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CountryJournal Week commencing 15th November 2021

A life of impact We live and die by our soil

A powerhouse in rural politics, an MP for the state seat of Warwick 14 years, and a familiar face in a range of roles around Warwick, David Wheatcroft Cory loved the chance to represent the region, but what ultimately drew him away from parliament was a love of the land. An in-depth with David Cory this week with Gerard Walsh. Page 6.

In 1937, Franklin Roosevelt, then president of the US, wrote to state governors in the wake of the “dust bowl” catastrophe, where drought across the Southern Plains led to catastrophic famine and dust storms. “The nation that destroys its soils destroys itself,” he wrote, highlighting what remains a fundamental truth: that the state of the Earth’s soil is a vital indicator of the planet’s health. Duncan Cameron Professor of Plant and Soil Biology at the University of Sheffield writes powerfully on the(07) 46 619 835 critical impor- E warwick@rfsteelbuildings.com.au tance of good soil in this edition

Leave good land alone...

Allan Dingle, president of the Queensland Farmers Federation argues in this addition that we need to put a brake on ‘development’ that means the “permanent loss of the best farmland from industrial uses, urban sprawl, services, utilities, and particularly mining.” See page 4 Servicing Warwick, Stanthorpe and Beyond Made from Bluescope Australian Steel FULL SERVICE - SLAB, ERECTION & COUNCIL

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2 COUNTRYJOURNAL QDO gone, eastAUSmilk in its place

Country briefs

QDO members met on Wednesday 3 November 2021 to discuss amending the QDO constitution to include NSW. In total 104 votes were cast, 96 in favour and 8 against. As such, the motion was carried with 92% of votes in favour of the resolution. Consequently, eastAUSmilk will commence operation on 1 December 2021. What that means is that is there will be a merger of cross state dairy advocacy groups hopefully leading to more militant representation of dairy at the state and federal level. The revised constitution will enable the creation of two district councils within NSW from which two representatives will be appointed to the interim board of eastAUSmilk. The QDO name will disappear as a result of the decision. The ‘AUS’ by the way, stands for ‘Advocacy, Unity and Service.’

Leadership for rural women A free, bespoke leadership development program for rural, regional, and remote Queensland women is now accepting applications.

their resilience, resourcefulness and recognition."

“The examples cited by the Commission have never been acceptable in our industry,” said APAL CEO Phil Turnbull. “Members who have been paying hourly rates and piece rates in compliance with the requirements now face the prospect of even more administration and reporting, and employees and employers will lose flexibility and incentives,” said Phil.

84 QRRRWN members will be chosen to participate in one of three 8-month facilitated programs. Each program includes two face-to-face workshops where all accommodation is provided, including a maximum of $700 travel subThe Commission is calling for further sidies. Participants will partake in multisubmissions on the draft decision and ple online workshops and one-on-one has indicated it may make its final determentoring. The program will run annumination on 16 December 2021. ally for three years, with approximately “We are considering the full details of 28 Queensland RRR women per cohort. this decision and will ensure our indusThe programs are designed to support try’s views are shared with the commiswomen who permanently live in rural, sion by the December deadline,” said regional and remote areas within Phil. Queensland, improve their economic security by building their financial competence, small business capabilities, and knowledge of where to go for further growth and opportunities, and build entrepreneurial confidence and connections.

Participants can expect to learn self-awareness, personal leadership, dream clarification, goal setting, financial literacy, technology, social media, brand-building, pitching and presenting, and influencing and leading others. For applications and more information visit www.qrrrwn.org.au/member-programs/rrr-women-program/

US: Maccas $5 million

AgMission, a global collaboration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, announced today that McDonald’s USA has partnered to develop and implement climate-smart farming solutions with a $5 million commitment over the next five years.

US military, food security and bees

Members of the military are used to protecting our national security, but with a program from Michigan State University Extension, they are helping protect pollinators and our national food security by learning to become beekeepers.The Heroes to Hives (H2H) program The Australian Fair Work Commission provides knowledge, experience, and has released its draft decision recomconnections to veterans, active duty mil"Our ultimate goal is to strengthen the mending a minimum hourly rate for all itary members, National Guard memcapacities and leadership opportunities employees under the Horticultural bers, reservists, and their dependents. for Queensland RRR women," QRRRWN Award. The Commission’s announceSince its inception in 2015, H2H has said. "We know as leaders they can and ment will see two key changes – the floor trained more than 5,000 beekeepers will significantly increase their economic rate will be legislated equal to the casual through a free nine-module online beeand community participation and build rate, and growers will need to keep a keeping course. record of hours worked. Applications are open to members of the Queensland Rural Regional and Remote Women's Network (QRRRWN) and has been funded through a Federal Government grant which aims to support and strengthen RRR women’s economic security, improve workforce participation and build leadership skills.

