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Speaker 1: We know the top end, as we discussed yesterday, is

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Speaker 1: going to be setting a record for the latest arrival

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Speaker 1: of the monsoon when it finally sets, in which the

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Speaker 1: Bureau of Meteorology says will happen eventually, with five tropical

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Speaker 1: lows in the north likely to bring it on Now.

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Speaker 1: Yesterday I spoke to the Anti Cattleman's Association, who said

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Speaker 1: that stress levels are rising among graziers, with fears that

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Speaker 1: crops could cook without a good drenching, costing millions in

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Speaker 1: lost feed. We I'm keen to find out though, how

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Speaker 1: our farmers are going and what implications does the late

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Speaker 1: onset of the monsoon have for territory farmers. Well, joining

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Speaker 1: us on the line right now to discuss this a

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Speaker 1: little further, is nt Farmers CEO Greg Troughton, Good morning

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Speaker 1: to you.

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Speaker 2: Greg, Good morning Katie, Thanks.

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Speaker 1: So much for your time this morning. Now, Greg, what

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Speaker 1: implications does this late onset of the monsoon have for

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Speaker 1: our Northern territory farmers.

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Speaker 2: Well, look, it's obviously been many, many decades, so we're

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Speaker 2: looking and learning ourselves. But certainly farmers are concerned about

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Speaker 2: the disruption, for the disruption of planting schedules and the

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Speaker 2: eventual crop yields. But there's a swings a roundabouts there.

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Speaker 2: But what we're seeing at the moment is increasing superiation

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Speaker 2: system simply because the rain the monsoons haven't hit and

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Speaker 2: so they've started that process a little bit earlier. But

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Speaker 2: I guess the key message I'd be pushing at the

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Speaker 2: moment is the fact that it's not so much the lateness. Yes,

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Speaker 2: it's a concern, but when it does arrive, we want

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Speaker 2: to see that rain coming down so that the aquifers

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Speaker 2: can be replenished and recharged and we can all get

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Speaker 2: on with business as usual. So that's the main thing.

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Speaker 2: It's not so much the length or even the lateness

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Speaker 2: making sure we get those good rains.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a really good point and one which you know,

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Speaker 1: for many of us that have never worked on a

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Speaker 1: farm probably have no idea about or hadn't even thought of.

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Speaker 2: That's exactly right. And look, the dexterity and agility of

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Speaker 2: our anti farmers just connuinely amazes me. And they'll adopt

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Speaker 2: and they'll change things around and they'll make things work.

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Speaker 2: But as I said before, even even with some of

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Speaker 2: the crop fields last year, the long periods of cloud

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Speaker 2: cover obviously stop the UV rays coming down and hitting

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Speaker 2: the plants. But something like cotton, for example rain fred

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Speaker 2: Cotton actually lives and breathes, and yields are directly relevant

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Speaker 2: to how much UV. So someone like cotton at the

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Speaker 2: moment would be quite happy. They'll be waiting for those rains.

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Speaker 2: But the more UV, the bigger the yield. So it's

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Speaker 2: very much swings and roundabouts. It's what we call the

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Speaker 2: Goldilocks effect. We want to get it just right.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, which is a lot to ask right when

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Speaker 1: we're talking about the weather. It can be really really tough. Now,

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Speaker 1: tell me in terms of the mango season, could we

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Speaker 1: see the mango season pushed back?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, look, because some people are suggesting that, But again

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Speaker 2: I'd be pointing to the fact that the farmers in

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Speaker 2: the NT are incredibly good at being able to manage

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Speaker 2: their harvest season. I guess if that was to happen,

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Speaker 2: and that'll be later in the year. Our fear is

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Speaker 2: that the Darwin rural area from a mangoes perspective, might

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Speaker 2: class the harvest, might class with the Catherine area. And look,

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Speaker 2: it doesn't come to any surprises. There's only so many

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Speaker 2: refrigerated trucks that had our way, So our fear would

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Speaker 2: be that logistics getting the product to market will be

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Speaker 2: an issue again.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Now in terms of the possibility or the risk

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Speaker 1: of losing certain crops, is that something that's even like

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Speaker 1: that's being considered at this point.

