Australia is not only a country of kangaroos and koalas, but also a world leader in the export of barley and home to the world's largest farms. And that's not all.
Agriculture is very well developed in Australia, because although it is a hot and desert country with very little arable land, this does not prevent it from being one of the leaders in the production and export of cereals. Due to the small areas suitable for crops, livestock and fishing are most often practiced in Australia. Pastures occupy almost half of the entire country, which is six times the territory of Ukraine.
Here are some facts that will tell you about the conditions in which Australian farmers work and the state of the agriculture of the country, which occupies an entire continent.
Deserts and semi-deserts occupy 63% of the country's territory. Northern Australia is one of the hottest places on the planet, with average annual temperatures reaching 30 ° C. By comparison, the hottest place on the planet is Dallol, with an average annual temperature of 34 ° C.
Areas with a temperate climate are located in the southeast of the country: in the states of Victoria, New South Wales and on the island of Tasmania. All other lands can be attributed to arid regions, in which, in addition to cattle farms, there are also irrigated lands with. In addition, El Niño affects Australia, causing drought and reducing yields.
Although the surface of Australia is predominantly flat and the lowest compared to other continents, there are many mountains in the west, in the center and on the east coast. Most of the areas with a high level of precipitation are forests and only occasionally arable land. Crop production is mainly practiced in the southeast and southwest of the country, and livestock in arid regions. And with more desert areas in Australia, livestock is a priority agricultural sector.
There is not a single volcano in Australia, there are no earthquakes here. The relief has remained unchanged for over forty million years.
An integral indicator of soil fertility is the humus content. The most fertile in Ukraine are Kharkiv and Poltava regions, and in Australia, the same fertile lands are found in the states of Victoria, New South Wales, as well as in the southwest of the mainland.
Moreover, each state has its own specialization depending on the climate. In Victoria, they are engaged in crop production, in Tasmania - in fishing, New South Wales is a diversified state, and the rest can be conventionally called livestock breeding. The fertile soil map is very similar to the precipitation map, which means that the efficiency of crop production depends mainly on the weather.
The largest number of large farms are concentrated in the north and west of the mainland. In these regions, the average farm size reaches 7-11 thousand hectares. At the same time, the average farm by Australian standards is a farm of 3,000 hectares. In the ranking of the largest farms in the world, 7 out of 10 will be Australian. But the first place is occupied by China's China Modern Diary with 4 million hectares of land.
Each livestock state also has its own large farm, and sometimes even several. For example, Australia's largest livestock farm, Anna Creek Station, is located in South Australia. Its land bank is 2.42 million hectares. This is more than the area of Israel. The second largest farm in the country is located in the same state - this is Clifton Hills, which covers an area of 1.7 million hectares.
Although there are larger farms in the north and west, they are much smaller than in other states, which means that production in these regions is less. As for the rest of the livestock regions, Queensland is the center of cattle meat production, and South Australia is the most profitable arid region.
The most efficient agricultural state is Victoria, followed by Tasmania, closing the top three in New South Wales. Victoria is not only the region with the highest level of livestock production, but also the most profitable. It can also be called a dairy state.
Australian agribusiness focuses primarily on cattle, milk, sheep's wool and lamb.
There are five times more sheep than people in Australia - 100 million. She, together with China and New Zealand, controls the global sheepskin market: these three countries produce about 50% of the total sheep wool in the world. At the same time, it is Australia that is the world leader in the production and export of sheep wool. It also produces the best muton in the world - the most expensive sheepskin. Australia produces about half of the world's muton.
The industry is currently in a major recession. Over the past 25 years, the number of sheep has decreased by 53%, and the number of farms by 23%. If the dynamics continue, then in the near future China will become the main producer. The reason for the decline was the cost of wool - it is too expensive. Artificial textiles are almost as good as natural wool and it's much cheaper. Therefore, the Australians began to breed Australian merino sheep, from which you can get both wool and a lot of meat.
7.Australia is the leader in barley export
In 2016, it exported 6.7 million tons of barley, while Ukraine, which is the third largest exporter in the world, sold 5 million tons abroad.