Apple industry responds to Fair Work decision

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APAL argues that if the draft decision goes ahead the apple and pear industry will incur a heavy burden for the non-compliance and poor administration practices of a small number of horticultural industry members.

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Fruitful wages?

Apple and Pear Australia (APAL). APAL CEO Philip Turnbull argued that if the draft decision goes ahead the apple and pear industry will incur a heavy burden for the non-compliance and poor administration practices of a small number of horticultural industry members. “The examples cited by the Commission have never been acceptable in our industry,” Turnbull said. “Members who have been paying hourly rates and piece rates in compliance with the requirements now face the prospect of even more administration and reporting, and employees and employers will lose flexibility and incentives.” AWU National Secretary Daniel Walton disagreed, saying, "I believe this decision ranks among the great victories of our union's 135-year history. Fruit pickers in Australia have been routinely and systemically exploited and underpaid. Too many farmers have been able to manipulate the piece rate system to establish pay and con-

IENDLY BAN FR

NG KI

Fire burns wood supply for years to come

ditions far beneath Australian standards.” He explained that the proposed changes will put a safety net under fruit pickers to ensure they get a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. "Now it will be easy for workers — even if they don't have good English language skills or Australian connections – to understand if they're being ripped off,” Walton said. “From now on if you're making less than $25 an hour fruit picking in Australia your boss is breaking the law and stealing from you.” He added that the decision is not just a huge win for the union and their workers, but for regional and rural Australia. “Workers who earn more, spend more in local shops,” Walton said. “They pay tax. They rent local houses and contribute to regional communities. The so-called labour shortage in fruit picking has, in large part, been created by greedy employers destroying Australian working conditions. This decision is a huge step along the path to fixing this."

EA SY

Fruit pickers in Australia may soon be paid minimum wage instead of a traditional piece rate based on amount of fruit harvested. This week the Fair Work Commission (FWC) ruled in favour of the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) bid to amend the Horticulture Award, and the FWC is now calling for submissions in response to the proposed changes. The deadline for submissions is 26 November 2021. “The existing pieceworker provisions in the horticulture award are not fit for purpose," FWC said in the Full Bench decision. "They do not provide a fair and relevant minimum safety net." If the amendments to the Horticulture Award are approved, fruit pickers will be entitled to the minimum casual rate pay of $25.41 per hour and growers will need to keep a record of hours worked. The application was opposed in the FWC by groups including the National Farmers' Federation, the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance, and

COUNTRYJOURNAL

WARWICK CREDIT UNION

Australia’s commercial plantation estate stood at 1.8 million hectares in 2019-20 according to statistics released recently by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)...and that will mean a decline in availability of wood by 15-17 million cubic metres over the next few years. Digging deeper into the numbers, the software estate itself remains stable at around 1 million hectares, but the hardwood estate declined by around 200,000 hectares in the last five years, partly on the back of increased demand for timber. “The lower projected softwood production is due to a range of reasons including the bushfires in the summer of 2019-20 and the age of the trees in the ground,” ABARES Acting Executive Director, Dr Jared Greenville, noted. “Softwood plantations are based on a 30-year rotation so planting trees now won’t increase wood supply for some time to come.” Interestingly, ABARES’ analysis suggests that wood supply won’t recover completely until 2050. For hardwood plantations, the reduction in the estate is expected to have a relatively small impact on projected hardwood availability. “Most of the removed hardwood plantations were low yielding or far from processing or export facilities, so converting them to another use has had minimal impact on projected supply,” Dr Greenville said.

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Preserve the agricultural land that is left: QFF ALLAN DINGLE, PRESIDENT QFF

Cumulative Management Area which protection. With an increase in resource investigated subsidence for the first time activity in recent years, and demands on and documented a direct link with CSG agriculture increasing, agriculture land activities. Concerningly, there appears to must be treated as the precious and irrebe a large gap in the existing regulatory placeable commodity that it is, as major framework for dealing with subsidence resources projects are considered, and landholders require clarity around approved and developed. Photo shows the who is responsible for the consequences Condamine on fire, a kilometre from the resulting from subsidence. There is also no nearest fracking site. framework for dealing with the negative impacts from subsidence on the financial value of Published, Printed, Designed, Owned, Administered....here the land. Not London. Not New York. QFF is currently undertaking a review of Main phone number: the agricultural land classifications as they 07-4641 7953 relate to coexistence Head office: 69 Dragon St Warwick outcomes to ensure the A.C.N. 167 171 217 certainty and strength of • Editor: Elizabeth Voneiff

