(Contains opinion)

National Ag Day was November 15th this year - it is a day that we all get to celebrate the work that we chose to do.

For farmers, it’s a job like no other - a job that requires seven days per week, for most of us to live on the farm - to facilitate quick stock and water checks - where farm parts and tools, service books and Vendor Declarations end up on the kitchen table or dumped at the back door.

That same kitchen table plays host to the workers as well as the bank manager. 

That same kitchen table where plans are made and deals are done, and your tea may sometimes go cold.

It is a day where we can reflect on the way we farmed throughout history, (when that old timber wagon - now sitting under the trees, was loaded with bales of wool and pulled by the horse team through town and into the port to be unloaded onto the ship) and the amazing advances in technology and science that have impacted how we farm today.

For the most part; the goals are still the same - to produce the best livestock, crops or dairy products that we can, while we measure this year’s outcomes against last year’s - and we are always asking ‘how can we do better?’

Like all businesses, we aim to be profitable to afford a decent quality of life.

For most of us, the lifestyle is a big part of the passion.

To be able to raise a family in a small community, where everyone knows your name and your kids, and the post office lady helps you with your parcels to your car.

Farming is an industry that you need to be passionate about - because, without the passion - the workload can at times become over whelming.

It can be incredibly tough and you can feel so sick you could almost crumble, but then the highs can be magical - you top the sales or your micron test is so much better than you anticipated, or that new batch of calves are real doers!

It’s at this time of year - when the sheep need shearing at the same time as the silage needs baling and the summer crops need planting and by the time you get on top of that, it’s hay time – that we can all get a bit too sleep and rest deprived!

So, let’s take a look at farming in Victoria.

There are 21,300 farm businesses.

The agricultural industry employed 68,870 people in 2021–2022, up 3.3 per cent on the previous year.

Agriculture provided $20.2 billion value in production for 2021–2022, up 15 per cent on the previous year.

Agriculture provided $19.6bn value in food and fibre exports in 2022-2023.

Victoria is the number one producer of milk - 5.47bn litres of the Australian annual total of 8.55bn litres for 2021-2022, sheep meat - 46 per cent of national production, fruit and nuts - 33 per cent of national production, and vegetables - 25 per cent of national production.

Now, we just need to remind the state government of our contribution to the state and the nation and get some support – and maybe a bit more rest.