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.
Jon, his wife, his two brothers Todd and Warwick, and their two wives all work the potato farm. They're also joined by Jon's son Ryan and Jon's parents Jack and Barbara.
"There's no one not in the family, you're not in the family, you're not in the family," he said.
A plumber by trade Jon and brothers Todd and Warwick all learnt a trade.
"Dad wanted us to see the outside world before we came on the farm," he said.
"Afterwards, we came home and worked on the farm with him. I'm a plumber; one brother is a car mechanic, and the other brother is a diesel mechanic.
Jon's father Jack bought the first farm in 1962. However, it was not the family's first foray into farming.
"We've been going since 1904," he said of his family's connection to farming.
"In the 70s, dad bought his grandmother's farm. In those days, farms were left to the sons, and his mother didn't get an inheritance.
"So he bought the first one in 1974 off one of his uncles, and the next one he purchased in 1989 which was owned by someone else.
"But that farm has been in the family since 1904."
With 118 years of farming history in Roberson, Jon said it was the perfect place to grow potatoes.
"Robertson is known as a potato growing area because of the good climate," he said.
"You get those cool nights in Robertson. Our heat drops off most nights, and it's not as hot in the afternoons.
"It's softer weather out here, and the potatoes have time to grow slowly."
According to Jon, the slower growth rate makes all the difference to the taste.
"Depending on the variety, it can take between 90 and 130 days," he said
"We grow Atlantic potatoes for Kettle chips, and then for the markets we grow Sebago, Kipflers, Dutch Cream, Pontiacs, and Desiree."
However, the recent rain events have had an impact on the Hill Family Farm.
"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 Friday, July 1.
"It has been worse than the dry weather."
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.
"That'll be another problem for us now. We will have to make sure we don't get those in the bag and only the good products go 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."
Wet weather isn't the only thing the Hill family has to worry about. Rising costs of fuel and fertilizer 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.
"Fertilizer 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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