Another important crop for the mainland state is wheat. The share of wheat cultivation here is one of the largest in the world. This allowed Australia to produce 28.3 million tons of wheat in 2016, 70% of which was exported.
Also local farmers grow a large number of fruits, nuts and vegetables. These are mainly oranges, apples, bananas, chestnuts, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. The state of Queensland and the Northern Territory grow mangoes and pineapples. All this is bought mainly by Japan, the USA and China.
Australia is one of the few countries that cultivates opium poppy for pharmaceutical purposes. Production on the island of Tasmania is under the strictest control of the state.
Now Australian agriculture is in crisis: over the past 10 years, the area of farmland has decreased by 41 thousand hectares, and the number of agricultural enterprises - by 16 thousand hectares. Serious problems and in vegetable growing. The crisis was caused by unemployment and a large gap between incomes in cities and countryside... More and more young people are leaving for cities and agribusiness is mainly carried out by those for whom it is a family business. A bit like that. Nevertheless, it is one of the most important countries for the global agricultural market, and Ukraine is its direct competitor in the market. South-East Asia.
According to the level of socio-economic development, Australia belongs to the economically highly developed countries of the world, but its characteristic feature is its predominantly raw materials and agricultural specialization. This direction of the economy was facilitated by the presence of vast land areas and the richest raw material base with a very weak supply of labor resources.
Worldwide importance is mining industry Australia, scattered across various regions of the country. By the level of production and export coal, iron, manganese ores, bauxite, uranium, gold, diamonds, sapphire, opal and many other minerals Australia is one of the world leaders.
Manufacturing industry concentrated in the southeast of Australia and is mainly focused on the domestic market and does not always meet the needs of the country.
On the basis of its own resources of coking coal and ferrous metal ores, black metallurgy(Newcastle, Melbourne, Wollongong), and on the basis of non-ferrous metal ores - non-ferrous, among whose industries are the production of aluminum (Bell Bay, Quinana and Geelong), copper (Mount Isa), nickel (Kalgoorlie), lead and zinc (Port -Piri).
The Australian mechanical engineering, which manufactures cars, ships, agricultural machinery and equipment, electrical engineering and electronics. The main engineering centers of the country are Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Australia has a highly developed chemical industry , among the industries of which the production of mineral fertilizers (Brisbane and Quinana), soda, acids and alkalis (Newcastle), petrochemical products (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Clyde) and polymers (Melbourne and Adelaide) are distinguished.
Various industries are traditionally developed Food Industry , among which meat, sugar, flour and butter cheese are of export importance. Material from the site
A high level of development and a huge role in the structure farms in Australia agricultural production is highlighted. With a general extensive focus, agriculture in Australia is distinguished by a high level of mechanization and agricultural technology. The overwhelming part of agricultural production is provided by animal husbandry, in which meat and wool sheep breeding and beef cattle breeding are clearly distinguished. The total head of sheep ranges from 120 to 180 million heads, which is associated with droughts and world market conditions. Despite the fact that in recent years Australia lost the leading position in the number of sheep to China, it confidently retained its leading position in the world in the production and export of lamb and wool. In some years, Australia provides up to 1/3 of the world's wool harvest. In crop production, wheat, barley, corn (southeast and southwest of the country), sugarcane and pineapples (east coast), cotton (west and east) are distinguished by their share in sown areas and value, as well as horticulture and viticulture. (southeast). In the north of the country (the Arnhemland Peninsula), a unique industry has developed - crocodile farming.
From 1795, when the first white settlers switched to partial self-sufficiency in basic foodstuffs, until the end of World War II, agriculture, and especially sheep breeding, formed the foundation of Australia's economy. Although, as industry developed, agriculture lost its leading position, this industry still forms the basis of the country's well-being.
The expression "Australia rides a sheep" justified itself for a hundred years - from 1820 to about 1920. Using several Spanish merino, imported in 1797 from the Cape of Good Hope, as well as others brought a little later from England, John MacArthur and his wife Elizabeth by careful crossing brought out a new breed - Australian merino.
