Many common problems on the other side of the world

I am currently in New Zealand, having been in Australia for three weeks on a promotional tour with the companys that import and market a disc No-Till seeder we developed on our farm.

Visiting and talking to many farmers and groups, their problems and issues are much the same as here - rising costs, weeds and chemical resistance, weather extremes, political interference and most appropriate, soil degradation.

The none-wetting sands in western Australia are a big challenge. Firstly, they have to have around 75 tons of clay spread on and lightly incorporated to get them to begin to work. As their crops are sown in the autumn and harvested in the spring, the soil is left bare during the hot summer.

Many farmers are now becoming aware of the benefits of leaving crop residue or planting cover crops to help condition their soil, hence the need for a disc seed drill. Also, their stock farmers are finding ways of achieving regeneration of pastures by intersowing them with enhancing plant species, for which they have a need for a very low disturbance disc-based sowing system.

In New Zealand, on the high quality soils of the Canterbury plains, it is interesting to make the comparison with Holbeach Marsh - here they use the very best soil for intensive milk production, with massive centre pivot irrigation systems. Again, farmers are concerned that soil degradation is becoming a problem and they must address this if they are to manage their costs and remain sustainable.

Even this far from home, Brexit very soon comes into conversations and the Oz view is that they are pleased to see that we are now more politically stupid than them, but the general opinion is that it all seems a bit of a waste of time and we should appreciate the benefits of being part of the biggest free trading area of the world and should stay with it.

Must admit, being away for some time, it all looks pretty stupid from here.