Diving head first into a well of water woes

Two years ago my job was coordinating actors. My job now entails jumping into the yards with a 400kg bull, trying to get it to 'stand' right so I can snap the shot.

To be honest, compared to the actors, the bulls have been for the most part easier to handle.

I came to The Land in March, having previously tried my hand at ag reporting when working for the local TV news.

But I soon realised there was a lot more to learn when in my third week I was sent to the juggernaut, the Sydney Easter Show, or the Sydney Royal, as I soon learned it was called in the ag world.

Luckily for me I had the best of the best there to introduce me to the sheep mat, The Land stalwarts Burnsy and Griggsy.

In fact for the first few weeks I kept track of Burnsy and his pink hat so closely that stud stock doyen, Kevin Norris, once mistook me for his carer.

It was on the sheep mat that I met a young boy by the name of Campbell Palmer.

I had assumed Campbell was one of the sheep stud principal's sons or grandsons, since he had been there day in, day out watching the judging as intently as most kids his age were watching their X-Box, but he said his family was actually there to show Clydesdale horses.

He was in the sheep pavilion because at the age of 13 along with his 12-year-old brother, he was determined to start a Merino stud, not some time in the distant future, but next year.

Campbell taking the initiative himself to spend hours watching and learning from the best in the business, like Westvale stud principal Leo Blanch.

"He was leaning over the rail and he impressed us so much, he gave us a good firm handshake and asked us what sort of stud we had and where and so we started to talk," Mr Blanch said.

"We had a great talk about how he's going to start his stud and things he'll need to look at so he doesn't make the same mistakes most of us did in our day."

Campbell's reaction when I tracked him down in the horse pavilion to ask if I could do story on him, was akin to being told Christmas had come early.

A stark and welcomed difference to the usual 'are you sure? I might break your camera' reaction we get nine times out of ten.

I think Campbell's refreshing enthusiasm and confidence in putting his goals out there impressed on everyone he came into contact with at the show - particularly come day 10 when repetitive food truck jingles, heat and crowds can make you forget to properly appreciate the effort and time each one of the exhibitors has put in to be there.

But it hasn't been all about the sheep, or monkeys as Burnsy calls them, I've also delved straight into the well of water woes this year.

Water is an intimidating topic to cover, it's complicated, it's divisive and it's emotional.

Getting your head around how allocations are determined, which agreement dictates state's shares and how water is traded between zones, is challenging for a journalist, but for the irrigators I have spoken to, it can be beyond frustrating, as some seemingly arbitrary rules have a direct impact of their livelihoods.

One irrigator's quote always sticks with me. Third generation Yanco farmer Bernie Walsh sold his farm to walnut growers last year, when due to low allocations and sky-rocketing water prices, his numbers weren't stacking up. Bernie went to meetings with NSW Water to try and understand why they had received such low allocations, but said he left more confused then ever.

"We were having to make our decisions on their decisions...so we were making decisions based on something we didn't understand," Bernie said.

Others are frustrated because they know they understand the issues much better then those making the decisions that have turned their lives upside down.

I have sat in meeting after meeting at Deniliquin, listening to irrigators almost in tears, trying to explain the impacts on the ground to various government departments.

And I have seen thousands of protesters gather in Tocumwal, in Canberra.

The only tweet I've ever had go "viral" was a video of protesters in Tocumwal, throwing an effigy of federal Water Resources Minister, David Littleproud, into the Murray River, to see if like their water, he would make it to South Australia.

However, protesting is not something I think comes naturally to farmers, most are much more comfortable just 'getting on with the job,' which is ironically just what they're asking politicians to enable them to do.

While, water has been the constant element of my year, the year has ended with fire.

I happened to be in Braidwood during the week when they, along with so many other towns in NSW, faced surrounding bushfires.

I had previously organised to do a story on regenerative agricultural with a farmer whilst there, but as our interview fell on a severe fire danger day and his property had already been partially burnt out, I assumed he would have much more important things to do.

But instead he said we could chat whilst he mustered up some of the last of his cattle to truck out of his bush block, preparing for the fire front to head that way.

Bumping around in the ute, he talked me through the fires, weirs, carbon in the soil, (usually a great thing but not during a bushfire when he saw the soil light up).

When he dropped me off I thanked him for taking the time, but he said talking to someone about what he was doing had really helped during a stressful day. I hope in times of drought, fires and water crises, as reporters for The Land we can continue to have that effect.

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