Andrei.Hicks wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2010 at 11:50am:


Farming no longer drives this country. If anything they are becoming parasitic. This country has a strong emotional connection to rural australia, but the reality is quite different. Unfoprtunately in politics we tend to be guided by that emotional connection. Farmers and politicians milk it for all it's worth. They feel no shame in demanding that Australians pay more for our food so that they don't have to change the way they do things, so that they can continue running a business the same way their ancestors did 100 years ago.

The nationals do well out there for one reason - self interest.

Ooops, my mistake. Meant to say that Australian farmers are highly advanced.

How so?

freediver wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2010 at 11:59am:


Freeloaddiver,

Most of the food we eat comes from Australian farmers. Prices are rising primarily because retailers and distributors are increasing their profits. By and large, prices paid at the farm gate are declining. Australian agriculture is recognised as among the most advanced, efficient and innovative in the world.

As the price of fossil fuels increases and availability declines, biofuels will become increasingly important. As the source of such fuels, the significance of agriculture can only be enhanced. Unfortunately, suitable land is limited. Land used for biofuels cannot be used for food. Biofuels also cost more than the fossil fuels currently used and fuel is a necessary part of food distribution. If you think the cost of food is something to whinge about, you aint seen nothin' yet.

If anything, it's cities that are parasitic. I was born and raised in Sydney, but these days it just gets in the way when I want to get somewhere else.

freediver wrote on Aug 29^th, 2010 at 9:18am:



Yes, most dairy farmers did oppose deregulation....for just this reason.
The old 'milk board' (or whatever it was called) set a minimum price for buying FROM the farm, and a maximum price for selling to the public....Once deregulation hit, the manufacturers(dairy companies like Dairy Farmers Cooperative) lowered the amount the farmer was paid, and raised the amount we pay.

The only people happy about that are the maunfacturers...

The same with grain....the big grain handling companies (GrainCorp etc) are the one increasing the prices...the grower is getting the same or less per bushel......even though the 'price' for grain keeps going up....

I don't think Australian Farmers are the most ADVANCED, unless you base your advancement upon the inclusion of Technology (Toys).
Technology isn't everything and it the long run it just costs more to run and maintain so I wouldn't quite call that 'smart'.
The majority of these so-called Technologically advanced Farmers hold on to out-dated methods and environmental philosphies. The fact that Australia holds onto Sheep as the pride of its Farming culture sums up the archaic way of life.
Not only this, it seems the Environmentalists are far more advanced in the treatment and living quality of the land.
Some Farmers still suck up to the City culture as the dominant culture and thus consider 'the Land' as something of a downtrodden tragedy ...with their corrugated tin shacks (zzzzz) and John Williamson songs, etc.
Well those Farmers can exist in the negative if they want.

There are Farmers who are progressive and aren't afraid to take advice or work with the Environmentalists and Conservationists. Some have even transformed their properties into absolute Farming wonders without the reliance upon big Chemical and Technology Companies.
Just Common Sense and the ability to see the Australian Land for what it is and not what it isn't in comparison to 'old England' and other parts of the world.
One Farmer in SA copped Australia's biggest Environmental Fine from the Govt/CSIRO because he changed his parched land into a wetland oasis.
The control-freak Govts/CSIRO don't like it when people upstage them and know better than 'their' so-called Environmentalists.

I personally would breed Kangaroos and even stud em up back to the prehistoric 12ft size ...might even get to ride one. How good would that be! Kangaroo meat is top quality, better than beef and even if piously patriotic Aussies can't come to terms with eating something on their national Coat of Arms (For a nation of so-called 'Poor', makes you wonder why the Roo & Emu were put there in the first place, eh), I'm sure the International Market would readily consume. I know that Deer Venison in New Zealand is beating Lamb hands down. Deer are cheaper to maintain, earn better dollar$, Hunters pay to shoot them and they don't ruin the land as much as sheep. More NZ Farmers are converting to Deer.

I believe the Middle-Man is ripping both Farmer and Consumer off though, but they are also being priced up from all that is incorporated into packaging, production, postage, etc. Welcome to the Great Inflation.

In NZ, if you live in the Cities, you are likely to be served the Overseas non-fresh crap stuff - sometimes very over-priced.
If you live in rural NZ, you just go next door or down the road and buy direct for fresher and higher quality food compared to imported.

I would also like to say that it is a SHAME that Scam Shitney ...er, I mean Sydney has turned into a sprawl of cement and tar and smog.
It would have made an amazing Farming region much like the Nile Delta ...being a Basin and all. Pity.

One of the most fundamental ways in which Australian farming is stuck in the past is farm size. You can actually get maps from the DPI showing which farming areas have farms that are too small to be competitive.

While most Australians businesses have had to compete on a level playing field and scale up to remain competitive, most Australian farmers are running the same sized business as their grandparents, yet expecting to be able to afford all the mod cons and run their farms with modern equipment.

If you run a factory in the city and you go belly up, you don't expect the country to mourn the loss. But you get a documentary made about if if you have to bulldoze a couple of fruit trees.

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For the population, it is justified. After all, most Australians live in coastal cities. It is people in rural areas who get subsidised transport. All those roads are not cheap, and it's not like the people living out there pay enough tax to cover the cost.

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Sounds like a policy the greens supposedly used to have, until they came to their senses.

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If pipes have too much friction what makes you think canals will work? How do they go getting uphill? Can you explain why there are so many projects to get rid of these open canals in order to increase crop production per litre of water? Are these farmers making a mistake?