Many of us will be more than ready to say goodbye to 2020 and look forward to, hopefully, a brighter year in 2021. I know I certainly am.
It is important we take the time to look back at the incredible challenges that Victorian farmers have faced in the past 12 months, and their achievements.
'Unprecedented.' We have heard this word over and over this year.
But to think that in just over a year we have faced devastating bushfires, drought, export trade tensions and a once-in-a-hundred-years virus pandemic, its use is more of an understatement.
If I reflect on the feeling I had watching a convoy of trucks filled with fodder streaming out of Bairnsdale, I feel so proud to belong to this community of farmers.
Farmers who themselves had experienced back-to-back drought years giving - not from their surplus, but from their hearts - to fire-affected farmers that were having an even rougher time.
It was incredible to see and it should fill us with great confidence that together we can face anything - because we have each others' backs.
At the height of our bushfire crisis, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) led the coordination of donated fodder relief for affected farmers right across Victoria's north east and East Gippsland regions.
The response from the Victorian community was overwhelming.
To provide some context, just under 400,000 kilometres were covered by vehicles laden with more than 44,000 donated bales of fodder. That is almost the distance to the moon.
Victoria's agriculture industry demonstrates its resilience time and time again.
We have much to be proud of and much to be grateful for.
While it's important to look back on the year that was, it's also now time to look ahead to 2021 and reset.
I'm under no illusions that just because we flick the calendar to 2021, all of our problems will disappear.
But now is the time look ahead to a new year and new opportunities.
For the VFF and myself, that is to ensure we deliver on the issues that matter most to Victorian farmers and ensure the future of agriculture remains bright.
It means looking at our organisation with fresh eyes, full of hope for its future.
I wish you and your family a safe and blessed Christmas, and a prosperous New Year
