Added to that the distortion of value that “tax incentives” place on the market, means that a really hi tech farmer can increase productivity all he or she likes but that will not keep pace with non productive drivers such as competing land uses like urbanisation and the environment.

AACO’s abbatior near Darwin will be interesting if it gets up. There’s going to be about 500,000 cattle that can’t go on the boat and will need to get their heads cut off. If AACO can get them into the US burger beef trade it will be a goer.

I don’t like vineyards or forestry, but I like rice, pulses and moo cows.

As for the whole “food bowl of Asia” thing, that’s been sung for years.

Not sure if you will be able to get a chew at the Ord stages 2 & 3. Initially they were talking about sugar and an abbatior over at Kununurra, but that seems to have gone quiet and all the talk is sugar. The majority of Ord 1 is covered in Sandalwood, some of which is ready to cut. Will be interesting to see how it goes as the prospect has driven land prices way up. If Sandalwood is no good then prices might come back a bit.

There were some opportunties in the North leasing aboriginal owned stations, but since someone gut shot the boat job they’re not as good.

Maree your rellies in Ag Eco & Agribusiness will be good helpers.

We’re a bit into vineyards at present because China is buying in our locality, just seeing what happens, but I expect there will also be an opportunity to invest in the Chinese lease for sugar cane at Ord River now that the extension has been approved.

Also, we have acquaintace with aquaculture. Now that Labor and the greens are locking up vast coastal fishing grounds, the seafood is going to have to come from farming if you, like us, refuse to eat basa fish and vanamai prawns.

We catch our own stuff from the sea, but most people can’t do that, and they won’t want to eat polluted frozen product from the Mekong. I certainly won’t, having had direct experience of it.

With a tiny majority this crowd has embarked on a program of meddling and micro-management of people’s lives that I could never have seen Australians accepting.

Evey policy they have produced has been a disaster. Abbott should have a long field day in an election year. How long could this have lasted without Labor’s publicity arms the taxpayer-funded ABC and the Fairfax press?

Good point, none of the places I think will be spared (such as India, southern Africa, South America) are ones I’d consider safe places to live.