This week's roundup: Global oil crisis, Food supply chain, Tractor sales down, Rising costs, Aussie dairy farmers, and more updates. Plus, fresh listings, auction dates, and more from across Australian ag. Let's get into it →

In short:

The fuel shortage has hit regional towns in South Australia hard, with some farmers and truckies finding themselves stranded without diesel. Premier Peter Malinauskas has promised farmers that regional areas will be prioritised for fuel deliveries.

What's next?

The premier says his government is not considering fuel rationing at this stage and will continue to work with the federal government for the best way forward.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has assured farmers that regional areas will be prioritised for fuel deliveries.

Mr Malinauskas maintains that demand remains a bigger issue than supply, with 48 million litres of diesel arriving at a port in Adelaide over the past two days.

Speaking on ABC Adelaide this morning, the Premier was asked whether regional areas would be prioritised.

"Yes, and this is the work that the national Fuel Supply Taskforce is doing," Mr Malinauskas said.

"That is something that the federal government and we are trying to coordinate, and we certainly want to participate in the process.

"The state government is, of course, limited [in what we can do] in comparison to the federal government."

On March 13th, the federal government released up to 20 per cent or 762 million litres of its petrol and diesel from Australia's domestic reserves.

The Commonwealth said it was "taking steps" to prioritise supply to regional customers, with a focus on customers experiencing supply shortages.

Truckers hit hard by shortages

Robert Cook runs a small trucking business out of Melbourne and said he lost 48 hours on a single trip this week waiting for diesel deliveries.

He travelled from Perth to Melbourne earlier in the week and was left stranded on more than one occasion.

"I went through Ceduna [on SA's west coast] to fill up, and they had no diesel, completely dry, so we had to sit there for 12 or so hours until the truck arrived," he said.

"Then, on my way through a town called Emdale, a little tiny town [in the Adelaide Hills region], they had no fuel.

"I had to sit there for another 14 or 15 hours, so I spent the night."

Mr Cook said he thought he was out of the woods before running into another stretch between South Australia and Victoria that was severely lacking diesel.

"Between Bordertown and Keith, there were trucks lined up all waiting, so I kept going and then came to the next service station up the road, and they were dry," he said.

"I thought 'I've got a quarter of a tank, I need to pull over', so I pulled over, and that's where I stayed the night until I was able to drive into Melbourne yesterday [Wednesday]."

Mr Cook drives one of his four trucks himself, but if conditions persist, he would not be able to continue running his business.

He said it was a "disappointing" scenario to be in, but was grateful his customers had been mostly understanding.

"I was delivering machinery to a couple of farmers, so they're well aware of what's going on in the current crisis," he said.

"If I run the original prices that I usually quote, I'd be running at a loss, and it'll be dipping into my own pocket."

Can't leave home to fill up the car

In SA's Murray Mallee region, John said his local petrol station had not had fuel for three weeks.

Located on a farm 20 kilometres from Karoonda and 50 kilometres from Lameroo, John told ABC Adelaide he was effectively stranded.

"I've only got 20 litres of fuel left in my tank — I can't risk going anywhere," he said.

"I only go shopping once a month … but I'm not going shopping next month because it's just too risky.

"I'll just have to start eating rabbits again because it's dire out here."

The premier said he understood rural areas were some of those most affected by pumps running dry and the rising costs of fuel.

"I don't diminish — particularly people in the agricultural sector — farmers, who've got all these long overdue rains, they just want to be able to seed, and no one wants to be caught short [on fuel]," he said.

The federal government said it was not actively considering fuel rationing.

The National Farmers’ Federation welcomes the Federal Government’s decision to commission a National Food Supply Chain Assessment as part of the National Food Security Strategy, but has reiterated its calls for an immediate plan of action for the sector.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, has set a one-month deadline for an interim report and the end of the year for the final report. While the assessment will initially focus on diesel supply chains, it will expand to other critical agricultural inputs, including crop protection products and fertilisers.

“This work is critical and, frankly, it can’t come soon enough given the pressures we’re seeing across the system. Andrew Henderson is a respected industry expert on these issues, and we will work with him as he undertakes his review on behalf of AgriFutures,” NFF President Hamish McIntyre said.

“However, farmers cannot wait for this report alone. We are continuing to ask for a clear, actionable ag-specific plan from the government to address the issues faced by farmers now and into the coming months ahead.

“This plan needs to clearly outline specific government actions, regulatory responses and associated trigger points to provide confidence to the nation’s food producers.

“Fuel and fertiliser are fundamental to producing and moving Australia’s food and fibre. Without reliable and affordable access, farmers simply can’t plant, harvest or get food to markets.

