THE LAND: Weeding, washing, worry: the farm chores producers would outsource forever
April 10 2026 - 6:00am
Sydney Royal Easter Show attendees share what farm chore they'd outsource forever, if they could.
Every landholder has a farm chore they put off for as long as possible, but what do those dreaded farm chores say about us, and when is it time to put your hand up for some help?
The Land asked producers across the state to share what farm chore they would outsource forever, if they could, and why.
At Crookwell, Anthony Selmes said weed management would be a chore ideal for outsourcing, battling weeds like serrated tussock across Glenayr, as would managing worm burdens in a high-rainfall area.
"You're not getting a kick out of the drench as much as you were," he said.
"Drench is still as dear as ever, but you're not getting the results you're used to. It's changed since the weather's dried up, that's been a bit of help with a dry summer."
Nine-year-old Theia Payne, Old Barraba Homestead, Quorrobolong, agreed that weeds were a major burden on farm, with management crucial to keep livestock healthy and safe.
"I think on the farms, we should kill all the weeds so they're not hurting the animals' insides," she said.
Loretta Nicholas, Mount Harris, and Bendick Murrell's Joanna Balcombe both said trekking to clean troughs was one task they'd happily skip forever.
"I don't mind doing it, but I definitely don't do it enough," Ms Balcombe said.
"It takes so much time to do it really well, and I do really like a clean trough, and it's good for the cattle," Ms Nicholas said.
"But I don't enjoy doing it, it gets my nice leather boots muddy, and I don't like changing into my gumboots just to clean troughs."
Greg Cole, Ellerslie Murray Greys, Singleton, echoed voices from across the state, saying fencing was the biggest bugbear, especially when the weather turned.
"I have two miles of river fencing, and every time it floods, it goes underwater," he said.
"When you're hand-feeding livestock for half a day when you're in drought, it puts you half a day behind on everything else," Tara Kennedy, Nyngan, said.
"You've got to play catch-up."
Sam Parish, Wise Repro, Forbes, said putting your hand up for help with finances was a crucial opportunity to shift passion into profit in enterprises, and navigate through challenges.
"The ag industry doesn't do enough in actually making themselves money," he said.
"They do it for the love of it, rather than the dollars and cents, so we definitely need to try and make sure we're more productive in that sense."
When chore dread becomes a chance for change
Rural psychologist Malinda Guest said identifying the 'why' behind the reason a chore might become one to dread, or avoid altogether, could help landholders figure out where they might need some extra help.
"Having that insight and awareness and having that knowledge of how you operate is essential," she said.
"It might be really simple explanations that you actually just don't like doing it, while having that recognition, I know that needs to be done because it makes my life easier when I do it on a day-to-day basis."
Tackling the day-to-day tasks in tough times like drought, or busy times like harvest or calving can be more difficult, but the burden of expectation doesn't need to be another strain.
"It does feel like we're in survival mode, it can bring up thoughts of 'what's the point' when you spend the majority of the day doing the same tasks as the day before and the day before, feeding cattle, making sure there's water," Ms Guest said.
"We really want to normalise that, and move into a space of possible solutions that might lighten the load ... it's about managing those expectations."
Confronting a comparison mindset and spending less time looking at what's over the fence can make a significant difference, Ms Guest said.
But even for the little hiccups, there are a few key warning signs landholders can watch for to know it's time to reach out for some extra support.
"Sleep and eating are often the first things that are disrupted, we might notice small mistakes or errors that you normally wouldn't have made," she said.
"An irritation of constantly being on edge is also an indicator to say 'hey, what's going on here?' and take a step back and check in with yourself, your partner or a business partner."
Counsellor with the Rural Financial Counselling Service in Wentworth, Graeme Witte, encouraged more landholders to reach out and arm themselves with the best knowledge possible for their situation.
Assisting landholders with the paperwork and referrals needed to refinance, figure out a budget, or lock in ongoing external assistance, he said there were pathways forward, even if it required some change.
"One of the options I always give is what will happen if you do nothing different, how will that align with your goals? The temptation is you may be a one trick pony, we only run sheep, or only plant crops," he said.
"Another option is you can be proactive, and look at a non core asset that can be sold off to provide cash flow outside of the bank or to reduce debt, and that gets them thinking."
For trusted, confidential and free advice, contact your local Rural Financial Counsellor.