Dear member
I was recently lucky enough to attend a Nuffield International Triennial Conference looking at farming practices in Eastern Canada.
We spent nine amazing days visiting farming businesses in high rainfall zones, such as blueberry farms, market gardens, orchards, dairies, lobster farms and even maple syrup farms. Tasting testing some of these products was certainly high on the agenda!
Despite being half way around the world and despite the huge differences in agricultural production, their farmers still face many of the same issues that our farmers have to deal with here in Western Australia.
Simple things such as access to seasonal farm labour, funding for landcare, debate over genetically modified grains, seasonal fluctuations, the dominance of large grocery chains and tightening profits. All these issues are a constant challenge even to the most innovative farmer in Canada, just as they are here.
It was reassuring to see that these types of issues are not confined to us simply because Australia is an isolated nation.
However, perhaps more importantly, one of the most significant differences between the Canadian and Australian agricultural industries was access to markets.
In Canada, there is a market of over 300 million people, being the USA, just across the border. So while Canada mirrors Australia in so many ways agriculturally, it has opportunities geographically that we can't even dream of.
This trip not only gave me an insight into a highly profitable and extremely productive part of the world, but also reiterated how innovative and profitable our farmers have to be to compete in an international market against the likes of Canada when we have such a massive freight disadvantage. Our farmers really must be some of the best business people in the world!
On the home front, while I was away we received wonderful rains which have continued into July and the season here in the central wheatbelt is looking magnificent. I hope the season has been kind to you also, whatever industry you may be involved with.
Jo Fulwood, Reference Group Member, Cunderdin