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In Queensland, we continue to see the permanent loss of the best farmland from industrial uses, urban sprawl, services, utilities, and particularly mining. As a state rich in agriculture and resources, coexistence challenges occur as these critical industries attempt to manage their ongoing interactions. To assist with this continuing relationship, two recent reports have provided valuable insights for the agricultural community but left several critical questions unanswered. The GasFields Commission Queensland’s (GFCQ) Review of Regional Planning Interests Act 2014 (RPI Act) Assessment Process Report considered whether the process adequately manages CSG activities in areas of regional interest, the land classifications provided by the legislation are consistent and adequate exemptions are available in the assessment process. The GFCQ’s report recommendations, if implemented by the government, will increase the level of protection for agricultural land and improve transparency for farmers encountering coal seam gas (CSG) activities. However, QFF preferred for all gas proponents to complete a more onerous Regional Interest Development Approval when dealing with agricultural land to adequately assess the extent of an activity’s impact on the area. While the rehabilitation of agricultural land continues to be poorly defined in environmental approvals and must be addressed. The Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) also released their Consultation Draft of the Underground Water Impact Report 2021 for the Surat

While every care is taken to compile this newspaper accurately, we cannot be held responsible for any errors that may occur with advertisements or articles. All submitted content does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Small Newspaper Company or The Country Journal All art and editorial content remains the property of the relevant copyright holder and may not be reproduced without permission. If we have got something wrong, get in touch, and we will print a correction in our next edition...and apologies in advance!

Goodies at Grain Shed STORY, PHOTO, KRISTA BJORN The Grain Shed Retreat in Goomburra was filled with the scent of spices, herbs, berries, and fruit on Saturday as women gathered to make all sorts of boozy concoctions at “A Fine Tipple” workshop by Krista Bjorn. With just over 6 weeks until Christmas, it was the perfect time to bottle homebrews to be ready to celebrate the holidays or give as gifts for friends and family. They made decadent Irish cream with Canadian whiskey, ruby-red raspberry liqueur, sunny mandarincello, smooth Bedouin date wine, and sweet Moscato infused with rosehips, hibiscus, goji berries, and mint. “I had the most fabulous time,” Leonie Cloney said. “The attention to the small details and thoughtfulness towards making the workshop a memorable experience is so evident. Krista’s warmth and authentic kindness she offers to each of us made me feel so welcome, involved, and energised. I loved it and appreciate the love she puts into the workshop.” Bel du Bois kept everyone well-fed and watered with a scrumptious morning tea featuring fresh berries, creamy cheeses, and fig-studded crackers. “It was a wonderful day exploring, creating, and enjoying,” she said. “Bliss.” As much as Suz Russell enjoyed making brews and taking home her concoctions, she said it is the connections with other women she loves the most. “All the learning, take-home

knowledge, and bottled goodness feels like the bonus for a wonderful time,” she said. “As hard as it may be to grasp, the goodies we bring home are the least we get from these experiences, and the goodies are good.” Workshops are done for this year, but new ones will be posted in January 2022. For more information, visit www.ramblingtart.com/workshops

We will not fight because we cannot win A bit of disturbing news on the biosecurity front: the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests has determined it is not technically feasible to eradicate the exotic pest mango shoot looper (Perixera illepidaria) from Australia. Mango shoot looper is an invasive pest from Asia, which was detected in a commercial mango orchard in Mutchilba in Far North Queensland in September 2021. It has now been detected in Dimbulah, Biboohra, Mareeba, East Trinity and Kennedy...and apparently soon everywhere where good mangoes are grown..

COUNTRYJOURNAL

FACE TO FACE

David Cory

with gerard walsh

David Cory loved the chance to represent his electorate when he was the State member for Warwick from 1963 to 1977. He has lived at the family property Vermont just west of Murray’s Bridge throughout his life except for a little bit of farm work including fencing in the west after he left school. David stayed with his grandmother in Gore St, Warwick, for his early education at Warwick Central State School and Warwick State High School intermediate school before he finished his education with four years as a boarder at Churchie in Brisbane. At the age of 17, he spent a little time in the west but came home to the family property in 1950 after his father Roy Cory had a stroke. David’s grandfather Henry Cory acquired the property in 1890. It is now 3000 acres. He remembers being told that his father headed to Warwick to join the army for the First World War but they didn’t take him due to the family farming interests. In 1956, David joined the Country Party and was a delegate to State Conference but did not hold any other positions. The then Member for Warwick Otto Madsen died in 1963 and David won a plebiscite against 12 other Country Party members and became the endorsed candidate for the seat. A popular local member, he easily won every election he contested. “It was a busy role but I got a lot of satisfaction representing people,” David said. In 1967, he married Margot Barnes and they have one son Ben, daughter-in-law Margo and grandchildren Angus and Annabel Cory. At the time, country members of parliament stayed in a two-storey lodge, often

