{"id":314119,"date":"2022-03-02T19:24:17","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T09:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=314119"},"modified":"2022-03-02T23:28:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T13:28:14","slug":"ag-production-hits-record-75b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2022\/03\/02\/ag-production-hits-record-75b\/","title":{"rendered":"Ag Production Hits Record $75b"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The latest ABARES report shows farm sizes have increased while the number of farms has decreased<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

March 2, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australia’s agriculture sector enjoyed a record $75 billion in production in 2020-21, according to an ABARES report released this week.<\/p>\n

However, the number of farms has decreased while at the same time the amount of farming land has increased.<\/p>\n

Executive director Jared Greenville said the “Snapshot of Australian Agriculture 2022” report demonstrated that while there have been fluctuations, the agriculture sector was still on an upward trajectory.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we export most of what we produce, maintaining competitiveness on international markets has been the key to growth over the longer term,\u201d Dr Greenville said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has involved changes within the industry \u2013 for example, broadacre farms continuing to get bigger \u2013 and access to export markets has also been important.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past 15 years, Australia’s trade agreements have provided access to new and growing markets. This also helps when there are disruptions to international markets by making sure we\u2019ve got a variety of options.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ability of Australian farmers to adapt to changing conditions and risks has been impressive.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the challenges presented by higher temperatures and lower rainfall over the last few decades, we\u2019ve seen productivity continue to increase as farmers continue to adapt.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, ABARES surveys show that farms are actively increasing their resilience to drought by improving soil water retention, increasing fodder and grain storage and de-stocking early in low rainfall periods to preserve groundcover.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to ABARES, Australian agriculture accounts for:<\/strong><\/p>\n