The mechanization of the British textile industry led to the demand for fine-fiber wool, which Australia was able to satisfy since 1820. In 1850, there were 17.5 million sheep in this country. After 1860, money received from gold mines was spent on expanding sheep breeding. In 1894, the number of sheep exceeded 100 million.In 1970, the number of sheep in Australia reached a record high level- 180 million. However, as a result of a sharp drop in the prices of wool on the world market in 1997, it fell to 123 million.
In 1974, a proposal was adopted to introduce a lower level of auction prices for wool, and it operated successfully until 1991, when the huge stock of accumulated wool began to be marketed on the "free market." As a result, wool prices fell sharply. By that time, the country had accumulated over 4.6 million bales of unsold wool. The distribution of these stocks, as well as of the newly produced wool, has become a problem for modern Australia. In 1996, 730 thousand tons of wool were produced, but prices for it dropped by 57% compared to the level of 1988-1989.
While Australian wool has had a market since the early 19th century, there has been no such market for meat for many years. Therefore, the old and superfluous sheep were slaughtered for skins and lard. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the invention of meat freezing technology in 1879 made it possible to organize the export of Australian lamb to England. The successful development of trade stimulated the development of new breeds of sheep that gave meat best quality compared to merino, but slightly worse wool. In 1996-1997, Australia produced 583 thousand tons of mutton, of which 205 thousand tons were exported. Over the past decade, the export of live sheep, which were slaughtered after delivery to the country of destination, was established. Basically, this product was purchased by the Muslim countries of the Middle East. In total, in 1996-1997, over 5.2 million sheep were exported from Australia.
Most of the sheep population is confined to three concentric zones of the mainland. Less than 1/4 of the total sheep population is concentrated in the herd sheep breeding zone (area 3.9 million sq. Km, average annual precipitation less than 500 mm with irregular precipitation), but it is there that Australian merino sheep are mainly bred. This zone extends in a wide arc through southeastern part, the central part and further north to the central; in it forms a belt along the central part of the coast, and then turns inland towards the Nullarbor Plain. The average farm size in this zone is 20,000 hectares, and the specific capacity of pastures is small: one sheep per 3.2 hectares. The zone of sheep breeding and grain farming, specializing in the cultivation of wheat, with an area of about 534 thousand square meters. km is located along outside from the pasture area and concentrates 2/5 of the total sheep population. Here annually up to 750 mm of precipitation falls regularly. Wheat cultivation and sheep breeding have about the same value... Sheep are represented by hybrid breeds that give a lot of meat and wool. The average size of the farm is 1000 hectares, and the specific capacity of pastures is one sheep per 0.7 hectares. In the outer zone, where there is a lot of precipitation - more than 750 mm per year, more than 1/3 of the sheep population is concentrated. Here, along with sheep, cattle are raised (for meat) and wheat is grown. The average size of the farm is 485 hectares, and the specific capacity of pastures is 3.2 sheep per hectare.
Since there are no large carnivores in Australia other than the dingo, cattle breeding in colonial period reached significant proportions, especially in drier and more remote areas, where it was ahead of sheep breeding. However, the development of this industry was restrained due to the impossibility of organizing the export of products and the limited domestic market. The Victoria Gold Rush in the 1850s attracted thousands of people. A significant market for beef arose there, which marked the beginning of the development of commercial meat animal husbandry. However, only after 1890, when frozen Australian beef began to enter english market was guaranteed further development this industry. By that time, most of the mainland had been developed, which is now used for grazing cattle, and the total livestock population reached about 10 million.
In 1997, there were 23.5 million head of cattle meat breeds... Production of beef and veal amounted to 1.8 million tons, of which 42% was exported. Great importance to expand the export of Australian beef had the opening of the Japanese market. As in sheep breeding, during these years the export of live cattle increased significantly - more than 860 thousand heads in 1996-1997.