David Cory was the Member for Warwick from 1963 to 1977. Photo: Gerard Walsh. three to a room, at the back of Parliament House. In the last year of David’s time as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, the lodge was demolished as work started on a new parliamentary annexe with private rooms for each of the country members. While the annexe was being built, the country members stayed at the Bellevue Hotel in Brisbane. David retired before the 1977 election so didn’t get the chance to stay in the new annexe. Gerard Walsh: You retired from Parliament at the age of 49, was that a tough decision? David Cory: I thought I was still young enough to do other things so came home to the farm. GW: What were some of the issues when

you went into Parliament: DC: Meat from our electorate couldn’t be sold in Brisbane. John Dee Warwick (then Warwick Bacon Factory) had a meat export license but couldn’t sell in Brisbane. Killarney Abattoirs could sell meat at the Gold Coast but not in Brisbane. I hope I played a part in the decision to open the market up. At that time, there were public abattoirs in Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba. GW: What about the road transport tax? DC: There was a three-pence tax per tonne and per mile which caused a lot of disruption to the road transport industry. We were able to get the tax abolished? GW: What about Leslie Dam? DC: Otto Madsen secured the dam for the area, work had already started when I continued next page...

COUNTRYJOURNAL continued from previous page... became a parliamentarian. The dam was opened in 1965 and provided a guaranteed water supply for Warwick and downstream irrigators. Getting Stage 2 of the dam was not a major issue in those days. GW: Who were some of the politicians you remember most? DC: Vic Sullivan, Ken Tomkins and Sel Muller. GW: Who was the best politician you saw in action? DC: The Member for Warwick (up to 1963) Otto Madsen was the best politician I saw. GW: When you retired from Parliament, did you stay involved in politics? DC: No, I didn’t keep going to party meetings. It annoys me when past prime ministers are out there making mischief and disrupting events. Get out of the way and leave it to the new leader. I did talk about politics privately to Des Booth, we got on well. He was my successor as Member for Warwick. GW: After politics, what was your main community involvement? DC: I was chairman of the Rural Lands Protection Board for 20 years and travelled

around Queensland, including trips to Thargomindah in the far west and Cairns in the Far North. The board met four times a year and we travelled around and talked to primary producers and local authorities. I did a lot of travelling with board staff. Our major role was to reduce weeds and pests. We had a Dingo Barrier Fence in western Queensland which joined New South Wales and South Australia barrier fences. I was chuffed that I was re-appointed to the role by both sides of politics. GW: You have done a lot of travelling, what is your favourite area in Queensland? DC: Nothing can beat the Darling Downs. GW: What about holiday destinations? DC: I travelled around a lot when in parliament and on the board but was never big into holidays. I liked being at home. GW: How involved were you in the prime cattle section of the Warwick Show and Rodeo Society? DC: The show beef cattle competition was held each March but there was no grain feeding at the time and we started a carcass competition which was moved to the rodeo period in October. By October, producers were able to fatten cattle on

oats. GW: What about your involvement in beef cattle? DC: We had Hereford cattle and also ran prime lambs bred from Merino Ewes by Corriedale Rams. GW: Where did you sell the lambs? DC: At one time, we are driving a mob of ewes and their lambs to the Mill Hill Railway Yards in Warwick to be sent to sale at Cannon Hill in Brisbane. We took the lambs off the ewes at Mill Hill and then walked the ewes back to Vermont. GW: What do you remember about the establishment of the municipal saleyards on the corner of Bracker Rd and McEvoy St? DC: There were a number of different yards for particular agents selling 100 to 150 cattle but the agents needed 300 cattle a week to attract a full panel of buyers. Now the average for the year is around 1000 head each week. I was chairman of the Warwick branch of the United Graziers Association at the time and a meeting was called at the Royal Hotel. A proposition for municipal yards was put to the three councils, Warwick continued next page...

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

Face to face with David Cory

continued from previous page... City, Glengallan and Rosenthal shire councils. We were a little bit worried about how we would go with Warwick but we satisfied the councils and they all supported the establishment of municipal yards. GW: Can you comment on the growth of the yards? DC: The saleyards were never heavily in debt. I supported the decision to progressively replace timber panels with railway line posts and rails which was a lifetime job. GW: Did you ever think about growing vegetables on your Condamine River flats? DC: We thought about it but I wondered if the price for vegetables was enough to cover the cost of irrigation water. We had a licence to pump from the river and also a bore which yielded 300 gallons an hour. The irrigation was mainly used for lucerne and we kept most of the hay for our own use. GW: What is your take on global warming? DC: The climate is changing due to evolution, don’t blame the motor cars and power stations or what people are doing. Evolution is over millions of years. GW: What about sport? DC: I played a lot of tennis when I was out in the west. I remember when boxing troupes came to the Warwick Show and Warwick boxer Carl Fitzgerald was too good for the visiting boxers in the tent. Carl went on to represent Australia in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. GW: How is your health? DC: I haven’t been well for the past four years and have lost the sight in one eye but can still look at the mountains.

