In the wake of floodwater in Queensland, behind the billowing smoke of bushfires in Victoria, among the dust that fills the skies, masking horizons in NSW and other states during this horrific drought, along with the ever-increasing power of the activism movement, it appears that not much is in favour of the agriculture industry right now.
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It seems that every which way you turn there is either a natural disaster or man-made propaganda of some sort, impacting farmers and rural towns throughout Australia.
As John F Kennedy said, "The farmer is the only person in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, pays the freight both ways."
Farming is one of the biggest gambles known to man, and at every turn there are different challenges. Many are controlled by the government, some dictated by the weather, but nearly all of them are out of the farmer's direct control.
No amount of preparation could prevent the extreme acts of Mother Nature and no amount of money can fix it.
It is a matter of starting again from the ground up, although one could argue that plenty could be done to dampen the impact activists are making with their scaremongering tactics.
If only we had the support from the top to combat this.
But actions speak louder than words and the funding that has been pouring in for farmers from everyday people all over the country is nothing short of heart warming.
It is the stuff new beginnings are made of. It just goes to show that the majority of Australians do appreciate the effort farmers go to, to feed our nation.
Charities such as BlazeAid, Buy a Bale, Drought Angels, Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Sisters of the North, Rural Aid, Aussie Helpers amongst many more have been inundated with support from people from every far reaching corner of Australia.
With this support they have been working relentlessly to help the hard hit communities get back on their feet. It is enough to ignite the spark in those affected and give them the strength to get back on the horse and keep doing what they love most.
It is paramount that we continue to support our agriculture industry to get back on their feet, and as a feel good for each and every one of you that does donate or lend a hand in some way, you are playing a vital part in ensuring that we continue to eat clean, green, healthy Australian grown food and keep small family businesses alive.
- Alice Mabin, Asia Pacific BEFA Female Entrepreneur of the Year
