Australian farmers, already hit by the country's worst drought in 100 years, are now grappling with exchange-rate volatility.
'With the weather, at least you know that it will rain one day. But with the currency, the way it's been this year, it's hard to predict,' said Charles Burke, the chairman of the economics committee of the National Farmers Federation.
The federation estimated that every 1 per cent rise in the Australian dollar against the greenback resulted in a loss of A$115 million for Australian farmers.
With the aussie up 30 per cent in the past 18 months, that means Australian farmers have collectively lost A$3.45 billion as a result of currency appreciation.
'The volatility of the currency is even more of a concern than the actual dollar value,' said Mr Burke. 'At least if it was stable, you can take steps, but the way it's been up and down this year doesn't give you any confidence at all.
'And with the country just showing signs of recovering from drought, this rise in the dollar couldn't have come at a worse time.'