Voice of Real Australia: It's nice to see smiles back on people in the country

Some farmers are becoming overnight millionaires with the sale of their land.

With today's heady prices, even offloading a spare paddock or two can be the equivalent of a Tattslotto win.

I couldn't be happier for them.

It's hard won earnings, and I know it likely comes at a cost to them personally.

This is dirt often mixed with the blood, sweat and tears of many generations.

Each post hole, every tree and dam, fence or gate - has their family's fingerprints all over it.

Too often people accuse farmers of whingeing.

Not enough rain, prices too low, costs too high - farmers are price takers, so much of what they do is out of their control.

My father had three sons, after three generations of the McLennan family and a century on the same spot, he expected one of us might be interested enough to continue on.

For various reasons none of us did.

It was his only daughter who is still in the farming business, albeit in a slightly different part of the world.

I had the last crack at it.

I took a year off this journalism caper to sow the crop, shear the sheep, scrape out the pig shed.

Even I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Then a big rain came unscripted in November and ruined the crops, the main pay-day for the year.

The grain was only good for feed, it had become so wet it had sprouted.

That was it for me.

I could make a better living writing about the country and farming than actually doing it.

With a young family coming along, those were of the sort of decisions which needed to made.

Sometimes I am a little sad there's no McLennan's left out there on McLennan's Road, but only sometimes.

That's because I love what I do now.

Today the tables have finally turned in the country, a run of good seasons coincides with high prices for grain and livestock.

Let's enjoy it while we can, this is farming, it will turn - there's nothing surer.

For some these unbelievable property prices is a chance to pay off some debts and retire.

Others will be able to expand, perhaps with a little less equity.

Too many farmers feel trapped and have to keep going even when their body is failing and their heart is no longer in it.

My main fear at this time is for the young farmers.

How can they afford to get into the game at these prices? Record low interest rates be blowed, what bank would lend to them for those ridiculous amounts?

We all have our fingers crossed for another good season, just one more would do nicely.

Well, a couple more would be even better but that's farming, captive to the weather for the most part.

For today we will enjoy the good fortune, it is putting a lot of smiles on the faces in the country and that's something we all like to see.

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