— 5 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 201 — Autumn 2019 — 5 IREC Farmers’ Newsletter No. 201 — Autumn 2019 Chairman’s welcome Each time I sit down to write this article I start by outlining the challenges we are currently confronted with, and conclude with ‘we are in difficult times’ or something to that effect. I have only now come to the conclusion that being a farmer is ALL about managing major challenges that arise, year in, year out. A BIG chunk of the challenges comes from our varying climate. It does have distinct seasonal patterns but generally no two years are ever the same. As irrigation farmers, we currently are being challenged by a dry sequence of seasons that has led to the depletion of stored water—this is out of our control. However, we have tools at our disposal to help address and manage challenges. Our tools to deal with this current dry scenario are: l crop choice l the water market l on-farm watering systems l moisture conservation l managing expections l being ready l cost control l having the ability to deal with stress l having the capacity to make sound decisions under pressure. Most farming operations today have survived drought before. That experience has already helped prepare us for our current challenge. Less crop and more time on our hands can be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome. How we use this time is key to being ‘ready’ for when the water comes back. This usually happens without much notice. So now is the time to formulate strategies for getting crop in the ground on time regardless of how wet it is. Everyone will have their own way, that doesn’t matter—what matters is that we act now to ensure a result when the water starts to flow. Looking after the manager We all readily look after our business and our gear, but no so much ourselves. No matter what age we are, healthy eating and regular exercise is an absolute advantage to getting the most out of our whole operation. Similar to maintaining our tractors, ute and headers, we should have a rock solid plan to maintain ourselves and stick to it. Like mechanics, there are many health and fitness professionals at our disposal so no matter what our ‘issues’ are, there is no excuse for doing nothing. IREC is your organisation and the field station is open to all who would like to have a look around.