A word from the CEO: the harvest symphony

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The last month has reflected the changing of seasons. We have had the odd hot day, a few thunderstorms doing some good, but not always. Finally, just when we think the transition is to more warm than cool days we have a week of coolish weather just to remind everyone Victoria offers an ever-changing experience.

What I associate more with this time of year is the rhythm. The lead up to harvest is an anxious time. So many things seem outside of an individual’s control. Extreme weather can undo a whole year’s work. Pricing comes into sharp focus. Labour to assist is a focus and logistics is everything. 

Whilst harvest is everything for many farmers they have more than that going on. Hay may need to be stacked, stored and sold. Sheep need checking and depending on what is happening, need very regular checking. It is all hands-on deck. It becomes a cacophony of noise and activity with an underlying rhythm and needs an excellent conductor ensuring everyone is playing the symphony.

How are you going to make sure it is a concert to remember?

This underlying rhythm is particularly noticeable with the change in sport seasons. Football and netball are the winter staples and have the regularity of every week – home and away games plus helping with umpiring, or vote cards or whatever you are asked to do.

Summer sports have a different vibe. For our family, it is basketball and cricket. Both of which I feel reflect the summer, and equally have more similarity to harvest as it requires more preparation than you may think.

First, logistics is key. Training and games seem to clash and can be on any night of the week. There are mid-week basketball games, training sessions combined with cricket training and Friday night games seems to create a hive of activity.

Basketball means a tournament once a month and you must organise accommodation in a country town, so availability is often in short supply which creates its own tensions. Occasionally you have the situation where the daughter is in Swan Hill and the son is in Warrnambool. 

The scoring of both sports is very different but both are very frantic and it means concentration cannot wander (unlike goal umpiring!). This need to concentrate means you watch the game with a different vision and maybe don’t get to fully enjoy the activity at the time, which I think is more like harvest. It is best done in reflection rather than at the time which is very intense and requires concentration to bring the pieces together.

Finally, whilst I hope we don’t end up reflecting the season this way, the song that always comes to mind when I think symphony is this one:

Here’s hoping the harvest is only sweet, the prices are solid and logistical challenges few.

As my uncle would often say “may your truck need hungry boards!”

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