6 January 2026. Niki Ford, AgForce CEO.
Across Queensland, producers are increasingly asking a question that should alarm every Australian: is farming still a viable option?
This is not rhetoric. It is the considered assessment of people often with generations of experience who manage vast landscapes, absorb rising costs, navigate complex regulation, and carry the responsibility of producing the food and fibre that underpins our national security.
If these producers lose confidence in their sector's future, the implications for food security are profound.
A fundamental disconnect continues to shape national debate about environment and agriculture - constructing it as two opposing interests with no common ground. We know nothing could be further from the truth. Too often, producers are portrayed as needing to be corrected or constrained.
Those who live and work on the land understand it with a depth that policy frameworks routinely fail to reflect. Producers are, in every practical sense, environmentalists.
Their businesses rely on the health of soil, water systems, biodiversity, and long-term ecological function. Their land is not simply an asset-it is their core tool of production. Its condition determines whether a business survives.
Queensland producers operate in some of the most variable and challenging landscapes in the world. They manage drought cycles, biosecurity risks, vegetation change, and shifting market demands-all while maintaining groundcover, protecting soil structure, improving water retention, and adapting systems to ensure long-term resilience. They hold the land in high regard because they must. Environmental stewardship is inseparable from profitability.
Despite this, regulatory settings continue to tighten, often without clear evidence, practical implementation pathways, or a genuine understanding of regional realities.
The cumulative effect is that many producers no longer feel confident that government frameworks support agricultural viability. They see risks increasing, autonomy diminishing, and investment uncertainty escalating.
If producers start to leave the industry as a result of this ambiguity, Australia will face a food security challenge far more immediate than many policymakers acknowledge.
Domestic supply chains rely on a stable and productive farming sector. Market resilience relies on local production. Rural communities rely on functioning agricultural businesses. Once capacity is lost, it is difficult-and in some regions impossible-to rebuild.
Environmental outcomes matter. But they will not be achieved by sidelining the people who manage the land daily. Strong national policy must start from the truth that producers already deliver environmental value as part of running sustainable operations. Their expertise is not an obstacle; it is an asset.
The country cannot afford a future where fewer producers remain on the land. Securing Australia's food supply begins with respecting the knowledge of those who safeguard it every day.