Introduction of exotic tropical legumes opens up prospects for improving the quality of pastures. The belt with an average annual rainfall of 500-750 mm, crossing Queensland, New South Wales and the North, is best suited for raising cattle. The capacity of pastures here ranges from 1.2 to 12 hectares per head of livestock, and the size of farms ranges from 400 to 10,500 hectares, most of they belong to private owners. Improved pastures are common in this belt, often with an irrigation system, sheep breeding and grain farming are combined with cattle breeding. In a wetter coastal zone the capacity of pastures is slightly lower - from 1.6 to 12 hectares per head of livestock, and the size of farms ranges from 400 to 14 600 hectares. Most of the beef cattle livestock is concentrated in these two zones, and fodder production has been established on a large scale. Most beef cattle are fattened on unfenced pastures.
The most common breeds are Hereford, Shorthorn and Angus. Since 1959, significant breeding success has been achieved through the introduction of zebu into herds in Northern Australia, and this influence is now noticeable in many areas where livestock is raised for meat. The Texas breed of Santa Gertrudis proved to be very successful, and a similar breed of Drotmaster became widespread in the north.
Dairy farming.
Dairy farms in Australia are concentrated on the southeast coast, where there is a lot of rainfall or irrigation; the most important areas for the development of this industry are the southern coast of Victoria, the Murray Valley near Echuk and the border area between Queensland and New South Wales. In 1997, there were 3.1 million head of dairy cattle. The number of this livestock has decreased since the early 1960s, but due to the improvement of its composition and quality of pastures, as well as the improvement of farming methods, the volume of dairy production has not decreased. In the 1990s, the number of dairy cattle increased again. This trend is partly attributable to the industry's successful adaptation to global market conditions following the decision in the mid-1980s that dairy prices should match world prices. Currently, about half of Australia's dairy products are exported (mainly to the Middle East and Asia) in the form of cheese, milk powder, butter and casein. In the past, the production of dairy products was dependent on government subsidies, now this industry is becoming more independent.
Agriculture in Australia
How do Australian farmers not only survive in tough economic and weather conditions, but also develop agricultural production?
Australia is the only country in the world that occupies an entire continent, which makes up about 5% of the Earth's land surface. It is the sixth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, the United States and Brazil, with a length of almost 4,000 kilometers from west to east, and 3,860 kilometers from north to south.
According to statistics, Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world (only Antarctica receives even less rainfall), droughts are frequent here, which sometimes last for several years. Almost three quarters of the country are deserts and semi-deserts. In the southwestern part of the country, the climate is Mediterranean. Most of the southeast of the country (including Tasmania) has a temperate climate.
Agriculture
In Australia, about 60% of agricultural production is exported, including 75% of grain, 97% of wool, 80% of sugar, 30-40% of beef and lamb - cattle export income is about 662 million AU. dollars, from the export of mutton - 323 million austr. dollars (total income from meat exports is about 996.5 million Austr. dollars). In agriculture, only about 10% of the country's area is used, of which no more than a third is arable land, the rest is pasture.Grain farming is the leading direction of crop production, both in terms of the cost of output and the area under crops. The main grain crop in Australia is wheat. It accounts for 18-19% of agricultural production, 35-40% of crop production, more than 60% of sown land.
Cultivation of grain crops is mainly limited to the eastern and southeastern peripheral regions of Australia, to a lesser extent in the southwest of Western Australia and in Tasmania. The main wheat-growing area, the so-called "wheat belt", stretches in a strip 70-300 km wide from the city of Brisbane in Queensland to southern Australia. Since 1950, when 8 million hectares were planted, there has been a significant increase in planted area, up to a record level of 22 million hectares in 1984. Subsequently, unfavorable climatic and economic factors led to a reduction in cultivated areas to 17 million hectares in 1991, but then began to expand again - to 20 million hectares in 2011.
One of the main challenges facing Australian farmers, along with droughts, erosion and low soil fertility, is the tense situation. fresh water in many parts of Australia.
The growing needs of the population and industry of the state of South Australia could hardly be met by traditional sources (the Murray River, small rivers flowing from the hills of Adelaide, rainwater collected by the population, and artesian waters).
As a result, there are official restrictions on the use of water in Australia. They vary greatly from region to region, and usually consist of several levels (Sydney City - three levels, Queensland - 7 levels), each of which has its own prohibitions. The weakening of the bans (increase in the level of water discharge) is usually associated with the beginning of the rainy season (in winter, in the Southern Hemisphere - June, July, August), and the filling of reservoirs. Examples of such prohibitions are: the prohibition to wash the car, fill swimming pools, watering lawns and any surfaces.
