Well, unviable farmers do need to leave the land. And, they have certainly changed the face of the land; they could not otherwise farm. And, the author is kidding herself if she thinks that we are going to fall for the old one about getting our cereal on the table without farmers. Farming, like any other large-scale business, is about EXPORTING. We pay more for our food to enable farmers to export – now we will be paying even more.

However, Paul Sheehan’s claim that farmers have caused the problem of “climate change” is one he is not qualified to make. There is still no concrete evidence that there is a climate change, nor that humans, including farmers, have caused it.

As the author says, we are in a serious drought; farmers themselves – who should know – have said that it is the “worst since 1969”. They are not all whingers, and they firmly believe the current situation is something they can survive. So, without denying or confirming that climate change is real, the current climatic situation is caused by DROUGHT, not climate change. Australia is a country doomed to be affected by cyclic droughts. The current drought merely makes it easier for the climate change advocates to spread fear and alarm, and to blame people for simply doing what they have always been doing. There need to be changes – perhaps. But, unless smart acres like the Greens and lefty reporters can come up with the types of changes, they should keep their snouts out of the discussion.

We need to start ignoring gloom and doom experts, inept politicians and the media and take responsibility for our own thoughts, actions and well being. Crackpot politicians, who preach doom about water and restrict our use of it rather than getting ready for the time when rain does fall again, are also BIG IMMIGRATIONISTS.

We should not be listening to such hypocrites; nor should we be relying on them to do anything

Where would we be without Leighs caustic comments!

Hey! Leigh did you get a good super payout?

Standard fare from the IPA, notice how author gets frustrated at the lack of ammunition for exageration in Greens policy and so floats off on unreferenced "claims by others" that the Greens are somehow to blame for. Similar disinformation strategy to the Exclusive Bretheren, but then the IPA ia also a tax-dodging fundamentalist propaganda machine so it should be no surprise.

Note the misrepresentation: "this country has always had times of drought" - but P.Costello has already proclaimed this the worst drought ever; and the stalling: "The likely effects of climate change on Australia are worthy of study" - never mind the dozens of scientific reports already published in Aus by BoM, CSIRO DAR & SE, State govs etc. But then RightThink doesn't actually do science, its just reflexive "If in trouble, announce a (hamstrung) inquiry". Hey, its not original, but it worked for leaded petrol and tobacco industries for decades.

What i'd really like to know is what happened to J. Marohasy, the IPA's default environment mouthpiece? Is she still working on all that unfinished homework from her last post on OO?

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Excellent idea, Simon Bedak (for distributed seed banks), good luck getting it past a Fed. gov that is abetting of the international agribusiness corporations busy buying up and 'rationalising' seed lines globally. All that open-source genetic heritage impedes profiteering, so we need to eliminate all those boring crop lines that don't require herbicides, pesticides and irrigation. Can't stop progress!

No Climate Change!!
Wake up and smell the roses.
How ignorant can you get!! who is this person.

Things have changed and will change further.
Farmers need a rethink & now. Can they survive a 10 year drought? <on handouts>
If you don't know how UNSUSTAINABLE farming has changed and will continue to degrade the land, then educate yourself!!

It's time for a totaL RETHINK.

And as for you bro', its time to ditch the wheat and look at harvesting water or energy.

SHONGA,

When it comes to agri-socialism (and I would agree that the rural socialists make all the others pale into insignificance), my country relatives always told me that the trick was to collect drought relief at the same time that you were collecting flood relief.

So why do I defend them, and not the butcher?

Because at the moment Australia is the only country with the four vital things that will shield us during the horrendous later decades of this century. The things are:

1. A surplus of food.

2. A surplus of energy.

3. A surplus of minerals.

4. A sea boundary. (The most important one).

Farmers are vital because we cannot afford to have to depend on other nations for our food. If necessary other competing industries, such as cotton growing, will have to be sacrificed if we don't have enough water.

Look at the outlook for the world in 50 years time:

A population of 10 billion (fortunately 89% will be in the northern hemisphere).

Horrendous pollution (fortunately 94% of this will be in the northern hemisphere).

Continuous minor wars and terrorist attacks from the hopeless masses in africa/asia.

Uncontrollable illegal immigration.

Thank heavens we are tucked away in our own little region, with any invader having to advance over 3000 km of desert from Broome to Sydney, and thus with the best strategic defensive position in the world.

Now you know why I defend our food producers.

Interesting Plersdus - looking to the future is a wise notion. I tend to defend the agri-socialism concept for future developments as well, though my line is somewhat different.

At present, other nations subisidise their growers. Sooner or later the political winds change, and this will no longer be the case.

When that happens, our growers, who have been operating under much more harsh requirements, will be in prime position.

We've just got to keep them viable until such time.