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Speaker 2: We're certainly looking at it. As I said, this is

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Speaker 2: the first time in many, many decades. But we remain

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Speaker 2: really confident that our farmers will adapt and adjust, particularly

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Speaker 2: with the horticultural type produced, the mangoes and melons, the

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Speaker 2: broad acre stuff. The conversations you've had with the cattleman's

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Speaker 2: absolutely you know. The sooner the water hits the ground

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Speaker 2: and the moisture's improve and all of those sorts of things,

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Speaker 2: the better. So it's really one of those difficult situations,

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Speaker 2: and I assure you will be looking at it with

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Speaker 2: great interest over the coming weeks and even months.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I bet you will be. Greg like's just how

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Speaker 1: ourgile are some of our farmers having to be at

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Speaker 1: this point, you know, because I guess before Christmas we

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Speaker 1: were sort of thinking we might get an earlier monsoon,

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Speaker 1: you know, we'd had a bit of activity when it

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Speaker 1: comes to the rain, and we're all thinking oh, we

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Speaker 1: might have a lovely you know, we're Christmas, and then

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Speaker 1: it's just kind of delayed and delayed. So I would

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Speaker 1: imagine that they're, you know, they are having to be

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Speaker 1: quite ourgile and they're having to think on their feet

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Speaker 1: about how to do things a little differently, like you said,

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Speaker 1: to what they've been doing for decades.

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Speaker 2: That's exactly right, But it's nothing new. There was many

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Speaker 2: many papers written many many decades ago saying nothing we'd

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Speaker 2: ever working the interland. Look at us now half a

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Speaker 2: billion plus worth of plant production gross farm value. So

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Speaker 2: you know, if anyone can do it, it's the professionalism

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Speaker 2: and the agility of the anti farmers that's it.

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Speaker 1: And the resilience of farmers, you know, working so bloody hard.

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Speaker 1: And I would imagine that, you know, from year to

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Speaker 1: year things change quite a bit and they would have

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Speaker 1: to really be modifying the way that they're doing things

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Speaker 1: every year. In terms of filling those aquifers, I mean, like,

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Speaker 1: how much rain are we hoping we're going to get?

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Speaker 2: Well, we want lots. So I don't know how else

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Speaker 2: to explain it. At the end of the day, obviously,

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Speaker 2: those irrigation systems are very very well managed and you know,

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Speaker 2: generally speaking, ninety of those aquifers are kept to one

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Speaker 2: side for environment and culture. And so what's called the

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Speaker 2: estimated sustainable yield. It's very very conservative, it's very low.

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Speaker 2: And so we just don't want to have too many

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Speaker 2: years of two not enough rain, not enough water seeping

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Speaker 2: through the atus, because that's when it really becomes an issue,

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Speaker 2: as that lateness is an issue, but it's the amount

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Speaker 2: of rain that we're really hoping for will replenish and

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Speaker 2: we can use that for food production.

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Speaker 1: And of course we're supposed to be in lar Nina,

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Speaker 1: which typically brings that heavier rainfall, more cyclones and the

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Speaker 1: increased risk of flooding. But it's not really playing out

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Speaker 1: like that so far this year. I mean, what's your potato,

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Speaker 1: what's your take? I guess on those predictions, look predictions,

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Speaker 1: I take them with a diamond.

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Speaker 2: Doesn't until it really happens. All we can do is

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Speaker 2: be best prepared, and it's all about water efficient use

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Speaker 2: and when it does rain and making sure that we

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Speaker 2: use water responsibly and all of those sorts of things.

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Speaker 2: But it's really hard to tell with that sort of direction.

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Speaker 2: And again I'll come back to that dexterity of the

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Speaker 2: anti farmer is just outstanding.

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Speaker 1: Well. Mt. Farmer's CEO, Greg try And I really appreciate

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Speaker 1: your time this morning. Thanks so much for having a

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Speaker 1: chat with us. And I said it yesterday, I'll say

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Speaker 1: it again. Let's hope that rain arrives fingers crossed.

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Speaker 2: Absolute pleasure, Katie, good.

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Speaker 1: On you, Thanks so much for your time. Much appreciated.