Latest news with #farmland
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Guardian
Crossing the city-country divide: how do Australian farmers advocate for their industry in an urbanised world?
The view from my front lawn is paddocks and trees. From here, almost all I see is farmland and native bushland. A couple of years ago, I stood in this spot with a good friend, an immigrant from the UK. A smart, interested and interesting friend, and also a vegetarian. Which wouldn't be relevant except I'm a beef farmer, so for our friendship to prosper, this particular difference of opinion needs to be accommodated. Jess asked me what we would grow on our farm if we weren't growing livestock. The question initially confused me. Were we looking at the same landscape? Could she not see the steep hills, the prolific rocks, the lack of water? Assuming you still needed or wanted to use this land to produce food (which I do), to my mind, it is grazing land. Anything else would be extremely challenging. Not only are rocks and hills awkward to navigate, and our lack of irrigation problematic, the terrain is in places frankly a nightmare for the machinery and equipment essential to cropping. I think of a contractor who informed us he would not be working our paddocks any longer after his spreader truck got not one or two, but four flat tyres. We typically apply fertiliser by air now. I explained this to Jess, and she listened with interest. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia's fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter That's stuck with me, because it reminded me how many people have strong views about agriculture. And so they should. Farmers manage more than half of Australia's landmass. We are arguably custodians of one of the country's greatest assets: its ability to feed and clothe its own people, and the wider world. But knowledge about and personal experience of agriculture is dwindling. Perceptions of agriculture from outside of the industry – particularly in the cities where most Australians live – are often negative. Stories showcasing great custodianship and care don't make the front page – it's only news when something goes wrong. This isn't unique to our industry. I know the old newsroom adage: 'If it bleeds, it leads.' The difference in agriculture is that our work is increasingly foreign to the very people who rely on our produce every day. It's the challenge of our industry, and one I've personally taken on: to advocate in an environment where the divide between rural and urban communities is greater than ever before. In 2021, 66.9% of Australia's population lived in its greater capital cities. Many have little or no connection to the people who grow the products they eat, wear or use every day. Research by CQUniversity makes this gap even clearer. In 2021 they surveyed more than 5,000 primary and secondary school students to evaluate their knowledge of agriculture. The results were, to my mind, alarming. They found secondary students who believe Australian cattle are raised exclusively in sheds. (To clarify, only 4% of Australia's beef herd is in a feedlot at any given time and are generally raised on pasture. Only 20% of Australia's milk production comes from intensive or housed dairy systems.) They also found primary school students who believe cotton is an animal product not a plant; and who believe chickens are routinely fed hormones (a practice banned more than 60 years ago). I believe the work of an advocate, unlike that of an activist or influencer, is to build connection and knowledge. To start with a desire to understand: what do you think of agriculture? What would you like to know? I ask these questions not because I expect to change your mind, but I hope to engage with you. I hope you might share with me, so I might better understand perceptions of agriculture. I don't believe the future of agricultural advocacy lies simply in an exchange of facts, though I wholeheartedly agree all conversations should be underpinned by credible research and evidence. But it's the stories from agriculture that I believe truly show the deeply complex industry of which I'm a part. That shows you the heart of it, and what it has to offer. Sometimes those stories are dark. Death, not often part of everyday urban life, is a normal part of agriculture, especially livestock farming. That can be confronting, even for farmers with decades of experience. But it's part of our life. When my eldest daughter was two, we had a terrible calving season, with cows struck down by a condition called grass tetany. It resulted in the death of many cows straight after birthing. One morning my daughter asked me to play with her. 'Be a cow, Mummy!' I obliged and tried to look suitably bovine. 'Moo, Mummy!' I mooed. 'Now lie down dead!' I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I probably did both. Stories can also share joy. I took a couple of orphan lambs we were hand-rearing into my daughter's childcare and gave a group of very excited three-year-olds the opportunity to interact with them. We bottle-fed the lambs and passed around handfuls of unprocessed wool, and some yarn, to compare textures and smell. The kids delighted in the experience, and our much-loved lambs fought over the milk bottle. All went well, with some added entertainment from my daughter casually taking a swig from the lambs' milk bottle. Raising livestock is complex. Together with my husband, we're dedicated to raising our children to appreciate the joy of caring for animals and providing them with an environment to thrive, alongside the understanding that we are growing animals for food and fibre. Farmers often say city people don't understand