Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

You'll be well and truly aware that when our primary producers do well, the whole country benefits. When our farmers, orchardists and horticulturalists make a decent living, they’re able to invest a new capital and clear debt. That all trickles down through to our towns and cities. Those selling farm implements, car dealers with the latest utes and farm to town cars for the family, boarding schools looking to increase their roles, and the likes of appliance clothing retailers, all reap the benefits of a good harvest. The problem is that for a long time, even with decent payouts, the rate of inflation and rising costs has absorbed a lot of that disposable income. Some in the dairy sector have commented about the excitement of increased payouts due to success at the global dairy auction - only to have their margins smashed with rising costs. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Rural cost inflation has evidently peaked. Input prices across all farm and orchards, excluding livestock costs, dipped from an