted by the Wagga and District Branch of NSW Farmers.   

“The main focus will be information on moving agricultural equipment on roads, so oversize or overweight vehicles and making sure farmers know firsthand from the RMS what they need to do to comply, because the last thing we want is moving things illegally or in an unsafe manner,” he said. 

NSW Young Farmers member Tobie Payne said information the forum provides is extremely helpful to younger farmers, such as himself. 

“It will be good to get some tax advice and learn about what you can and can’t claim,” he said.

“It’s also good for the younger people coming through on the farms to learn about what’s actually involved with behind-the-scenes paperwork.

“I think its crucial to get farmers under the one roof and its a great outlet to socialise, catch up with a mate and learn some things on the way.” 

Other topics that will be discussed include: quad bike and farm safety rebates, farm biosecurity, tax topics, pest management and pesticide certification. 

Everyone is welcome to attend the forum. For more information: https://www.nswfarmers.org.au/NSWFA/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=NFFWAGGA.