Contents - Greenmount Press

Where we’ve been and where
we’re going
I
nternational agricultural study tours – enjoyed with a
group of like-minded farmers – are unforgettable social and
learning experiences. While a look over the international farm
fence can do wonders for a better appreciation of what you
already have, the experience can sometimes give you reason to
be a little careful in what you might wish for. Our overseas farm
study tours this year have done this, and much much more, with
the agricultural, scenic, cultural and political faces of South and
North America, Africa, Asia and Europe being magnificently on
display.
South America
South America was the first cab off the rank in February when
24 members of the Mingenew-Irwin Group from WA’s northern
agricultural region, jetted off to Brazil, via South Africa. The
impact of visiting huge cropping farms in the Brazilian interior
was matched only by the realisation that there are even more
vast areas of magnificent (non-Amazon) farming country yet to
be brought into production. The group also discovered that the
superb quality and reliability of the 75 million plus hectares of
the Argentine pampas stood in stark contrast to the quality and
unpredictability of the current Argentinean government.
The scenic magnificence of Patagonia and Chile were hits and
Peru and Bolivia simply breathtaking ... literally.
North America
Another group set off for North America in early July and
found that one of the far reaching effects of the GFC was to ‘fizz
down’ the famous Macey’s July 4 fireworks display in New York
City. This disappointment was soon erased when we met Joe and
happened across a much more spectacular – and probably illegal
– display in the backyard of a loggers’ pub in upstate Maine. Joe,
the fireworks fanatic, was also our pub manager, Maine lobster
chef and all round good ole farm boy.
Eastern Canada provided plenty of examples of high input/
high return and highly sophisticated farming. This sophistication
extended to the gentile towns and cities of the French/Canadian
No, It’s not the familiar first tee at Moree but Jim and Dibs
Cush and Bernie Toohey doing their best to not let the
Canadian Rockies distract them on a day off during their US/
Canada study tour.
region. Group members started to feel a bit more at home
when we hit the rolling prairies and family farms of the western
provinces. This familiarity was soon replaced with eye-opening
intrigue when we were privileged to meet with members of
a Hutterite colony in western Alberta and to see their highly
modern and integrated farming business in operation.
A spectacular train journey from the magnificent Rocky
Mountains through to the grain port, tourist and grizzly bear
hotspot of Prince Rupert on the northern Pacific coast of British
Columbia, was a great way to complete the US/Canada tour.
Asian Odyssey
From the steamy tropical jungles of the Mekong Delta to the
highest train ride across the roof of the world, the 2012 Asian
Odyssey Study Tour had it all – even an unscheduled few hours
in Shangri-la. Unscheduled and unexplained, although we later
surmised it involved fighter jet training exercises at our politicallysensitive
destination of Lhasa.
The capital of Tibet had lots of armed Chinese soldiers who
were there to limit the number of Buddhist monks setting fire
to themselves. From a practical viewpoint it meant we couldn’t
wander the streets by ourselves, because we had given our
passports to a ‘ticketing agent’ in order to get tickets on the
famous Lhasa Express train across the Tibetan Plateau.
“Why not just go to the station and buy a ticket” you may
ask. Unfortunately, that’s not the way things work in Tibet (or
the rest of China) and the locals tend not to ask such difficult
questions.
The hospitality of Canadian farmers Gilbert and Wilma
Giesbrecht (centre) was a wonderfully ironic welcome to the
Alberta badlands.
Harvest was well under way in the Red River delta.
(Photo: Annette Coward)
32 — The Australian Cottongrower October–November 2012