“We’re continuing to hear reports from our members about tight supply, delays and rising costs, and we are feeding that information directly to the Government to ensure real-time decision-making reflects what’s happening on the ground.

“That’s why we need immediate, practical action so farmers have the inputs and confidence to plant over the coming weeks and months.

“We have appreciated the open and clear way in which the Government, led by Ministers Bowen and Collins have engaged with the NFF over the past fortnight, and we look forward to continuing this on behalf of the sector.

“At the end of the day, this is about maintaining production and keeping food moving.”

According to the most recent report from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), U.S. sales of agricultural tractors declined 19.6% in November 2025, as compared to November 2024. AEM also found that combined sales decreased 35.2% during this time. This decrease follows a similar trend from October 2025, where reports also showed a 19.6% year-over-year decrease in overall tractor sales. 

Conversely, Canadian combine sales increased 25.6% in November 2025 compared to the year previous, while sales of tractors dropped 6.9% since November 2024.

“This month’s numbers reflect the continued economic pressures farmers have been navigating for the past several months,” said Curt Blades, senior vice president at AEM. “While we’re seeing a short-term slowdown in sales, equipment manufacturers remain focused on supporting farmers with the tools and technologies that deliver efficiency and long-term value. As we move into 2026, we’re watching market conditions closely and remain confident in the industry’s underlying strength.”

Tractor Sales

Total farm tractor sales for November 2025 were 8,909, showing a 19.6% decrease from 11,080 sold in November 2024. Year-to-date, AEM reports 180,825 total farm tractors have been sold in 2025, down 9.7% from 200,178 in November 2024. Total farm tractor inventory began at 88,874 in November.

The breakdown of U.S. tractor sales by horsepower range is as follows:

Sales for 4WD tractors decreased by 57.5% in November 2025, with 71 sales this year and 167 in November 2024. Year-to-date, AEM reports 2,284 tractors sold in this category, marking a 42.9% decrease from 3,999 in November 2024. Four-wheel-drive tractor inventory began at 495 in November.

Sales for 2WD 100-plus-hp tractors decreased 3.9% in November, with 743 sales this year and 773 last year. Year-to-date, AEM reports 15,946 tractors sold in this category, down 23.1% from 20,725 in November 2024. Two-wheel drive, 100-plus-hp tractor inventory began at 6,884 in November.

November sales for 2WD 40–100-hp tractors decreased by 8.6%, with 2,764 sales in 2025 and 3,025 in November 2024. Year-to-date, AEM reports 47,703 tractors sold in this category, falling 4.0% from 49,714 since November 2024. Two-wheel drive, 40–100-hp tractor inventory began at 23,569 in November.

Sales for 2WD sub-40-hp tractors in November 2025 fell 25.1% since November 2024, with 5,331 sales this year and 7,115 last year. Year-to-date, AEM reports 114,892 tractors sold in this category, down 8.6% from 125,740 in November last year. The two-wheel drive, sub-40-hp tractor inventory began at 57,926 in November.

Combine Sales

Sales for self-propelled combines declined 35.2% in November, with 94 sales in 2025 compared to 145 in November 2024. Year-to-date, AEM reports 3,157 combines were sold in 2025, down 38.3% from 5,115 at this time last year. Self-propelled combine inventory began at 787 in November.

This week, Australian farmers are navigating a shift in operating conditions, with fuel and input costs becoming a more immediate pressure point across the sector.

Diesel prices have pushed higher again, driven by global supply concerns and ongoing geopolitical tension. For many producers, this is being felt straight away — from running machinery during key windows to transporting grain, livestock and inputs across long distances. In some regions, the availability and timing of fuel deliveries are becoming just as important as the cost itself.

Alongside this, broader input costs remain unpredictable. Fertiliser, freight and maintenance expenses continue to fluctuate, forcing many farm businesses to take a more measured and strategic approach to spending. Rather than pulling back completely, the trend this week is clear — farmers are becoming more precise with their decisions.

Across both cropping and livestock operations, the focus has shifted toward efficiency and reliability. Equipment that reduces downtime, transport that improves turnaround, and infrastructure that supports consistent output are being prioritised over expansion for the sake of growth.

What’s changing is the approach. Investment is still happening — but with greater discipline around timing, structure and cashflow impact.

In this environment, Pay In Time Finance continues working alongside Australian farmers to structure machinery, vehicle and equipment funding in line with seasonal income, helping producers maintain momentum without putting pressure on working capital.

As conditions tighten, the advantage is going to those who stay sharp, plan ahead and execute with confidence.

Australian dairy farmers are calling for stricter labelling laws so that their plant-based competitors cannot use the word "milk".

