Jon Hill knows a little something about farming, potatoes and family.
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As one of the operators of Hill Family Farm, a potato farm in Robertson, the Hills really put the family into Hill Family Farm.
And while the internet might know the Southern Highlands village as the newly-named "home of Australia's sh--test big thing" - the Big Spud, for the Hills, it's all about the potatoes - real potatoes.
It is the Robertson-grown Atlantic potato that goes into Kettle chips, after all.
But even with the family's 118 years of farming history in Robertson, times are not exactly easy as the torrential rain has hit the farm hard.
"Up until two years ago, I would have said the dry weather was the biggest challenge," he said.
"But we have copped worse yields and have a harder time, and had less of a chance of viability out of this year's rain. We've had 650mm of rain since July 1."
According to Jon, the increased rain had "absolutely" ruined the soil.
"The soil is saturated, and the spuds can't breathe. It wrecks the skin and goes rotten.
"We're going to have trouble getting on to get them. We're going to have to wait for it to dry out."
Despite the bad weather, Jon said he hoped to dig up 12-20 tonnes per acre depending on the year and variety.
In addition to growing potatoes, Jon and the family also run 200 beef cattle.
"They've been doing it tougher through this wet spell than they did through the dry spell," he said.
"We always had few showers here when the drought was on, and we had feed.
"With the wet and cold weather, we've got to keep feeding them all the time with supplementary feed. It's a little bit of a mess to get into the paddocks to do it.
"You can't get into the paddock with a ute at the moment. We've got to go in with the four-wheel-drive tractor."
The weather isn't the only challenge. Rising costs of fuel and fertiliser have also had an impact.
"You've got to be to stay viable," he said. "You've got to be able to get your tonnes per acre because if you don't do that, your input costs will take you out of business.
"You've just got to be on to everything all the time because of the amount of money needed.
"Fertiliser has doubled since Christmas, and fuel is expensive. Input costs have doubled, so you can't afford to make mistakes, and the rain has added to the pressure."
As for the future of Hill Family Farm, Jon said he was looking forward to growing old happily and doing it with his family.
"I enjoy working with my son Ryan on the farm and helping him get going and established," he said.
"He grows the Dutch Creams, and he seems to be doing a pretty good job of it."
"He tried other jobs, but all he wanted to do was work with his uncles, his grandfather and myself on the farm.
"It's not just a job. It's life. It's everything."
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Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