Rainy-day yardings

BY ROSS ELLIS MCDOUGALL AND SONS

Cattle numbers fell with the rain affecting the loading in some areas. The Agents yarded 371 head to meet the buyers looking to fill order books. The restockers were still very strong on the light back to the paddock types and breeder opportunities. Vealer Steers averaged 588.9c/kg to a top of 726.2c/kg or $1537.20 to $1959.50 Vealer Heifers averaged 502.2c/kg to a top of 694.2c/kg or $1283.23 to $1675.67 Feeder Steers averaged 522.2c/kg to a top of 550.2c/kg or $2349.11 to $2580.05 Feeder Heifers averaged 446.6c/kg to a top of 484.2c/kg or $1578.30 to $2195.45 Yearling Steers averaged 538.6c/kg to a top of 726.2c/kg or $1813.43 to $2694.64 Yearling Heifers averaged 477.2c/kg to a top of 526.2c/kg or $1543.36 to $2271.43 Steers averaged 448.6c/kg to a top of 462.2c/kg or $2695.34 to $3118.80 Heifers averaged 426.1c/kg to a top of 436.2c/kg or $2282.91 to $2559.04 Cows averaged 393.9c/kg to a top of 423.2c/kg or 2282.76 to $3942.54 Bulls averaged 377.5c/ kg to 446.2c/kg or $1822.75 to $3424.96 Cow& Calf Units averaged $2710 to a top of $3600 Sheep and lamb numbers were the opposite with a bigger yarding from the previous week with 1704 head avail-

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able to the market. Lambs topped at $230 to average $190.53 a rise of $5 over last sale Hoggets topped at $220 to average $154.38 a drop of $3 over last sale Ewes topped at $220 to average $151.89 a rise of $21 over last sale Wethers topped at $179 to average $154.19 a rise of $7 over last sale Lamb rams topped at $180 to average $143.05 a drop of $29 over last sale Total sale average of $179.99 was $8/ head up on previous week's sale. Poultry numbers were still high this week hens sold to $42.50 for some stylish ones, hen & chicks selling to $50, Silky roosters selling to $22.50, roosters to $12.50, Drakes to $22.50,Ducklings to $22.50, Guinea Fowl to $30 Pig numbers were up slightly and firming for the upcoming festive season, Sows sold from $70 to $450, Stores sold from $68 to $200, Pork sold from $180 to $248, Baconers to $223

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COUNTRYJOURNAL

“The nation that destroys its soils . destroys itself” In 1937, Franklin Roosevelt, then president of the US, wrote to state governors in the wake of the “dust bowl” catastrophe, where drought across the Southern Plains led to catastrophic famine and dust storms. “The nation that destroys its soils destroys itself,” he wrote, highlighting what remains a fundamental truth: that the state of the Earth’s soil is a vital indicator of the planet’s health.

Duncan Cameron Professor of Plant and Soil Biology, University of Sheffield is an integral component of the carbon, water and nutrient cycles, which allow organisms of all sizes to to thrive.

When plants and animals decompose, their bodies release nutrients into the soil for subsequent As a society, we do not place generations of organisms to use sufficient value on the ground and recycle. Soils store, filter and beneath our feet. The use of the purify our water, helping to proword “dirt” to denote inferiority is tect against flash flooding through an example of this disrespect for absorbing rainwater. And soils are our land. Yet societies succeed and critical for carbon storage, helping fail as a direct consequence of the buffer our climate against the value they place on their soils. effects of human-driven carbon emissions. There is an estimated Our soil not only directly or three times more carbon in our indirectly provides most of our soils than in Earth’s atmosphere. food, but it’s also central to our planet’s life-support system. Soil Continued page 15...

COUNTRYJOURNAL

The rain of the past week has been welcome, especially for those with livestock who now know the predictions of a good summer are coming true. As we did have some sub-soil moisture at Greymare, the 6mm we got more than a week ago made a difference. It was just enough to keep the green in the grass and then we had 75.4mm overnight Sunday nine days ago. Our area rarely gets more than 50mm in a day and the best thing about the rain on that Sunday was that there weren’t any massive floods. I am told it rained all night even though I only heard it once. Some graingrowers would have preferred a bit less, especially on crops that are lodging (falling over). My bit of wheat in the back yard of our town house is also falling over, it must have grown too thick from the wheaten hay we spread on the garden for mulch. Last week, I wrote about my wife Margaret and I pulling a calf with both mother and baby well. The calf on that Angus heifer is even bigger than the one born three weeks earlier to an Angus of the same size. This week, a Hereford heifer who was in calf to a Hereford bull calved without drama and now we are just waiting for a Santa, Belted Galloway and Jersey heifer to calve. Occasionally we buy a mob of mixed breeds with a diary calf or two in the mob but we aren’t in the habit of having too many dairy cattle. It is almost 100 years since our dairy farm, like most in the area, took cream to the local Greymare factory. Suspect the seasons must have been a bit better then as they weren’t even baling hay for the winter back 100 years ago. We still have the cow bales from probably the 1930s and 1940s. Something I have noticed since the rain started almost 21 months ago are the large number of farmers who are slashing pad-

docks with long grass to bring a shorter better growth. My wife Margaret did the slashing in the middle of one paddock and you can

The Long Paddock with Gerard Walsh

Slashing brings new green grass in summer in a good season . see the Photo: Gerard Walsh. difference it made, even before the and the print out said “replace”. last 75mm. I like the idea of strip slashing, But there was still a green colour in the leaving longer grass for four or five slasher viewing spot on top of the battery and I widths and then slashing a similar width in decided to get another few weeks out of the the same paddock. battery.

