It's a funny thing that the only thing I get criticised about with my lamb business is the price of my products, which last week I did somehow find amusing. I almost lost the business.

Well no, it's not like my GPS was on the blink (actually the one in our main delivery vehicle is broken ...something about 'an illegal operation') or the Refedex had flown out the window. Truth is I was going to give it away and head back to the farm.

The business now consumes many times more then the 2000 lambs I currently grow out on my Goondiwindi Station in Southern Queensland, which is great in that we can provide a solid market for the many supplying farmers, however, thanks to the national sheep flock practically halving to a mere 78 million head, prices are double what they were when I went into this venture (that's what happens when farmers can't make an income - they are forced to change their production to a more viable enterprise, which in turn means a shortage of supply and prices go through the roof for the consumer). With the prices of our lamb at the farm gate reaching record highs, it has put extreme pressure on our viability and despite the criticisms of people who detract from how I price my product (mmmm $8.90kg for a whole lamb frenched and conveniently packed and labelled) and last week after working over 100 hours to minimise our wage bill, we were still going backwards.

Getting my product to the 40 to 50 farmers markets each month requires a fleet of refrigerated mobile trucks. Well, being the busted arse farmer that I am, all the trucks I bought were second hand, meaning constant upkeep and replacement engines and tyres. So the extra income I get from selling my mutton and hogget on the open market (yes you probably end up with that at the supermarket) has been poured into keeping the vehicles going; let alone the fact the business itself barely gets by month on month covering our running costs.

Add to this some wanker who came into our well lit and security camera covered parking lot at the butchery and siphoned out fuel from our utes all ready for our team to get them at 2am and attend the farmers markets around the south-east of Queensland. As well, this tool stole one of the vehicle's generators. Great hey!! Not to worry as I am too bloody busy to deal with humans that are so pathetic in their own behaviour as to assume that theft is a viable way of attaining goods, and I am going to keep working my guts out, as will my team, and ensure that our business does not go down the tube.

I serve customers all weekend at farmers markets from Noosa to the NSW border and throughout the week at my store in Ashmore and I'm always blown away by their encouragement to keep going and the lamb I serve up is integral to their wellbeing and the success of their gatherings, add to that this fool who thinks he can just take what he wants by cutting fuel lines and taking our power supply and you have one Farm boy who refuses to give up this week.