At the risk of sounding dramatic, this is a pivotal week for agriculture in Queensland.
This week, AgForce will set the industry on the path for the successful, sustainable, profitable future we know is ours.
We have used the opportunity of our first board meeting of 2020 to convene a rare, very potent meeting of our three Commodity Boards with our Policy Coordination Group.
These are industry leaders from across the state who are expert in fields as diverse as drought, agronomics, biosecurity, and transport.
What happens this year will shape - positively or otherwise - farming in this state for decades.
So we need to get this right.
More than that, Queensland needs us to get this right
First and foremost, we must reset our relationship with the state government, to regain their trust so that we can once more play our vital role in ensuring legislation and programs are what industry needs.
We need to re-establish an operating environment where primary producers are once again valued by the government and the community as vital custodians of the land they work.
We need a mindset that allows farmers to manage their properties to be profitable and sustainable while also delivering better environmental, economic and social outcomes.
To ensure we get it right, industry and community leaders have come together to consider the future we want and what we need to do to get there.
We will this week establish a purpose, a clear direction and list of issues to be addressed to set ag on the right path, to allow it to breathe vibrancy and life back into rural and regional communities that have been slowly wasting away.
This will be a legacy for future generations of which we can be proud.
But we can't do it alone.
We need all Queenslanders to not only join but actively participate in ag's journey.
If you haven't already, visit standupforregqld.org.au/act to find out how you can make a real difference, to agriculture, to urban and regional communities, to the environment.
Because this is not just about AgForce, this is about all of us.