agriculture. But the gap goes both ways. Most farmers I know own the land they work. It's easy to forget what it's like to bid for a rental, move every 12 months, or raise kids in high-rise apartments with no green space. We complain about potholes and distances between towns, but we're not stuck on highways for hours each day, or wrangling toddlers and groceries on public transport. Bridging that divide isn't about proving who has it tougher. It's about recognising the difference and respecting what each life involves. I love the saying: 'No one in the history of calming down has ever calmed down because they were told to calm down.' I don't see a future for agricultural advocacy in telling people stuff. I see a future in listening and in sharing, openly. Does my friend Jess want me to grow plants, not animals, for food on our property? Maybe. Just because we have the same information doesn't mean we're going to have the same opinion. But I think she also understands why we grow beef. And while she won't be having steak on the barbecue with us any time soon, I'm grateful she gave me the chance to explain why we do what we do. Felicity Richards is the chairperson of Farmsafe Australia and the Tasmanian Biosecurity Advisory Committee. She runs a beef grazing operation in northern Tasmania with her husband, Mark. You can contact her here. Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Susan Magnier backs billionaire husband John, claiming €15m land deal was agreed before being reneged upon
Susan Magnier, the wife of billionaire John Magnier, has backed her husband's claim at the High Court, saying that an alleged deal was agreed for a large tract of farmland in Co Tipperary, which later collapsed when a higher bidder was preferred over their offer of €15 million. At the High Court on Friday, Mrs Magnier told Caren Geoghegan SC, for the Magniers, that she was present at kitchen table negotiations over the property when the vendors received their €15 million offer. Mrs Magnier said the vendors and an estate agent then moved to another room to ring the trustees and a beneficiary of Barne Estate before returning to the meeting to accept the Magniers' offer. Mrs Magnier, who appeared by video link, said that all parties then had a 'light-hearted' dinner. READ MORE Lawyers acting for Mr Magnier, founder of Coolmore Stud, have claimed before the High Court that the preferred buyer, US-based construction magnate Maurice Regan, engaged in a 'full frontal assault' on Mr Magnier's claimed deal to buy 751 acres of land. Mr Magnier's proceedings claim that Barne Estate reneged on the alleged deal, preferring to sell the land at the higher price of €22.25 million to Mr Regan, the founder of the New York building firm JT Magen. Mr Magnier and his adult children want to enforce the alleged deal. They say the deal was struck during a meeting on August 22nd, 2023, at Mr Magnier's Coolmore home in Co Tipperary. They also claim an exclusivity agreement that was in effect from August 31st to September 30th stipulated that the estate would not permit its representatives to solicit or encourage any expression of interest, inquiry or offer on the property from anyone other than Mr Magnier. Barne Estate has been held for the benefit of Richard Thomson-Moore and others by a Jersey trust. The Magnier side has sued the Barne Estate, Mr Thomson-Moore and three companies of IQEQ (Jersey) Ltd group, seeking to enforce the purported deal, which they say had been 'unequivocally' agreed. The Barne defendants say there was never any such agreement, as they needed the consent of the trustees to finalise any agreement and subsequently they preferred to sell the estate to Mr Regan. Mr Regan is not a party to the case. Mrs Magnier, whose husband concluded his evidence in the case on Friday morning, said that she was present at the kitchen table meeting with the defendants and estate agent John Stokes on the night of August 22nd, 2023. Mrs Magnier claims that after the Thomson-Moores were offered the €15 million, Mr Thomson-Moore allegedly told the table that he, his wife Anna and Mr Stokes had to make phone calls to the trustees and Mr Thomson-Moore's sister to get their consent. They went to another room to do this, she said. Mrs Magnier said that when Mr Stokes returned he was 'elated' that a deal was done and was 'clearly delighted'. 'Everyone was happy. We all shook hands and we asked if they would stay for dinner and they said they would,' said Mrs Magnier. Niall F Buckley SC, for the defendants, said Mr Stokes will give evidence that he never said the trustees were going to be contacted on the night. He added that phone evidence will show no trustee was contacted immediately after the offer. Farm manager at Coolmore, Joe Holohan, who was also present at the kitchen table meeting, said Mr Magnier wanted to get a deal done on the night as there was 'no messing around' with him. Mr Holohan claims that Mr Stokes and the Thomson-Moores left the kitchen saying they had to go to make phone calls. He added that when they returned to the table, Mr Stokes was smiling 'from ear to ear' and all parties then shook hands. The case continues before Mr Justice Max Barrett next week.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Wellington conservationist provides $1 million for council
conservation local council 28 minutes ago When Wellington's regional council placed the winning bid on a thousand hectares of farmland and native bush in Eastbourne, it was only possible with the help of a million-dollar donation from the estate of a local conservationist. Reporter Kate Green has more.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Increase in value of agricultural land exceeds all other property types, report finds
