❓ Question addresses below-average rainfall impacting farmers in southwest WA, with the Minister outlining government support programs and acknowledging challenges while highlighting positive commodity prices. Long-term forecasts predict a dry year.
AnsweredQoN 288Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RAINFALL — GROWING SEASON
Farmers in the south west have been experiencing below average rainfall during the past 12 months. Available feed for the cattle and sheep that have not been trucked east is now at a critical level. Can the minister update the house about the prognosis for the coming growing season? Mr D.T. REDMAN
Farmers in the south west have been experiencing below average rainfall during the past 12 months. Available feed for the cattle and sheep that have not been trucked east is now at a critical level. Can the minister update the house about the prognosis for the coming growing season? Mr D.T. REDMAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Murray–Wellington for the question and for his interest in where things are at this coming season. Members in the house will be aware that 2010 was one of the most challenging seasons that we have had. Some areas had the lowest rainfall for 100 years, so there were very difficult circumstances. The year 2010 has also come on the back of, in some cases, some difficult years prior to that. In some cases the level of farm equity is very low. Whilst there have been some very good rains in the past three or four days, and it is very good to see that some areas have had some very good falls throughout the south west land division, there are still some pockets that would like to see more rain, but I think it also comes on the back of some very low levels of soil moisture. I show the house a diagram of the level of soil moisture in a lot of the south west land division as at 8 May. Mr B.J. Grylls : Red is not good. Mr D.T. REDMAN : Red on the diagram is not good; it is particularly low. Although, member, I am colourblind, I am still able to determine some of the areas that are actually very dry in the state. Although there have been some good rains, I think we need to recognise that it is on the back of some of the lowest levels of soil moisture in the state, which means farmers rely on follow-up rains to make that work, and indeed without soil moisture, there are some challenges towards the end of the season if there is lighter rainfall. Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Murray–Wellington for the question and for his interest in where things are at this coming season. Members in the house will be aware that 2010 was one of the most challenging seasons that we have had. Some areas had the lowest rainfall for 100 years, so there were very difficult circumstances. The year 2010 has also come on the back of, in some cases, some difficult years prior to that. In some cases the level of farm equity is very low. Whilst there have been some very good rains in the past three or four days, and it is very good to see that some areas have had some very good falls throughout the south west land division, there are still some pockets that would like to see more rain, but I think it also comes on the back of some very low levels of soil moisture. I show the house a diagram of the level of soil moisture in a lot of the south west land division as at 8 May. Mr B.J. Grylls : Red is not good. Mr D.T. REDMAN : Red on the diagram is not good; it is particularly low. Although, member, I am colourblind, I am still able to determine some of the areas that are actually very dry in the state. Although there have been some good rains, I think we need to recognise that it is on the back of some of the lowest levels of soil moisture in the state, which means farmers rely on follow-up rains to make that work, and indeed without soil moisture, there are some challenges towards the end of the season if there is lighter rainfall. Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
I thank the member for Murray–Wellington for the question and for his interest in where things are at this coming season. Members in the house will be aware that 2010 was one of the most challenging seasons that we have had. Some areas had the lowest rainfall for 100 years, so there were very difficult circumstances. The year 2010 has also come on the back of, in some cases, some difficult years prior to that. In some cases the level of farm equity is very low. Whilst there have been some very good rains in the past three or four days, and it is very good to see that some areas have had some very good falls throughout the south west land division, there are still some pockets that would like to see more rain, but I think it also comes on the back of some very low levels of soil moisture. I show the house a diagram of the level of soil moisture in a lot of the south west land division as at 8 May. Mr B.J. Grylls : Red is not good. Mr D.T. REDMAN : Red on the diagram is not good; it is particularly low. Although, member, I am colourblind, I am still able to determine some of the areas that are actually very dry in the state. Although there have been some good rains, I think we need to recognise that it is on the back of some of the lowest levels of soil moisture in the state, which means farmers rely on follow-up rains to make that work, and indeed without soil moisture, there are some challenges towards the end of the season if there is lighter rainfall. Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
Mr B.J. Grylls : Red is not good. Mr D.T. REDMAN : Red on the diagram is not good; it is particularly low. Although, member, I am colourblind, I am still able to determine some of the areas that are actually very dry in the state. Although there have been some good rains, I think we need to recognise that it is on the back of some of the lowest levels of soil moisture in the state, which means farmers rely on follow-up rains to make that work, and indeed without soil moisture, there are some challenges towards the end of the season if there is lighter rainfall. Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : Red on the diagram is not good; it is particularly low. Although, member, I am colourblind, I am still able to determine some of the areas that are actually very dry in the state. Although there have been some good rains, I think we need to recognise that it is on the back of some of the lowest levels of soil moisture in the state, which means farmers rely on follow-up rains to make that work, and indeed without soil moisture, there are some challenges towards the end of the season if there is lighter rainfall. Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Murray–Wellington for the question and for his interest in where things are at this coming season. Members in the house will be aware that 2010 was one of the most challenging seasons that we have had. Some areas had the lowest rainfall for 100 years, so there were very difficult circumstances. The year 2010 has also come on the back of, in some cases, some difficult years prior to that. In some cases the level of farm equity is very low. Whilst there have been some very good rains in the past three or four days, and it is very good to see that some areas have had some very good falls throughout the south west land division, there are still some pockets that would like to see more rain, but I think it also comes on the back of some very low levels of soil moisture. I show the house a diagram of the level of soil moisture in a lot of the south west land division as at 8 May. Mr B.J. Grylls : Red is not good. Mr D.T. REDMAN : Red on the diagram is not good; it is particularly low. Although, member, I am colourblind, I am still able to determine some of the areas that are actually very dry in the state. Although there have been some good rains, I think we need to recognise that it is on the back of some of the lowest levels of soil moisture in the state, which means farmers rely on follow-up rains to make that work, and indeed without soil moisture, there are some challenges towards the end of the season if there is lighter rainfall. Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
I thank the member for Murray–Wellington for the question and for his interest in where things are at this coming season. Members in the house will be aware that 2010 was one of the most challenging seasons that we have had. Some areas had the lowest rainfall for 100 years, so there were very difficult circumstances. The year 2010 has also come on the back of, in some cases, some difficult years prior to that. In some cases the level of farm equity is very low. Whilst there have been some very good rains in the past three or four days, and it is very good to see that some areas have had some very good falls throughout the south west land division, there are still some pockets that would like to see more rain, but I think it also comes on the back of some very low levels of soil moisture. I show the house a diagram of the level of soil moisture in a lot of the south west land division as at 8 May. Mr B.J. Grylls : Red is not good. Mr D.T. REDMAN : Red on the diagram is not good; it is particularly low. Although, member, I am colourblind, I am still able to determine some of the areas that are actually very dry in the state. Although there have been some good rains, I think we need to recognise that it is on the back of some of the lowest levels of soil moisture in the state, which means farmers rely on follow-up rains to make that work, and indeed without soil moisture, there are some challenges towards the end of the season if there is lighter rainfall. Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
Mr B.J. Grylls : Red is not good. Mr D.T. REDMAN : Red on the diagram is not good; it is particularly low. Although, member, I am colourblind, I am still able to determine some of the areas that are actually very dry in the state. Although there have been some good rains, I think we need to recognise that it is on the back of some of the lowest levels of soil moisture in the state, which means farmers rely on follow-up rains to make that work, and indeed without soil moisture, there are some challenges towards the end of the season if there is lighter rainfall. Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : Red on the diagram is not good; it is particularly low. Although, member, I am colourblind, I am still able to determine some of the areas that are actually very dry in the state. Although there have been some good rains, I think we need to recognise that it is on the back of some of the lowest levels of soil moisture in the state, which means farmers rely on follow-up rains to make that work, and indeed without soil moisture, there are some challenges towards the end of the season if there is lighter rainfall. Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
Another indicator of the level of concern since last year is that over 300 farming families have Centrelink support as a product of the drought pilot that the Liberal–National government put in place last year in conjunction with the federal government. That is an indicator of the distress out there. However, it is also good to recognise that with the high commodity prices that we have across a lot of agricultural commodities, that is the little bit of silver lining that farmers have. Even with a year that presents an average or even below average rainfall, they can still get an average or better-than-average outcome financially. The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
The other point to note is that the long-term forecast, despite some of the rains that have occurred, show that in all probability it will be a dry year. All the warm water off the west coast creates climatic circumstances that predict it will not necessarily be as good as it has been, which means that farmers will need a greater level of control over their actual decision making this season. They will need to seek some really good advice and make sure that they are engaging with the consultants, the banks, and all the people in the agribusiness sector to ensure that they make some particularly good decisions, given where they have come from and given the circumstances they are in now and what presents in this coming season. I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
I would also like to highlight the extension into the new year of our drought pilot, which I announced last week, along with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. In total it is a $55 million program going into the whole south west land division now and not just the 67 shires that we had in the first instance. That rollout has extended to over 130 shires. That shows the measure of support from this government, not only towards long-term planning for the farming community but also in the acute challenges they face this coming season. I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
I highlight that a lot of work is being done by the Department of Agriculture and Food to support farmers to make good decisions. We have had a recent briefing with industry to ensure that the consultants, the banks, the accountants and all those involved in the agribusiness sector have the knowledge and understanding to ensure that farmers get that good advice. We certainly want to continue working very closely with the businesses, the landholders and all those communities to support them to make the best decisions to ensure that agriculture remains a very robust sector in the Western Australian economy. Farmers will go on adapting and flourishing in the times ahead.
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