Land Use – The Old, the New, the Problem and the Future David Brownhill Grain farmer NSW Australia Director – Merrilong Pastoral Company Director – Crop Optics Aust Pty Ltd Director – RAS Foundation

Intoduction Merrilong Pastoral Company 4735 hectares ( acres) on the Liverpool Plains Fertile clay based soil The business is operated by family members with a corporate philosophy Merrilong Pastoral company aims to be profitable whilst enhancing its environment Our objective as a producer is to produce

Merrilong Pastoral Co

Merrilong Pastoral Company Crops grown include bread wheat, durum wheat, chickpeas, barley, cotton, sorghum, maize, feed corn, summer legumes and seed crops 3100 hectares of dryland farming land 950 hectares of pivot irrigation Grain Storage capacity of tonnes on farm Yields range from 0 to 10 tonnes per ha Employ five people Encourage participation in the local community

Australia – The lucky country Australia has many natural blessings Unique scenery Unique animals An immense land area Small population Fragile climate Numerous resources Food production on a grand scale

Or “ The place is a desert surrounded by a beach inhabited by all of the mother countries mis fits” John Campbell, Nuffield Scholar, Scotland ( on his farm in 1998 )

Australian Agriculture For well over a generation Australia has produced far beyond its own domestic food consumption needs This is a unique global situation Australia exports 60 % of what we produce We as a nation have never been Hungry People who are not Hungry are Happy. People who are Hungry become unhappy very quickly

Australia – No longer riding on the Sheep’s back % of the nations exports were Ag % of the nations exports were Ag % of the nations exports were Ag

Agriculture as % of GDP 1955-Agriculture % of GDP was 16% 1990-Agriculture % of GDP was 3.5% Agriculture % of GDP is still 3.5%

The rules have changed Is food security an issue Do politicians understand farming Is dirt just dirt Do we pay enough for food Are our politicians short sighted Has Agriculture dropped the ball

My region – The Liverpool Plains - NSW Yields 40% above the national average Premium soil, water and climate Summer and winter rainfall Merrilong Pastoral Company over 10 years Average wheat yield 5.2 tonnes per ha Average sorghum yield 8 tonnes per ha

Australia has less than 6% of its land area as arable land The Liverpool Plains is less than 1% But we have many minerals and fossil fuels Good land usually has plentiful resources beneath We have a conflict

The fight

Issues NSW had the same minister for both Ag and mining Farmers own the land The crown owns the minerals The crown sells exploration licences to the mining companies The mining companies need access to the land The government needs/wants the royalties from resources mined or extracted The legislation is slanted and changed to allow access

Some examples – the conflict Shenhua (Chinese government controlled mining company – largest in the world) Paid $300 million for the Exploration license, then another $300 million when they start Have bought hectares of land, at inflated $200 million purchased Have no consideration for the water 500 million tonnes of coal, exported to China ( Profits retained by sovereign company)

BHP Paid $100 million for exploration license Bought limited farms Long wall mining Just go underneath - subsidence Say they wont go under the plains If coal is under demand and the price is right, they will dig up Bondi beach

Coal Mining Selling off the farm Diluting the financial benefits Damage to aquifers Property rights Rehabilitation Community change and lack of infrastructure Labour But provides jobs and export income

Mining and Agriculture

Who is important

Who is spending the money

Our Farm

Coal Seam Gas Aquifer damage Legislation on the run Government policy for another era Fracking and the use of chemicals injected into the ground Saline water Property rights Health issues

Future food challenges Population growth Global, National, Local Climate change Hotter, less rain, much less soil water Less runoff, less irrigation Policy settings Carbon tax, water buybacks, bioenergy… Everything else!!!

Future food production imperative (CSIRO, 2009)

Solutions Zoning Compensation that reflects risk Transparancy Participation and involvement Communication Legislation Litigation

200 years ago we thought the earth was flat Nuclear power was clean and risk free Fossil fuels were the solution and changed the world But we are only borrowing our environment from our kids, so I suggest we tell them all to Frack Off until we understand the risks, and solve the issues

Is this the future of farming?

Or is this?

Thankyou