Farmland has increased in value more than any other Australian property type over the last two decades, a report has found. The Australian Property Institute's (API) inaugural valuation report shows the value of agricultural land has increased by 256 per cent since 2005, compared to 154 per cent for housing over the same period. The strongest growth was recorded in western Victoria's Wimmera region, where land values have skyrocketed by more than 800 per cent amid demand from the renewable energy, grain and grazing sectors, according to the report. API chief executive Amelia Hodge said it was surprising that some that farmland had outperformed metropolitan property categories. "It's really interesting that the Wimmera region has come out the winner over 20 years," she said. "Agricultural land has come out nationally as the best performing category." Australia's smaller capital cities outpaced Sydney and Melbourne in housing value growth over the last two decades. In Adelaide prices rose by 175 per cent since 2005 and by 172 per cent in Hobart. Sydney residential property prices grew by an average of 171 per cent during that time. Prices in Brisbane and Melbourne increased by 169 per cent. Inflation rose by 67 per cent over the same period. The API report drew its comparisons using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Suburbtrends and Colliers Edge. The Gold Coast was the top performing regional residential market and six other Queensland regional cities were in the top 10. Wimmera-based real estate agent Nick McIntyre said it used to be hard to sell farmland in the region. "You look back 20 years and we were in the middle of the Millennium Drought and prices were going nowhere," he said. Mr McIntyre said a "perfect storm" of low interest rates, strong commodity prices and favourable seasons had driven prices up. "We saw property prices double and double again – and in some instances double again – from about $1,000 to $2,000 to $4,000 to even $8,000 an acre," he said. The API report noted the rise in the value of farmland in the Wimmera was also driven by the conversion of land into solar farms. But Mr McIntyre disagreed with that assessment and attributed the growth to production capacity. "Seasons are very reliable and even in the driest of years they can almost always get some sort of crop, whereas that's not always the case in other areas," he said. Minyip farmer Ryan Milgate said the swing towards grain growing and away from livestock production had boosted prices. "The change in our farming systems and our ability to successfully grow crops like lentils, I think, has underpinned why the Wimmera is such a sought-after cropping area," he said. But Mr Milgate said high land values had put a lot of pressure on those who had expanded and he expected prices to flatten out. "The capital value of the land doesn't reflect the capacity of the land to produce, so one of the real issues is there has been a real squeeze in return on investment," he said. "It's important to note the vast majority of farmers are here for the long-term and the capital value of our land is just a number on a piece of paper.
CBC
19-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
2 MPPs have proposed an Ontario foodbelt. Could it help tariff-proof the ag sector?
Two MPPs have put forward the idea of creating a "foodbelt" in Ontario to protect farmland and help tariff-proof the agricultural sector in the province. The idea proposed by Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner and independent MPP Bobbi Ann Brady, who represents Haldimand-Norfolk, this week at Queen's Park would see a protected area, similar to how the Greenbelt works, but in this case it would be specifically for farmers' fields. Bill 21, Protect Our Food Act, passed first reading on Tuesday. It's an idea Erin Shapero and Valerie Burke applaud. The two women proposed a similar idea in 2009 when they were city councillors in Markham and they wanted to protect farmland from developers. "At the time we had Ontario's Greenbelt, which was very popular and very successful, protecting a lot of farmland, protecting a lot of naturally sensitive areas, but a lot of farmland was left out of that," Shapero told CBC News. Shapero, who was also a member of the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance, says they spoke to academics and people in the agricultural community to develop their motion for the Markham foodbelt. "We proposed Canada's first foodbelt, that we actually have a protected area for growing food and ensuring that we have food for the future going forward," she said. After intensive public consultation on the idea, their motion was defeated 7-6. "It was quite devastating," Burke said, noting the farmland they wanted to save has been developed and used for housing and other buildings in the 15 years since then. Fast forward 15 years and Shapero and Burke say they were delighted to hear Schreiner and Brady bringing up the idea again. "We need more politicians like them. They have such foresight and I was really pleased to see they're doing it," Burke said. "Maybe we were ahead of our time in 2009 in Markham when we called for this and we called for Canada's first foodbelt to be created," Shapero added. "But today, looking at it from the lens of 2025, food security is critical for our economy and the agricultural sector is critical for our economy." 