Farm productivity in the Southern Tablelands - Monaro Region, 1931-85

Abstract

Grave doubts have now arisen about the continuance of the high levels of pastoral productivity achieved in the Southern Tablelands - Monaro Region and elsewhere in southern Australia since World War II. Soil acidification will soon be severely affecting much of the large areas of improved pastures that began to be established in the bounteous 1950s unless large sums of money and much effort are spent. However, the cost-price squeeze first manifest at the end of the 1960s, exacerbated by debt at high interest rates incurred by drought etc., is becoming acute as well as chronic. More farmers have more options — fat lamb and young beef production mainly for the domestic market — than they had in the era of exclusive reliance on native pastures but this region is still best suited to wool production. Wool has been subject to severe world price fluctuations in recent decades. This thesis attempts to throw light on these problems mainly by describing the ’great Australian pasture revolution’ as it has affected farming in this region by the use of shire agricultural statistics together with monthly climatic data, supplemented by much regional experimental and other descriptive material. Show more