No slowdown

Business has been booming for one Naring farmer-turned-contractor. In the past 12 months, Lochie Morris’ contract work has grown a life of its own.

“I was happy to expand the client list slowly but in the last year it’s taken off,” Mr Morris said.

“When they know you’ve got more than one Welger baler, the phone dosen’t stop ringing — and we’ve got heaps ... people want guys who are versatile.”

Mr Morris runs North Vic Ag Contracting with his brother Hamish, who picks up the work at harvest.

“He likes to work seasonally whereas I love to do it full-time,” Mr Morris said.

“Dad is in it a little bit but he’s slowing down and letting us take over.”

The Morris family has done cropping work outside Numurkah for years, alongside a bit of beef.

Mr Morris said the industry had changed, even in just three years.

“It’s the sort of industry where you need to have contacts and need to have a good reputation with people to get work today,” he said.

“If you start off now it’s tough. I call them blow-ins — they think they can buy a bunch of new machinery and make a killing — but they are here today and gone tomorrow because they don’t make the profit they expect.”

North Vic Ag Contracting will take on clients anywhere in Victoria and extends up to Wagga Wagga in NSW.

“We don’t have clients Victoria-wide, but

I am keen to expand so I advertise that,” Mr Morris said.

“I’m willing to go 300 km north into NSW. That way I can still get home if Dan Andrews pulls anything (lockdown-related).”

Mr Morris said COVID-19 closures had definitely interfered with the business.

“It’s made it harder to finance stuff; I got into a blue with a bank recently.

“Finding staff is hard as well, a lot of drivers go to the big contractors first and it leaves smaller guys like us stuck.

“There is a major workforce shortage, but the government doesn’t care. They especially don’t care about small businesses in the ag industry. If you aren’t retail, forget it.”

North Vic Ag Contracting runs six tractors, but has two on order and there’s also one roustabout tractor for small jobs.

“One is going to be here soon and the other is still on the water,” Mr Morris said.

“We do everything from start to finish — hay, silage, tillage, harvest.”

Mr Morris said this year was going to be good for silage and tight for hay.

"Nobody wants to cut hay with grain prices where they are. I was looking yesterday. It’s $905 a tonne for canola.”

While there won’t be much hay work, good weather means silage is set to keep farmers busy.

“We’re going to cut out silage today (September 9). Now that is way earlier in the season than normal,” Mr Morris said.

“I reckon people will be getting a lot of cuts out of their silage.”