The UK Supreme Court last month ruled that Swedish company Oatly could no longer trademark or use the phrase "post milk generation" on its products following a lengthy legal battle by Dairy UK.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Ben Bennett wants the federal government to follow suit with mandatory rules, saying milk should come from an animal and not a marketing department.

"You hardly really milk an almond tree," he said.

"I think we just need to be a bit more honest about the language we use."

Bennett has been a dairy farmer in south-west Victoria for the past 20 years and knows first-hand just how much effort goes into producing milk.

He said plant-based alternatives are "effectively a juice" with different nutritional value and calcium levels from the real thing.

"We're all competing for the consumer's dollar, and rightly so," he said. 

"The consumer should have the opportunity to have a transparent, informed perspective for the product that they're consuming, and they are distinctly different."

Australia has voluntary labelling guidelines outlined in an industry code of practice.

The federal government put $1.5 million in the 2024-25 budget towards a review of plant-based and alternative protein labelling and commissioned Food Standards Australia New Zealand to conduct a rapid review, market survey, and a consumer survey.

That research found that Australians can accurately identify plant-based products.

They did not believe plant-based products are nutritionally equivalent to animal counterparts and are not confused about ingredient content. 

The government will, therefore, work with the Alternative Proteins Council to strengthen the code of practice. 

​This will provide clearer guidance by discouraging animal imagery, limiting meat-specific terminology, improving the prominence of plant-based qualifiers, and establishing a complaints mechanism.

"Australian consumers should be able to clearly identify both traditional and alternative protein sources," Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said in late January.

But Bennett's message to plant-based manufacturers is simple.

"I think it's time that they rode their own boat and stopped endeavouring to emulate us. If they're so confident in the product, try having your own name," he said.

9news.com.au has contacted Oatly and the Alternative Proteins Council for comment.

And who’s not worried? Prices are moving twice a week. Always up. And we’re here trying to quote a job for three weeks from now. We can’t be sure what fuel will cost by the time we actually do the work. That’s the problem. A small swing on paper becomes our margin in reality.

That’s why you’re leaning on buffers more than usual when you price. However, too much and you price yourself out. Not enough, and you eat the loss. There’s no clean answer, and that’s the point.

One Adjustment That Helps

Rural businesses have always run on rough calculations. You know what things cost, roughly. When fuel moved 10 or 20 cents over a month, rough was close enough. That worked because the inputs were stable.

But in these times, instead of trying to get the price exactly right upfront, change how you structure the job.

Here’s the idea: Split the quote.

Keep your base price as is, but call out fuel as a separate, adjustable component. Even if it’s just a line that says:

“Fuel costs subject to adjustment based on price at time of work.”

You won’t use it every time. Some clients will push back. But it gives you a position to stand on when things move.

More importantly, it changes the conversation. You’re no longer pretending the number is fixed when it isn’t.

What This Is Actually Exposing

This isn’t really about diesel. It’s showing you how much of the business is running on assumptions that only work when things are stable.

Most operators don’t have a clear, usable view of:

That information exists. It’s just not in a form you can use when you need to make a decision quickly. So decisions fall back to instinct. And instinct works when things are steady, but it struggles when everything is moving.

Where This Leaves You

We’re not here to sell off the back of this. But if this has made you pause for a second and think, we’re carrying a lot of this in our heads, that’s usually the signal. You can keep adjusting as things move. Most people will.

Or you can start making a few things visible so you’re not recalculating the same decisions over and over again. And once you’ve got that, you’re not reacting to the price as much. You’re deciding around it.

That’s the layer we tend to work on at RD Creative Studio.

G'day Realm Readers,

I was in Darwin last week at the Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association (NTCA) Conference - it's my 5th year attending and the biggest I've seen to date...

Great to catch up with many of you, with plenty waiting on the country to dry out before kicking off mustering. From what I’m hearing across the NT and North QLD, it’s likely to be a 'compressed' season.

Surprisingly, some came over from QLD across the Barkly Tablelands; they said it was like driving through an inland sea, but the road was still in reasonable condition - though that may have changed, so make sure you check current road conditions before heading through.

One of the highlights for me was presenting to students from Katherine High School, Mataranka and Taminmin College about life on a cattle station.

I asked them to take away three things:

• The variety of jobs on a cattle station
• The skills you’ll learn
• The mateship that comes with it

They asked some great questions during the Q&A, particularly around career pathways in agriculture… and when they could start work on a station.

Answer: when it dries out!

Hooroo for now,
Simon Cheatham
Founder RFTTE - The Online Campfire
0417 277 488 | [email protected]

'On the road again, Robbie's back on the road again...'