Farmers know only too well when the odds are stacked against them.
After a wet and gloomy start to spring across the Mallee, the sun finally shone on Manangatang on Saturday in time for a punt on something — anything — other than the unpredictable season ahead.
More than 3000 people gathered in the shadows of the towering grain silos on a warm day that enabled the champagne to flow and finest attire to be modelled at the 2016 Agfarm Manangatang Cup.
The mild conditions off the track were in stark contrast to last year, when race-goers turned their minds away from the demands on the land, but not to seek pity in the face of then rapidly deteriorating seasonal conditions and a five-day heatwave that scorched crops and sapped yield potential just weeks away from harvest.
An endless stream of punters made a beeline for the rails or the shade of the bar and betting ring — farmers, townsfolk or revellers taking part in buck’s and hen’s parties and end-of-season football and netball trips.
To read more about this story, grab a copy of today’s Guardian (September 12).