Features of the grain market
Annual grain production in Australia is 35 million tons, depending on the season, grain production - AU 9 billion. dollars, of which 4 billion worth of products are exported. In the grain market in Australia, associations of grain producers in the regions and their unions are actively working. Previously, only the Australian Wheat Authority, created immediately after World War II, was exporting Australian wheat.The department has its own grain storage facilities, grain terminals in ports. It buys wheat from farmers at a guaranteed price and then independently sells it on the external market. The savings formed during the years of high market conditions are used to cover losses arising when the price on the world market falls in comparison with the guaranteed one. Later, the Australian government decided to expand the market and improve the competitive environment. As a result of the government's actions, the Australian domestic market is currently dominated by three large grain operators - Grain Corp, Viterra and CBH Group. They own most of the country's 20 grain export ports and grain elevators.
The Australian grain market has a transparent system of relations in the “producer-consumer” chain with clear rules of the game: grain brokers receive only $ 10 per ton of grain for their services, about $ 20 is spent on grain transportation, storage price is $ 30-40 per ton.
For comparison: Russian manufacturers grains receive 40% less revenue for their products with a comparable contribution to the bread value chain. This year, with the Australian grain price of $ 260 per tonne, Russian farmers have about $ 117 tonnes less than Australian farmers.
Agricultural science
In Australia, a fundamentally different development of agricultural science is being carried out, based on the principles of public and private partnership. The aim of agricultural science in Australia is to improve the environmental and economic efficiency and profitability of agricultural production. Unique example wide development of public and private consulting services and effective development innovations in the agro-industrial complex GRDC (grain research corporation). It was created 20 years ago by farmers' associations and the state to carry out scientific and practical work on the study and development of agricultural crops at the request and needs of farmers.The corporation's partners include five government agencies, eight universities, and a national research center. In the laboratories of the corporation, about 25 types of agricultural crops are studied, which bring Australian farmers about 7 billion Australian dollars annually. The Australian government has approved a special tax on farmers. Each year, the main body of the grain industry in Australia - Grain Producers Australia (GPA) - sets its size: as a rule, it is no more than 0.5% of the gross value of grain produced by farmers.
However, 30% of the collection is allocated by the state, the size of the government contribution is determined annually and is based on a three-year moving average gross production value of 25 taxable crops.
The amount turns out to be quite significant, for example, last year it amounted to 160 million australia. dollars - it is through these funds that about 800 GRDC research projects are annually financed. The topics of these studies are determined by the farmers themselves, based on the needs of agricultural production.
Direct seeding in Australia
According to WANTFA (Western Australia's No-Till Farmers Association), Australia currently uses no-till sowing on 16 million hectares. Progress in the development of direct seeding on the continent began twelve years ago, when the number of farmers applying this technology, began to grow rapidly. Reducing soil impact through no-till and conservation farming practices has resulted in significant increases in soil fertility, stability and improved conditions. environment in the agricultural belt of Australia (improvement in grain yields by 10-15% in Australia - as a result of reduced soil compaction).In Australia, most farmers use precision planters with narrow, pointed openers, although some farmers use disc openers, which are particularly popular in Australia. last years... The peculiarities of their application are the use of 50 kg of seeds per 1 hectare when sowing 2-3 cm at a low seeder speed - 5-7 km / h (while GM seeds are widely used).
In addition, among farmers who are supporters of direct sowing, the use of plowed green manure is becoming more and more popular.
Australian farmers are actively using satellite monitoring data in the production of crops, in addition, the practice of monitoring crops through aerial photo monitoring using digital cameras and spectrometers installed on an unmanned aerial vehicle is widespread. As a result, the state of crops, soil is promptly determined, necessary measures, according to the data of such monitoring, the presence of weeds in the fields is also detected and this data is used to prepare application maps for the application of pesticides.
On loamy soils, the Controlled Traffic Farming system is widely used.
In Australia, automated precision spraying with WeedSeeker systems is widely used, the appearance of which farmers call a revolution in crop production. 