Ute mishap

I don’t claim to be an expert on anything, especially not motor vehicles but a word of warning, if the temperature gauge in your vehicle goes past the three quarter mark, stop and see what is going on. A couple of weeks ago, we had our ute battery tested at the tyre and battery service

The battery did not turn over on one occasion so after starting the vehicle I left it running before heading from the farm to Warwick Sunday week ago. I reckoned the temperature got hot because the vehicle had been stationery and running and how wrong could I be. I decided to drive it on the road believing continued page 12

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Well-maintained home in an estate where comfort is king . • 3 bedrooms, all built-in • Main bedroom has ensuite • Open-plan living with slider to undercover entertaining • Atrium windows above modern electric kitchen • Laundry in garage • Rainwater tank in enclosed courtyard

INVESTORS: Rent as separate facilities

LAND • WARWICK - 2851m², high profile Commercial, flat block, power, town water, curb & channel . . . . $427,000 • WARWICK - 1170m², new estate, bitumen frontage, power, views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $145,000 • WARWICK - 25930m², High profile, 2 street frontage, Zoned specialised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,210,000

50 FITZROY STREET, WARWICK • Heritage Listed on the SDRC Local Heritage, not on the Queensland Heritage Register • Zoning is “Mixed Use” which permits – Residential, Low Impact Industry, Commercial Office, Childcare • Flood Immunity – SDRC requires all new building

work above Q100 flood level • General Development Requirements please contact our office • Land size is 3360m² - home has 13 rooms in total Here’s an opportunity for lovers of grand old homes with original features!!

53 FITZROY STREET, WARWICK www.helenharm.com

• LEYBURN - 2023m², level block, town water available, power, bitumen frontage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $75,000 • PRATTEN - 4047m² (2 available), bitumen road, water & power available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $90,000 • PRATTEN – 2 .023 Ha, level block, dam, 2 street frontage, RURAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $125,000

See www.helenharm.com for more listings

0408 457 496

COUNTRYJOURNAL

continued from page 10... air through the radiator would cool it down. It did come back about a quarter so I decided to keep driving. Then the temperature gauge went the wrong way and I eventually pulled up on the back flat on Greymare Road between the hall and the highway. It was exactly the same spot I pulled up 30 years earlier when the thermostat in our Valiant Charger decided it wasn’t going to work anymore. Looking at the ute engine after I pulled up, there was water and heat spraying out from the top of the motor. I know there may be times in traffic, like in a city tunnel, it is too dangerous to pull up but I could have stopped at any time on the Sunday. The jury is still out about what it will cost to repair the ute or look for another one. Despite the pandemic, many parts of the economy are steaming along so it doesn’t look like we can get another four-wheel drive, four-door ute with 100,000kms on the clock for around $20,000 which we did last time we needed a ute. The prices of all vehicles have gone up. As I wrote at the start, it is important to keep an eye on gauges or keep an eye for

After winning a World Cup in polocrosse in Warwick in 2007, Kylie Dowling (pictured) made a comeback to polocrosse in Western Australia in 2016 and last month won three of the major trophies at the club championships. Photo Justine Rowe. red lights on the dashboard as you could do extra damage by driving further than you should. Our mechanic had already told us there were bubbles in the radiator which indicat-

ed a head problem with the vehicle. You really feel lost without a ute and our buggy isn’t legal or fast enough for long runs on the highway.

Killarney Real Estate

DID YOU KNOW IT’S CURRENTLY A VERY STRONG

SELLER’S MARKET Call or text Rob Hall on 0418 989 184 now to find out how much your property is worth! www.killarneyrealestate.com.au • Free Appraisal

• No Marketing Costs

Help with your mungbeans WItha two month turnaround from sowing, and a big market in Asia, mungbeans’ moment may have arrived. Anyone in the Southern Downs growing mungbeans this summer is invited to attend two free webinars by the Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) in late November and early December. Webinar 1 is on Mungbean agronomy and will be held at 8:30 a.m. Monday 29 November 2021. A panel of experts will discuss the latest research in mungbean agronomy and how it applies to the coming season. They will cover topics such as the mungbean yield

gap, nematodes, soil water, windrowing and defoliation strategies, and more. Webinar 2 is on Mungbean diseases and will be held at 8:30 a.m. Thursday 2 December 2021. Experts will discuss Mungbean Fusarium wilt, Tobacco streak virus, and timing fungicides for economic control of powdery mildew. To register and find out more information, visit www.grdc. com.au and look under events.

