Dom Parkman is a fourth generation farmer from a small village called Murringo, near Young NSW.
He works alongside his Dad Peter on the family farm, running 3500 merinos and 2500 crossbred sheep, as well as growing wheat and canola on the side.
Dom says they get the best of both worlds running a mixed farming operation.
“I like doing a bit of both, I’d hate to be all cropping in this area,” said Dom.
Dom always knew he wanted to be a farmer, and after finishing school, he secured work with some other local farmers a few days a week, to learn the ropes.
He says it was great to see how other people in the industry got things done.
“I learnt a few new ideas, and could bring them back to our place.”
3 years later, Dom was back on the family farm full time, working alongside his Dad, which he says is the best part of the job.
As for the toughest part of the job, it’s when the weather doesn’t cooperate.
“If we could turn the tap on and off when we needed it, we’d be right.”
“The last couple of years have been pretty wet and with that constant rain, it’s hard to get things done. On the flip side, it’s not easy when it’s dry either.”
Like most other Aussie farmers, it’s been a late harvest for the Parkman’s.
“We’ll probably end up harvesting past Christmas and into the new year. The crops are still a bit high in moisture because it’s been cool and wet.”
Dom and Peter usually sell their canola straight away, or hang on to it for a few months depending on how the prices are looking.
They have around 600 tonnes of grain storage on farm, for their wheat.
Dom says planning ahead is key.
“We hang on to it until half way through the next year to see how things are looking. If the conditions are looking alright we might sell it, but if it’s looking like a dry year we’ll hang onto it and use it to feed the sheep.”
“The last couple of years have been okay and we’ve ended up selling it, but it’s always good to know it’s there just in case.”
