Andrew Frank farms with his wife Nadine and parents Allan and Marilyn. As well as managing their cropping and sheep enterprise, Andrew keeps busy with four young children; Chloe, Ebony, Petria and Charlie and community involvement. Andrew, Nadine and the kids live at the home block at Carron (between Watchem and Donald) and he says the decision to purchase a property at Brimpaen a few years ago has helped from a risk management and family involvement perspective.
How is sowing going? Did you encounter any issues?
We’re nearly finished (as at 29 May). We sow wheat, barley, vetch, lentils and beans and run pasture at our Brimpaen property for the sheep.
Heavy stubble loads have been a problem – we’ve done plenty of circles in the paddock – but it’s worth persevering if a dry Spring eventuates.
Normally we like to get in and sow early but the rain has slowed us down. Which is a good, and not a huge problem; the big rain events give you more confidence.
What’s your biggest challenge at this time of year and how are you managing it?
Normally it’s one of the busiest times of year because we’re trying to sow and feed sheep at the same time. The April break this year has really taken the pressure off.
How much rain have you had this year?
We’ve had 160 mm in 2017 so far with 124 mm of that falling in April and May.
We bought two automatic weather stations this year and they’ve been great. Especially when it comes to easily monitoring what’s going on at the Brimpaen (125km away) property.
Once the crops get up, we’ll be using them (weather stations) for optimal spraying opportunities to manage that risk of spray getting across the fence. They will come in handy for sure.
What are your plans for the year ahead?
Every year has its worries about how it’s going to pan out but right now everyone has a bit of grain around, a bit of subsoil moisture and a good start to the season. We’re hoping we don’t have the grass weed pressure we’d normally expect with a dry sowing.
We’ll work to stay above break even by balancing our input costs including fertiliser and grass herbicides.
What’s the best farming advice you’ve been given?
Do what you love.
We like our stock work and that supported our decision to purchase the Brimpaen property. Nadine and I want to get our kids interested in farming or the agricultural services because it is a great industry to be in. They can’t really help a lot with cropping until they get a bit older but the stock enterprise is very hands on.
