Yes Belly, we have a few who grow stuff for markets, but it is just a hobby/pin money effort. The money they earn is not to great. Some nurseries & wholesalers supplement their income with market work, basically because they aren't making a living without it.

When I had a good lot of 1.5 meter Hibiscus flowering, & perhaps 40 or so flowering daylilies, I would go to some markets, but there's not much profit in it.

Mate I will not accept any requirement on individual farmers, or anyone else for that matter, to protect anything for the "community". If the community wants something, it is up to everyone to pay, not the individual.

One mate of mine, before the drought was debt free, & his 1600 acres farm near Dolby was worth about $1,600,000 after 30 years of working 7 days a week, & acquiring land, when ever he could.

After 4 years of drought he owed the bank $600,000 in losses, & his farm was then worth only $850,000, if any buyer could be found. He also owed $150,000 in seed, fertilizer & chemical bills.

If he had not got the 1.5" thunderstorm that saved the 200 acres of cotton he had in the ground, he would now be a welfare case as are many of his old neighbours. At 65 he was a bit old to start again.

Farming is a mugs game, & certainly no bed of roses.

Yes Saoirse, I think the big 2 have a lot to do with it. They can buy cheep, locally, & over seas, & squeeze out the little bloke. They are aided by credit card shopping, where it is convenient to buy everything at one shop, rather than spread it about.

Have a look at the amount of fresh produce coming out of the big 2, compared to that coming out of the green grocer, if any, in the same complex.

In my youth families spent their income 30% on housing, 30% food, 30% living costs & 10% entertainment sport etc.

Today almost 50% goes on housing, with a large percentage on in home & other entertainment. Food is well down the list. I do it myself. I am horrified at how much I have to pay for a peach, or a few cherries, until I think of how much effort went into producing them, & delivering them to me.

The market system is breaking down. The third time I got a bill for cartage & handling my fruit, rather than a check, for the superior fruit it was I gave up on my small orchard as a dead loss.

I look after one mulberry an apricot, an apple & a lemon now. The rest go to the parakeets, the fruit fly, & the horses.

When you can get $800 to $1000 a week labouring for a plasterer fixing up flood damage in Brisbane, why would you work 7 days a week 52 weeks a year for half that.

We will have to pay productive people more, & guarantee them a decent retirement, or they will all go pushing pens in some government department, or head for the mines. Wouldn't you?

Farming is a great way of life if you don't have to earn your living from it. Like a Dr. or lawyer,you can swan around and go to the picnic races and polo, etc. and play other weekends, time off to go sking. I've seen them say to the staff, shearing starts Monday, but I have to go to the polo on sunday so you muster the sheep and prepare everything. No mention of extra pay or time off to compensate.

Different story if one is the owner/operator, You are the one that has to do the work, no matter what, and for little return in most cases.

Oug,
You have to be joking. An hour south of Brisbane is about the border of NSW and the area you would be speaking of would be small, between the coast and the divide. Farmers are enterprising people, so if there is land there that they can buy and make money on, they would be on to that seeing it is not far from a big market place. Further west of Brisbane is the Darling Downs, which is extensively farmed now.

Hasbeen has it right and Belly knows too. The land is valued by the government as building blocks and farmers are forced off their land by rate increases and other costs and restrictions. Farmers would not try growing crops in marginal areas if they could viably do their thing in reliable areas, in terms of rainfall and good land.

If you see land that may appear under utilised, there is a good reason that can be found if you look for it.

We import too much food now and it is time we put a stop to large scale immigration.

OUG you weary me brother,your thoughts and ideas are often out there.
A very long way from mainstream, and I find the bigot bit ofensive.
If we understand man has got to this place,with help from beleiving in your God but alone.
Add to that the itermingling of other Gods and culutures,fire and water cultures we must agree,population is going to kill us.
Now hasbeen, I too made a living out of Nuserys and plants, been around,know that market days are often the cash in hand for every nursery.
And never ever said some should hang onto their land for others best interests.
I did highlight others best interests are wining not the way you said but good farms are being murdered.
Food prices are bad,but we make it so,each of us could,as I do,grow fruit and food, just gave a family a full bucket of mandarins .
Later it will be beans peas turnips carrots sweet potatoes and last years pumpkins.
bit more out there and two thirds will be given for free an hour a day is all it takes.
Must admit nursery's are doing it hard,people are not gardening.
I buy plants that would be 12 dollars in the tin shed from the growers 5 for ten bucks,they say its better for them.
Day Lilly yes you got me there,want every color I can grow here, my garden is a gift to my dead parents.
every one has the right to profit and I do not bargain pay what is asked but seems like giving it away to me.

Well this started as a think tank on population but is turning into one on agriculture but that's a worthy topic too (and probably a precondition to a population discussion).

But what saddens me is that there is a strong sense in the posts that it's too late - that there's no going back for agriculture in Australia.

Does globalism really have to be the way of the future? If it is then it doesnt matter how much of our arable land is taken up with housing, or how high our population grows, because we'll just be importing all our food anyway.

That just sounds incredibly short sighted to me - "Want to take over Australia?" Sure, all you've got to do is blockade their food supply and they'll be starving within a few months. And why - so we can enjoy relatively cheap prices for the moment and make the folks at Coles & Woolies multi-billionaires. What about when our suppliers realise that we are completely reliant on them to feed our population - how high do you think they are going to raise the prices then!

Honestly, until reading this topic i hadnt given a second thought to agriculture, now you've got me extremely worried. This world is just insane.

I can hardly tell a spud from a grape but it is clear to me that if we don't curb immigration we'll be in serous trouble with food production. Have little population growth from within with new babies yes, by all means, but not with sudden population boost bursts starting with 30 year old males who can not or will not accept us.
If those who run away from their own problems at home, which they probably had part in creating anyway, then what citizens will they be here ? I say, help these countries of the refugee factories & supply them with tools for building & agriculture to build up their countries so they only have to leave them for a holiday like most working people do. If we can stoop so low as to sending our young people to risk their life in those problem places then the least I expect their young people to do is to fight for their own land. Australia could pay them slightly above their local pay rate & we'll see very soon what the real reasons are for coming here in boats.