UP until 1997 Ron Wilson was a railway store man.
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But in reality he has always been a farmer. Mr Wilson of “The Pines”, Ladysmith has spent his whole life setting up a career in the rural contracting sector.
Even as a student at the Ladysmith Public School Mr Wilson was kept busy loading small square bales of hay after school.
It was not unusual for him to handle hundreds of small bales in a season and at the same time juggle his studies.
Despite his time away from the classroom Mr Wilson was no slouch school.
“Maths was my best subject,” he says with a laugh.
“It was about adding up the dollars.”
“When you think about it, life is about learning, we learn as we go,” he said.
Mr Wilson has been a member of the Australian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA) since 2003 and regularly attends the annual conferences.
And in 2010 he participated in a John Deere Study Tour to the US and he has also visited New Zealand on a tour with the AFIA.
“If I go to the conference and only learn one thing it has been worth it,” he said.
ADVANTAGES: A big part of Mr Wilson’s work involves contract fodder making throughout southern NSW and the Riverina. From cutting hay to wrapping silage he works with the best machinery he can find and – like all in the industry – is often challenged by the elements.
“I enjoy what I do, I am out in the fresh air and you meet plenty of people,” he said.
Mr Wilson also aims to learn about the latest developments in agricultural equipment and technology and prides himself in keeping everything in good working order.
“You can’t afford to have breakdowns in this industry,” he said.
Mr Wilson said the key to producing quality fodder was in working with the weather and assessing moisture levels.
This meant the timing was critical.
CHALLENGES: The relentless rain this season has played havoc for farm contracting and winter crops.
Mr Wilson concedes that he will have to resow some crops.
He said this predicament was not just something occurring at his place. The water logging issues were widespread.
He remembers other wet years but says it is extremely unusual for to see so much rain in August and September and predicted into early October.
In recent times he has upgraded his mower conditioner and also acquired a new round baler.
This week he was kept busy spraying paddocks for lucerne flea. Earlier in the week it was possible to enter the paddocks with a ground spray rig but by Thursday – after rain fell on Wednesday night – it became too wet.
THE FUTURE: Mr Wilson said acquiring land to enter the rural sector was tough.
He said young people accepted this and also weighed up the potential rewards.