Australia’s farming industry is dawning a golden era full of prosperity, growth and innovation.
In an article from The Australian, Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said the sector is soon to enjoy a period of success, boosting the economy, farmer’s income and struggling rural businesses.
Sources said in 2017 Australia’s national agricultural production is set to exceed the $60 billion mark for the first time. Food and rural exports already add $48 billion to the economy, in addition to cattle and sheep prices also rising.
Apart from livestock and crops, farm machinery sales are also booming, recording a staggering $5 billion in sales, now stored in special farm savings accounts.
If these numbers are any indication, then Joyce is correct in saying that this is the “golden era” for Australian agriculture.
“Agricultural exports are now second only to iron ore and bigger than coal, in importance to the national economy; most Australians don’t realise that.
We haven’t seen anything like this right across all regions and sectors — beef, lamb, grains, wool, sugar, kangaroo meat, live cattle, chickpeas, even the dairy industry is recovering — for almost a century. The good times are finally here.”
Australia also enjoyed a prosperous year in 2016 as beef, lamb and grain prices increased, in addition to a good harvest season.
Finally, Mr Barnaby Joyce added that Aussie farmers are recovering from the drought and currently enjoying tariff cuts from free trade deals.
This success can also be attributed to the rise of technology and communications aided farming, made possible by regional initiatives from the government, like-minded Ag-groups, crowdsourcing and private funding.
Technology groundwork for farming involves the usage of internet, and entities like the National Broadband Network (nbn®) providing Internet access to remote communities that support farming through the nbn satellite known as Sky Muster.
With things firing up on all cylinders, the country’s agriculture industry will hopefully continue to boom for future sustainability.
The nbn®’s Sky Muster satellite brings better satellite internet connectivity to regional Australia. To get onboard Sky Muster, call Activ8me today 13 22 88 or visit: https://activ8me.net.au/internet/skymuster