Australia is a major agricultural producer, and due to its vast size and varying climates, there are many different primary industries, ranging from livestock, cropping and the fishing industry. As well as the jobs and revenue created from these industries there is also the many manufacturers that are supported by agriculture in the supply of necessary equipment, such as tractors, ploughs, fencing tools, fishing boats, shearing gear, bird netting, fertilisers and milking machines. Agriculture also impacts other industries, such as transport and the food and clothing industries.
Dairy
The dairy industry is one of Australia’s major rural industries. It is estimated that approximately 40,000 people are employed on dairy farms and in manufacturing plants. Jobs are further created in transport and distribution, and research and development projects. It is a well established industry found in the temperate and some subtropical areas of Australia. The majority of dairy farms are found in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, and are responsible for the supply of milk that goes into the manufacture of many different dairy products such as butter, cream, cheese, yoghurt, powdered milk, ice cream, as well as the milk we drink.
Beef
Another major agricultural industry in Australia the beef industry is extremely diverse, ranging from smaller farms in the south-east of Australia where there are higher stocking rates per acre due to a higher rainfall and more fertile soils, to the large scale cattle stations covering hundreds of thousands of acres. The very first beef cattle arrived in 1788 with the first European Settlers, a total of only 6 head of cattle. This figure has escalated to over 20 million head today. Beef has become one of Australia’s successful export industries, with over 60% heading overseas.
Crops
The main crops in Australia include wheat, vegetables, fruit, cotton, sugarcane, barley, canola, oats and rice. Wheat is the largest grain crop in Australia and about 80% of it is exported, which makes Australia the fourth largest exporter after the United States, Canada and the European Union. There are about 25,000 farms in Australia that grow wheat as their major crop. It is milled into flour and used in a diverse range of food products.
Wool
With Australia’s relatively mild climate it is suited to sheep and the production of wool. Wool growing properties are found in the north of Queensland, right through New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, around to the mid-north of Western Australia, as well as in Tasmania. Flocks range in numbers from a few hundred to as many as 100,000 or more. There are a variety of breeds found in Australia today with different sheep being used for meat and others being wool producers, although it is the Australian Merino that has had an overwhelming influence on the Australian wool industry. Merinos have very heavy fleeces that produce a fine, high quality wool, a lot of which is exported. Currently there are around 72 million sheep in Australia.
Seafood
Because of Australia’s geographical isolation from other continents and its range of climatic zones, the diversity and cleanliness of marine life is excellent, meaning Australia can export a broad range of seafood to the rest of the world. The fishing industry is the fifth most profitable in Australia after beef, wool, wheat and dairy. Australia is also the world’s largest producer of abalone and rock lobster.
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