August 2019

In the old days bread, milk and eggs were the staples of our diet. Ok, those old days were a long time ago – almost back to war rationing days when families faced empty shelves as supermarkets ran out of essentials. Post-war the world returned to normal and the shelves were always full of food. When in short supply, some things became luxuries and were signalled by limited supply and high prices. Just as we

In last week’s Farm Weekly (August 15 – p.12) PGA Western Grain Growers Chairman claimed that I, as CEO of WAFarmers had, ‘taken a very prominent course of action designed to create the petty bickering he claims to so despise in order to further his own personal aims.’ Now this is an interesting claim and is just one of a number of assertions made in the Letter to the Editor that deserves a response, particularly

WAFarmers represents 1150 farm businesses and has 4000 individual members across the Wheatbelt, Great Southern and South West of the state. As an advocacy organisation, we support political parties with policies that clearly support our members’ interests. The Liberal Party has a proud tradition of members representing rural and regional seats both at a state and federal level and has a long list of past and present members of parliament who have been farmers and

At the Dowerin Field Day, attendees will find in their Field Day Program, a link to a Farm Weekly run poll that will allow farmers the ability to have their say on whether Western Australia should have a single unified organisation representing industry needs. The results of the poll will confirm growers opinions as to whether they believe agriculture in this state will be better served by having one organisation and one voice servicing the

The state government, or as lawyers like to call it ‘The Crown’, has the ultimate say over what happens to the lands that it oversees. If it wants land farmed, it releases crown land and encourages farmers to come and take up virgin blocks of bush; if it wants minerals mined, it releases exploration acreage and calls for geologists to come and explore. In return it earns rents, royalties and taxes to fill its bottomless

Around 400 BC a Chinese philosopher by the name of Mencius said “People can have a long term life plan only if they know their private property is secure.” 2400 years later these wise words still ring true for farming families across Australia as they struggle towards the next generation of farm ownership. Unfortunately, there has been a substantial decline in support for the security of private property rights by courts and governments over the

We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object, and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first. Charles Mackay 1841 For those who are watching the climate wars with a feeling that the whole debate is becoming a little bit mad, I recommend reading, ‘Extraordinary Popular