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Sustainability now means... having a second income Over half of farms now have second income, and 37% of farms have begun to spread their risks over more income streams on farm, in the latest sign of a fundamental shift in the structure of farm business. The results emerged in the latest Natural Resource Management and Drought Resilience – survey of farm practices. The study also showed that 84% of farmers are retaining stubble, 70% are reducing reliance on pesticides and fertisliers, and more farmers than ever are diving into the National Farmcare Program. 68% of farmers are pulling the trigger early on destocking during low-rainfall periods, 64% have taken solid measure to improve water retention on their farms, and 58% have beefed up their on-farm grain and fodder storage for a (non) rainy day.

COUNTRYJOURNAL

“The nation that destroys its soils destroys itself” continued from page 9 But these ecosystem services are fragile and can easily break down. By mistreating soil through deep ploughing (which damages soil structure) and using harsh chemicals (which kill important microbe communities), many of our soils are now degraded. It’s estimated that one-third of our agricultural soils have been lost over the past 40 years. This reduces our ability to produce high-quality food. Soils in poor condition can require more fertiliser, since they cannot trap nitrogen and phosphorus. Manufacturing nitrogen fertiliser to make up for this is a significant source of carbon emissions: nearly 600g of CO₂ is produced in making an 800g loaf of bread, with 43% of these emissions arising from nitrogen fertiliser alone. On top of this, degradation can also lead to soils releasing their stored carbon as CO₂, amplifying the climate crisis. In 2015, when I spoke at the UN climate change conference COP21 in Paris, I warned of impending disaster if we don’t protect our soils from degradation with techniques which reduce soil erosion, such as planting cover crops. At that time, I was described as a “peddler of university disaster pornography” by climate change deniers. But my testimony was not some fanciful prediction. As studying the dust bowl reminds us, the repercussions of soil degradation are still being felt today.

Degradation Across the UK, soils have been degraded due to intensive agriculture, leaving them vulnerable to erosion by extreme weather. In the spring of 2014, when heavy rainfall across the UK saturated land, degraded soils were unable to store water, leading to widespread flooding and soil erosion. That month, the Earth observation centre NEODAAS in Plymouth released a satellite image of the UK “bleeding” its soils into the ocean. We understand why this happens. Ploughing breaks down conglomerations of inorganic soil particles such as clay and sand, bound together by organic material such as dead roots, fungal filaments and bacterial and earthworm secretions. These store organic carbon and build soil structure. Without them, soils wash out more easily into our rivers and estuaries.

shown that producing more food in the urban environment could help achieve this. Crops can be grown in crowded cities using highly efficient hydroponic systems, which use less water, less fertiliser and require no soil. These can operate on top of flat-roofed buildings – or even in refugee camps, where farming enhances food security and community resilience. By growing crops close to where people live, we can remove the need to ship food around the globe, making our food systems much more sustainable.

Recent research at the universities of Sheffield, York and Leeds has shown how we might fix this problem: by using no or shallow ploughing, rotating land used for farming, and planting cover crops, all of which allow our soils to rest and recover. Coupled with limiting fertilisers, this allows populations of beneficial soil organisms like earthworms, fungi and bacteria to increase.

Almost 20% of greenhouse gas emissions currently arise from agriculture: meaning that carbon is effectively leaking out of our soils across the world. That means we urgently need to embrace technologies that take a soil-centric view of food production if we are to leave a functional agricultural ecosystem for future generations.

This evidence supports growing calls to embrace regenerative agriculture, which calls for supporting – rather than fighting – biodiversity within the agricultural landscape. In South America, for example, the popular method of “slash, burn and move on” agriculture – where forests are felled, burned to release nutrients and then farmed until those nutrients are depleted – has been criticised for its destruction of biodiversity. In contrast, regenerative agriculture’s focus on increasing biodiversity has been shown to be a success in terms of protecting and even increasing soil health in the region. Part of regenerative agriculture involves taking pressure off our soils, which might appear tricky in light of the need to feed a growing global population. Our research has

Pencilhead solutions S P A R T Y A L I F E E

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Bruddah Iz Wordfind: Hidden Phrase: “Iz was a champion for his Hawaiian culture and heritage.” Spot The 5 Differences:

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1. Extra trunk ring at top 2. Dot missing from eye 3. Triangle under eye smaller 4. Missing tooth 5. Pattern under chin reversed Copyright: Auspac Media.

