Watching the news these days, it's hard not to get frustrated by the anti-social activities of Extinction Rebellion and similar environmental extremists (which, by the way, are doing more harm than good in regard to climate change, if only because the vast quantities of hot air that they pump out must surely be contributing to global warming!).
But joking aside, in addition to the obvious social and economic damage their public tantrums create, their hysteria seems to draw out a range of well-meaning but completely hare-brained schemes to save the planet.
I became involved in one this week, when alternative current affairs program The Project interviewed me about a proposed scheme to introduce a 'deforestation rating' on beef.
The comes from the United States and is intended to create a consumer-driven movement to stop rainforest being cleared for grazing, which is happening in a number of developing nations.
The Sydney-based journalist who interviewed me asked whether we were concerned about 'forest clearing' for beef production in Australia and whether we would support a consumer rating for 'forest-friendly beef' over here.
I replied that ALL beef produced in Australia is 'forest-friendly'. I told him that forests in Australia weren't being cleared for cattle grazing (in fact, way more land is cleared for residential housing in the urban sprawl).
I also tried to explain that most grazing is done on rangelands and open forests that existed in Australia at the time of settlement and which have been managed by humans and grazed by animals since time immemorial.
But I fear my patient explanations were in vain. The journalist had an agenda for his report and I guess we'll see in the next few days whether I've been 'stitched up'.
The whole experience underlined to me the importance of our ongoing efforts to have a conversation with people living in our cities, to help them understand just how vital it is to have a thriving agriculture industry that is already a global leader in sustainability and is continually improving.
I'd ask you to participate in that conversation. To see how you can help, go to our Stand Up for Regional Queensland website: standupforregqld.org.au.