Landholders have been told to get good advice and work together as renewable energy projects spread across Queensland's agricultural landscape.
A capacity crowd at the Rural Press Club lunch in the Tattersall's Club in Brisbane on Thursday, were treated to a panel of experts being quizzed by Queensland Farmers Federation CEO Jo Sheppard on how landholders should manage the change.
Ms Sheppard and has QFF team have been key players in agriculture's response to the rapidly growing industry, including the development of the Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit and the development of on-farm "micro-grids".
Katie-Ann Mulder, a policy director with the Queensland Renewable Energy Corporation, said the transition was well underway with the Queensland Government commitment to have 70 per cent renewable energy by 2032 and 80pc by 2035.
"It's a fairly ambitious target, but I am sure we can get there," Ms Mulder said.
"There are lessons are to be learned from other industries.
"We've done it before with CSG (coal seam gas)."
Traprock region grazier Brent Finlay, who is part of the under construction 162 turbine MacIntyre Farm Farm west of Warwick, said wind farms had enabled landholders to diversify their incomes.
"In our country we are pretty well limited to running sheep and growing wool," Mr Finlay said.
"Wind farms have provide the opportunity to diversify in a region with limited opportunities."
Mr Finlay said he had visited 17 wind farms in Australia and New Zealand and each had a different impact on the host landholders and their surrounding communities.
"It's not just the turbines, it's all the infrastructure associated with the project that has to be considered," Mr Finlay said.
"Of course there is plenty of politics.
"These are major, major projects that have big impacts, particularly during the construction phase."
Mr Finlay said he had made the decision at the start of the wind farm project that he would continue to run his property as an agricultural operation.
"Other landholders in the same project effectively decided to allow the project to be constructed with minimal interfere," he said.
"In hindsight those neighbours probably made a better decision."
Kate Swain, a lawyer with McCullough Robertson, said landholders should not "shut the gate".
"It's better for landholders to understand the opportunity," Ms Swain said.
"There is always have the opportunity to say say no later in the process, but they but need to understand the opportunity that is being presented."
Ms Swain said landholders also needed to consider the attitudes of their neighbours.
"Even if say no, your neighbours may say yes, meaning the project may go ahead without a direct benefit."
Mr Finlay agreed there were lessons learnt from the CSG industry, particularly relating to new players in the industry.
"If you have heard of them, find out as much as you can about them," he said.
"They are not all the same."
- Journalist Mark Phelps owns property within the MacIntyre Wind Precinct.