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Slightly off the boil: wool CONTRIBUTED BY BRUCE MCLEISH ELDERS

splurge a little, even if you are not single. Then the retail fraternity across the globe will discount, allegedly, for the Black Friday sales event which is on the Friday A more subdued wool market was evifollowing Thanksgiving Day in the United dent this week across Australia as the trade States, but copied by just about every settled down to watch each other and retailer across the globe. This year that overseas buyers wait for clearer signals sale kicks in on November 26th. Then just from the Chinese domestic market in parin case conticular. The superfine and fine sumers have The Chinese gov- any cash merino segments came off the boil somewhat, after what has remaining, ernment persists been a stellar run over the past and retailers few months, and it was the turn with sometimes have any of the medium merino and fine stock left in draconian crackcrossbred market to step up. their covid Chinese uniform orders, which downs on any out- challenged principally use 21.0 micron and supply break, such as coarser provided a lift for these chains, they medium merino wools, and will ramp up Shanghai Disneyland which given the lack of 22-23-micron again on merino in existence, created a saw a positive case during Monday 29th bit of demand for the the week, which then led to November 26-28-micron crossbred wools for the Cyber as topmakers search for a way around 30,000 patrons Monday sales to produce a 22.6-micron blend. to promote Knitwear types continue to find being locked inside until online selling good support as did the majori- everyone could be tested as – as if they ty of carding wools. need to still After 2 days of selling, the promote that Australian wool market closed 7 mechanism. cents higher in local currency So, the textile trade is anxiously watching terms, and 3 cents lower in USD and Euro for signs of activity, or measures of success terms in an uneven affair, but most traders over the next four weeks, not to sell new and early stage processors were happy to orders into these events as the goods are leave their weekly quotes unchanged as already produced, but as a trigger for they await further direction. Enquiry later retailers to cash up and then refill the in the week has been subdued as buyers pipeline. The amount of product moved and exporters both stand their ground, to off the shelves and out of warehouses see who will blink first. Not many traders during the month will dictate to a large are carrying large stock positions, so it is degree the appetite of retailers for new unlikely that they will be offering too many product in the next 3 months. Of course, bargains or feel pressured to sell at this the retailers will not close down after the point. November sales, but will crank up the Early stage processors have a comfortable rhetoric again for the Christmas selling stock position generally, and still have the period – even in markets such as China. cloud of uncertain electricity supply hover- How much wool is sold over the next ing over them, as well as the potential month, not just in China but in markets all COVID lockdowns if they are unfortunate over the world will determine whether the enough to have a positive case occur in wool market can sustain its upward trajectheir locality. The Chinese government tory into next year. At the same time persists with sometimes draconian crackmerino wool, and some other natural downs on any outbreak, such as Shanghai fibres are repositioning themselves out of Disneyland which saw a positive case the fast-fashion circus, and into a circular, during the week, which then led to around sustainable, environmentally responsible 30,000 patrons being locked inside until segment. How this product range gels everyone could be tested as they departed. with the hyper marketing of Black Friday Such measures, obviously effective at pre- et al is yet to be understood. Arguably the venting larger outbreaks, are nevertheless whole fast fashion cycle has been created unnerving for the general population and to align with these sales extravaganzas, the business community. Consumer confi- where-as a more considered, intelligent dence is taking a bit of a hit in the lead-up purchase of a long-term garment takes to what has become a massive retail event place in the cool light of day, away from in China over the coming three weeks. the flashy lights and specials. November 11th kicks it off with Singles Day The more traditional markets, selling the in China, where everyone is encouraged to new products from merino wool are no

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less important, and no less exciting in their potential, and will probably lead the way forward in the longer term. Fresh off the back of COP-26 where many promises were made the textile industry has an ideal opportunity to leverage the good aspects, and move away from some of the more damaging processes. The recent announcement that Levi’s have partnered with The Woolmark Company to release a sustainable, merino lined casual boot is a pertinent example of the new direction merino is moving towards. Whilst there were a few suits getting about in Glasgow, and some worsted fabric manufacturers are finally getting back on their feet after the Covid knockdown, much more merino will end up in what were previously considered “alternative” products than the more traditional suits and sweaters. Most wool brokers across Australia will by now have a kit, provided by AWI showcasing some of the new and innovative products the world’s textile companies are creating using merino wool. Whilst the global community is focussed on the health of the planet, and hopefully accepting the need to do something about the mess we have created it is also a golden opportunity for the merino industry to relaunch itself as part of the solution. It takes effort, drive and funding to do this, so hopefully the wool growing fraternity have made a commitment to their own future by voting in Wool Poll.

Monster potato According to RND, a New Zealander may have found the world's largest known potato to date in his garden. While weeding, he and his wife came across something under the surface of the earth. A quick taste revealed that it was a potato. The potato weighed 7.9 kilograms, the Craig-Browns determined, using an old scale in their garage. It was found to weigh 7.8 kilograms at a local agricultural store. The heaviest potato in the Guinness Book of Records to date was one from the United Kingdom, which was assigned a weight of just under five kilograms in 2011. The New Zealanders say they have applied to the Guinness Book for their potato to be included.