With Victoria forecast to notch a record winter harvest this year, hundreds of workers statewide are being asked to roll up their sleeves.
And it's not just a group of your usual suspects getting to work.
According to the latest ABARES report, Victoria's winter crop production is forecast to reach a record 10.7 million tonnes in 2022–23.
Craig Henderson, who farms in Millewa, Berriwillock, Wilkur, and Brim, has six headers, three chaser bins, and countless trucks operating.
To keep all this machinery moving he has recruited six Canadians, three New Zealanders, and two commercial pilots.
He said having good working conditions was critical to attracting and retaining workers.
"We've got good accommodation. We provide them with a car, so when they have a wet day they can go off and look around different aspects of Victoria," Mr Henderson said.
"We've got a pub chef working for us catering and they get their washing done as well."
Canadian Robbie Kohlman is back for another year with the Hendersons and is behind the wheel of a chaser bin — a role he is very familiar with.
"I drive the chaser bin at home. We've got barley, wheat, lentils, flax, and canola. It's kind of like home but just on a bigger scale," he said.
Mr Kohlman said he was aware of how hard it was for Australian grain farmers to attract harvest workers.
"I'm more than willing to give them a hand and the experience is also good," he said.
"I'll be 25 in January, so I can say that I've been to Australia twice before the age of 25, which is really cool. Not too many people can say that."
Friends from across the ditch
Monique Yule comes from a sheep and beef farm in New Zealand.
"I bumped into a guy at the Young Farmers Club back in New Zealand and he recruited me to come over here, but I've got zero experience when it comes to broad acre grain farming, and machinery isn't something that I've done a lot with," she said.
Her job is to load up the grain trucks and keep a record of where each truck is going.
"I'm having a blast. It's really cool to see a whole different part of the world and see how things are done in this neck of the woods," Ms Yule said.
When Canadian Craig Ozipko found out his son was coming to help the Hendersons' harvest grain he asked if he could tag along.
"I'm 58 years old and it's on my bucket list of things to do in my life. I got in to Australia as a specialist and I'm totally enjoying my time," he said.
Mr Ozipko said he was keen to come back again.
"I'm very impressed with the farmer, how they can control the logistics to keep six headers going and the trucks — it's quite a show," he said.
Pilots return to grain harvest
Two commercial pilots are also driving headers for the Hendersons when they are not needed to fly planes. One of them is Denis Mexted who is back for his third grain harvest.
"I've been up here previously because they haven't been able to get the foreign workers," he said.
"The big difference is that there's a lot more experience on this harvest than past years."
While an aircraft and a grain harvester might appear to be very different machines to operate, Mr Mexted said there were similarities due to the modern electronic technology they contained.
"I push a number of buttons to perform various functions and I'm very strict about reading what comes up on the screen to confirm that it's doing what I've asked it to do," he said.
Ex-defence force personnel also help
Just outside Ouyen, Ian Bennett from Canberra and Mark Rogan from Deniliquin are driving trucks for the Hastings family.
Both men served in the Australian Defence Force and were recruited via Operation Grain Harvest Assist.
They enjoyed the grain harvest work so much last year that they have come back again.
Mr Rogan drove a chaser bin in Jeparit last year. Now he's putting his truck licence to use.
"This is one of the most satisfying jobs I've ever had," he said.
Last year Ian Bennett worked for a contract harvester and was moving from property to property.
"I much prefer being in one place for longer, getting to know the people you're working for," he said.
The community has also welcomed the new faces that are in the district to help with the harvest.
"People say hello, give you a wave. It's a really nice atmosphere. I like it," he said.
Retired farmer and veteran Ian Hastings said his family had always struggled to find people with the right skills to employ at harvest time.
Retired defence force personnel fit the bill perfectly.
"We've got people who were trusted with very responsible jobs in the past," Mr Hastings said.
"They're capable of listening and doing what they are asked, and they've got technical skills."
