Yabby during the drought 3 of us went and bought home 70 lambs.
Killed them illegal in the back paddock of a farm.
Not one was sold on .
The group still exists, and is bigger buying cattle and pigs too.
Been home killing all my life,but cutting meat out so dropped out.
I remember one mass exporter of lamb/mutton, not sure if he is still around.
But drifting here and my fault, we can eat more produce more and it can be done , but the thread is about increased productivity not consuming.
Yabby if its not possible to make a quid why are you involved.
And if the world runs short will prices not rise with demand

*Yabby if its not possible to make a quid why are you involved.*

Belly, I got involved in farming in the 70s, purely for the
lifestyle. I hated big cities and loved animals, did not want to
spend my life in an office, wearing a tie. I could have been
a banker, but it was not my passion.

When I started it was very small, all the local farmers predicted
that I would go broke in a year. But I never did :) However
I was fully aware that farming is a mugs game financially,
which it is in Australia.That is why two thirds of the farmers
who were here when I started, have now quit.The rest mostly have
debts up to their eyeballs.

Productivity in agriculture has been amazing over the last
30 years, but the more productive farmers become, the more
those gains are eaten up by city slickers increasing costs
and lowering prices. Agriculture is milked for all that
it is worth, so its not farmers who benefit from all that
productivity, but city people.

Farmers would actually be better off only producing half
as much, then traders would be forced to pay them better
prices. For right now, the more that farmers produce, the
less they are paid.

But few farmers have that choice, as they are hocked to
the roof and have to meet that next interest payment,
so have to keep peddling as fast as they can to survive.

So my point is simply this: Farming is a great lifestyle
as long as you don't depend on it for a living. Invest
off farm and you will do far better then your returns
from farming. You can then have the best of both worlds.

In other words, I am far better off owning bank shares then
I would be, if I borrowed money from the bank for the next
you beaut farming venture.

Belly,
The UN estimates that we need to improve food productivity by 70% to meet demand in 2050.

That means Aus must do that if our share is to be maintained. Wheat and meat are the two main rural products.

Rely on research and developement? Your kidding. Yabby could probably tell you how much wheat yields, per acre, could be improved, but we are farming all the area we can now and much of that is marginal.

In relation to livestock. I have some experience here and let me tell you carrying capacity has not increased in 30 years. On top of this deduct all the productive land now under houses, bitumen and concrete. Then deduct all the hobby farms that now run non producing animals like horses, alpaccas. These were once producing wool and meat but not now. Some are even growing grapes and olives. Hardly food.

So I do not see how we can come any where near being a food superpower by 2050. Then the viability of farming is being constantly reduced.

Yabby ok I am aware to some extent that is the case.
Had I not twice left jobs because of pride I would be on about 350 acres for much the same dream.
Banjo, think you miss the point, 56 years ago, the time in front of us to increase productivity.
Wheat was near it, sheep, wool not, a lot more.
We produced more but usually only those marketing it, spuds peas beans a lot more made a shilling out of it.
Oil seeds now are not just butter substitutes.
And booming.
No matter who rules farmers will be growing great deals more, possibly for fuel.
Broad acre farms had not much of todays potential.
And haveing worked, even as a kid, on market gardens I never thought I would see 50 acres or even 100,s of cabbages and lettuce.
We all ways, will increase productivity in food while we can sell it.
Yabby I am not in a city but not truly in farm land bush, but do understand you view shared it all my life.

A lot will depend on where our dollar sits in line with the US and Eruo, as it is our high exchange rates that is a large contributor in the current downturn.

Furthermore, with Australia seeming to want to be the global forerunner in what are anti competitive taxes, there is a better than average chance we will become less attractive, as a trading option when it comes to our high logistics prices for our perishables.

In any case, unless the AU government of the day intends to heavily subsidize all areas of food production, from farming costs, to handling, to logistics, there is little chance we can become AN AFFORDABLE food super provider.

You can grow what ever you like, but if it is unaffordable, what's the use.

Now any farmer will tell you that.

The other issue facing government, should they choose that directional option, is where will they find the money, as blind Freddie knows our revenue steams are fast becoming outdated.

It is for this reason that I suspect the likes of China are busy buying our prime farm land, as they know, that we won't be able to afford to farm it, but they will as they don't have regards for thier staff like we do, as thier moto is, work or starve.

With the sort of attitude demonstrated by Butch it may be just as well China is buying farm land here. China will be obliged to pay the going rate like anyone else, any export from AU is export $, it don't matter who owns the land.
Butch is hell-bent on taking money from farm labour, which will never happen. It used to be butcher shop labour, now it's farm labor.
Innovation is what it's all about, not giving up.