'We need to protect the farmland that feeds us': Schreiner Schreiner says the foodbelt is needed because Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland a day, a figure the Ontario Federation of Agriculture has also reported using data from the May 2022 census of agriculture completed by Statistics Canada. "At a time when [U.S. President Donald] Trump is attacking our sovereignty and our economy with these ridiculous trade threats, now more than ever we need to protect the farmland that feeds us," Schreiner said in an interview on CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition with host Craig Norris. The private members' bill would create a task force led by farmers, agricultural experts and land planners to determine what lands need to be protected by a foodbelt. Brady's riding is largely agricultural, growing everything from berries to tobacco to peanuts to pumpkins. Haldimand County's website says the municipality has approximately 208,653 acres of farmland across 811 farms while a 2018 report from Norfolk County's Economic Development office says that municipality has 196,403 acres across 1,307 farms. Brady said during a press conference about the private members' bill that the issue of protecting farmland is "near and dear to my heart" and to the people she represents. "We have seen the response from governments when it comes to manufacturing as it stares down the threats from the south. It's time we do the same for agriculture," she said. Criteria to prioritize land needed, Guelph prof says Mike Von Massow is the Ontario Agricultural College chair in food system leadership and a professor of food agriculture and resource economics at the University of Guelph. He says in general, "the concept of land preservation is a good idea." "Whether we explicitly say this land can never be developed or we develop a set of criteria that says how we prioritize and at least evaluate more fulsomely whether this land should be developed, there are clearly trade-offs and we want as much as we can to maintain farmland," Von Massow said in an interview. "Perhaps we prioritize developing on less productive land because we can't just freeze everything." But he said when looking at the Greenbelt, the boundaries have been changed over the years and there are those who want to develop it. "There's always been this tension between development of land and some governments have been much more willing to say, well, we'll take this land out of production," he said from his farm near Elora, Ont. "I'm looking out my front window and the piece of land across the street from me for the last 30 years has been a farm field. It's now growing houses. But we need some development. So being clear on what the criteria is is probably the best path forward," Von Massow said. But can a foodbelt tariff-proof the ag sector? Schreiner has argued the foodbelt would also "tariff-proof" the province's farmers. "Now, more than ever, is the time to protect our farmland, support farmers and grow more food right here in Ontario. Because food security is national security, and without farmland there are no farms, no food, no future," Schreiner said in the news conference announcing the bill. "And I believe that tariff-proofing Ontario's economy starts with protecting the farmland that feeds us and the farmers who grow that food." But when asked if he agreed, Von Massow paused. "I'm not sure, frankly, that tariffs are going to be a significant threat to Canada to land use," he said. "I think this blanket statement that it will tariff proof agriculture is probably a little bit leveraging the issue of the moment," he added. "That's not to diminish the value of thinking about land preservation, but I'm not sure that unless we're talking about specific tariffs and specific issues that this will make a significant difference." Agriculture groups support bill The bill has received support from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the National Farmers Union for Ontario. Both groups has representatives who stood beside Schreiner and Brady at Tuesday's press conference. Mark Reusser, vice-president of Waterloo Federation of Agriculture and a director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said the proposed bill is something farmers across the province have been calling for over the years. Specifically in southern Ontario, he noted it's a "very special place" with a climate that allows a large variety of items to be raised and grown. Dave Kranenburg, treasurer and director-at-large with the National Farmers Union for Ontario, said his organization was "ecstatic" to see the legislation. CBC News asked Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Minister Trevor Jones whether the foodbelt idea was one he would support. In an emailed response, Jones did not address the foodbelt bill directly, but said the provincial government "will always stand up for Ontario's world-class farmers and protect our farmlands." 'Once you destroy it, it's gone' Shapero and Burke say they know private members' bills from opposition parties don't always do well at Queen's Park, but they hope the provincial government will give the proposal another look. "You need to accommodate growth. That's a given, but not at the expense of Class A farmland. I mean, we have some of the best farmland in the whole world. We have the best soil conditions, the climatic conditions, all of that," Burke said. "Once you destroy it, it's gone." Shapero agrees soil should be given a lot more credit for its impact on Ontario's economy. "We talk about oil and critical minerals as key to our economy, but soils that can grow almost anything, that's a critical resource too," Shapero said. "It's something we need to shift our thinking around and see that food systems and food supply are key to making Canada work. Our ability to feed ourselves, this is something that's really, I think, top of mind for people and this is really an idea whose time has come."