The WeedSeeker automated precision spraying system is mounted on a sprayer and provides for efficient differentiated application of plant protection products, which is carried out by individual nozzles and optical elements that recognize the presence of weeds in the field.
Thanks to the targeted application system, it becomes possible to perform several operations before sowing, thereby preventing the topsoil from drying out. The WeedSeeker only sprays weeds without contaminating the soil. This system saves time, saves labor force, reduces the amount of herbicides used, reduces the harmful effect on the environment. WeedSeeker works regardless of the time of day. Thanks to the salvo application, spraying is possible even with strong wind... A single WeedSeeker system on a farm pays for itself in less than a year, according to many farmers.
Agricultural engineering Australia
Agricultural engineering in Australia is poorly developed (agricultural engineering gives only 3% of the cost of all engineering products), there are no more than 200 enterprises throughout the country, of which only two are large, but they also provide a lot interesting ideas and development. The industry employs about 11 thousand workers. There are few sophisticated agricultural machines - combines, tractors, etc. - produced. A significant number of combines, tracked tractors and especially production implements for processing technical and vegetable crops imported from the USA, Canada and England. Uncomplicated agricultural machinery Australia exports to New Zealand and the Pacific Rim countries. The main centers of agricultural engineering are located in the main agricultural regions of the country: in Victoria (Melbourne, Geelong, etc.), New South Wales (Sydney, Bathurst), South Australia(Adelaide), Western Australia (Perth) and Tasmania (Hobart).The peculiarity of agriculture in Australia is that it is used here great amount land plots per person employed, and also there is an opportunity for out-of-bed year-round keeping of cattle on pasture. During its development, there were no feudal remnants here, there was an advanced and relatively stable and rather capacious English market. Agriculture in Australia is one of the world leaders in labor productivity, but at the same time, the indicators of agricultural output per unit area are relatively small, since the land is used extensively here.
This feature is indicative of how different the agriculture of Australia is from that of Japan, and however, this feature also testifies to the enormous potential of the fifth continent. Even the most conservative estimates show that just a simple increase in cultivated land at the expense of land not yet involved in agricultural use makes it possible to provide food for 60 million people. And all this without harming the environment.
Agriculture in Australia exports 60% of all manufactured products, including 97% wool, 80% sugar, 75% grain, 30-40% beef and lamb. Previously, most of the products were exported to the UK, but in Lately Japan and other countries of East and Southeast Asia are becoming the main exporters. Australia's agricultural development strategy continues to focus on sheep as its leading industry. The number of sheep herds in the country ranks first in the world and in some years reached 180 million heads. Then it shrank due to the fall in the world market for wool, and over the years it has been about 130 million heads.
Sheep are rather finicky animals; neither a temperate climate with high humidity nor tropical heat. The bulk of the sheep (about 45%) graze in areas located to the west of the zone where intensive sheep breeding is carried out. These zones receive between 350 and 500 mm of precipitation per year. Here on the farms, in addition to sheep, they also grow wheat and breed. The influence of climate on agriculture in Australia has led to the fact that areas of intensive sheep breeding are usually highly specialized, they are small feed-type farms. These are areas that stretch in a narrow strip along the western slopes of the East Australian Mountains, as well as in the eastern part and in the extreme southwestern part of the mainland. These areas account for about a third of the entire flock of sheep.
Among crop production, agriculture in Australia is represented by grain farming. Basic grain crop here is wheat. It accounts for 35-40% of the crop production and 18-19% of the total agricultural production. The average wheat yield is low and amounts to only 13-14 centners per hectare. Moreover, the climate has a rather strong influence on the yield. However, Australia has been among the leaders in world wheat exports for many years, second only to the USA and Canada in terms of volume. Sometimes France is ahead of it in the fight for third place in grain. The largest grain importers are Japan and China.
Besides wheat, important crops for export are barley, oats and sorghum. Moreover, barley in Australia is grown in the same areas as wheat. The crop rotation scheme is used here: wheat-barley-fallow. Corn in Australia, as opposed to European countries and the United States is cultivated a little, as for her local soils and climatic conditions unsuitable.