ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Another interesting read -

'Downsized' farm retirees consider the future of Australian food
By Marg Agnew – ABC Rural.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012

'Downsized' farmers Marg and Rob see supermarket dominance, imported food and a lack of consumer appreciation as the biggest challenges for Australian food producers.
This series of farmer blogs have been provided to the ABC by author Fleur McDonald, who is on a quest to tell 52 farmer stories in 52 weeks, as part of the 2012 Year of the Farmer celebrations. Contributors reflect on what they love about farming, the biggest issues they face, and what message they'd put on a billboard in a capital city. Fleur and her family run sheep and beef on a property near Esperance in Western Australia.

Marg and Rob Agnew describe themselves 'as between farming and retirement'. Thay live on their property north west of Espernace in WA.

Family and enterprise

We downsized a couple of years ago and now work on our holding that keeps us gainfully employed and busy but without the pressure of putting in a winter crop and selling off prime lambs.
I call myself a hobby farmer compared to my neighbours, but in reality I am busy around the farm every day and 7 days a week. The decision was made to keep life simple and stay with merinos and with the lift in wool and meat prices it has been a sound decision.
The lifestyle of being a farmer

I dislike being regimented and by being self employed and a farmer it gives me the freedom to work at my own pace each day as long as I complete the work at the end of they day, it doesn’t matter what order I do the work in, as long as it is done.
I enjoy the freedom of being able to make decisions and get on with the job, although decision-making is constant and does become tiring.
Farmers have to be flexible and often make decisions on the run. People underestimate the powerful influence the weather has on our daily lives.
Although we work outside all day, the decision made in the evening of what we will do the next day can easily be changed by the weather upon rising. Most jobs are better undertaken with the right weather conditions.
For example, spraying or harvesting crops would not happen in the rain, high winds or excess temperatures. Sheep shearing can be held up due to extreme heat and too much rain or even slight moisture.
Nothing tops the magic moments of farming when you see a new born lamb with its mum, or loading a road train of grain and seeing it go out the gate to market.
The wonderful site of seeing emerging crops in the early morning with dew on the leaves and with promise of the potential to bring ‘home the bacon’.
What a beautifully feeling of working with wool on the shearing table and seeing the results of your management over the past 12 months.
What do you foresee as the challenges in farming?

I am passionate about farming and I see how many outside influences are eroding our industry in confidence and financially.
The duopoly of the supermarkets and the control they put on the price of food and use it as a tool to bring customers through the door, without understanding the real value of our produce and the producer, is just insane and will have long term consequences.
The insidious way we allow imported food to compete against our local producers.
I realise we are an exporting nation but there has to be a line drawn in the sand that puts a duty on imported produce so we an compete on a level playing field.
The sale of our local manufacturing industries to mulit-nationals and over seas interest is also another way of loosing control of our industry.
I am scared about our own food security and how we could end up being net importers of food we place on our table.
What do I wish?

I wish that everyone, including our own farmers valued themselves and the contribution they make by providing three meals a day, everyday.
Nickel, gold and iron ore will not feed families.
Farming is an invisible industry, it happens out there and away from the cities where most of our population resides.
Therefore, we are out of sight out of mind, and as much as I would like farming to be in people’s faces and demonstrate how important our industry is, we will always be seen as useful but not important.
I feel our nation has to learn to pay more for their food and the fine quality that we provide, and if they don’t, well it be at their cost and ours in the future.
What would I like to see on a billboard in the city?
Love my food, love farmers

Any pertinent comments ? ?

Couldn't agree more - every comment there is true and we the Australian public should certainly be putting a higher value on our home grown , quality controlled food and refusing to accept any imported goods that we in actuality already grow ourselves. The Australian public needs to wake up to the fact that you get what you pay for - the quality of our home grown meats, fruits and vegetables is second to none, But that doesn't mean that the Big 2 or 3 should be charging like wounded bulls either.

Support your local greengrocer, and butcher. The duopoly of Coles and Woolies will ultimately mean Australians will be paying top $ for 2nd rate produce that is not even Australian grown or produced.

Next time you go to these stores check out the veggies and check out the steaks. Do you really think in nature that every apple comes the same size, every carrot the same length. They are screwing our farmers to get standardized fruit and veg which are easier to pack on their display shelves. Ditto the size/weight of cattle and sheep...their selectiveness is what is driving the prices up to ridiculous heights.

I actually noticed my local Woolies selling rack of lamb for $29 a kilo when the local farmer is getting on average $4.65 for lamb per kilo and about $2.50 for mutton in Qld as at February 2012. At an average of 40 kg live weight for the fat lamb sized to what the supermarket will buy that means the farmer is getting approx $180 a lamb for a good meat cross breed at the moment as prices are up. With a carcase weight of approx half of that the supermarkets are doing very well at the prices they are charging the customer..

When will we wake up ?

Probably never.

Aussies have always been layed back.

But now it is either laziness or lack of time in this 'modern' society.

No doubt, future generations will get what they deserve, without even knowing it.

Our island is hurrying 'forward' to becoming 'South East China'.
Jim.

You're pretty much onto it Marty, we all like to bash the big blokes, but someone is buying from them and while that keeps happening, they will keep supplying!