Plains of Plenty
Open-cut coal mining proposals threaten the beautiful, fertile Liverpool Plains in Australia
The Liverpool Plains is one of Australia’s most productive agricultural regions. Farmers on the Liverpool Plains produce wheat (used in pasta, flour, bread, cakes and biscuits), corn, sunflower seed products (such as oil and seeds), canola (for oil), sorghum (used in flour and animal feed), barley (for feed and beer malt), chickpeas and legumes and other specialist crops as well as beef, lamb and wool and cotton.
The Liverpool Plains cover approximately 1.2 million hectares of the north west slopes and plains of New South Wales. Stretching west of The Great Dividing Range to The Warrumbungle Range, the region is bounded by Quirindi, Gunnedah, Premer and the Liverpool Ranges. The topography, climate and geological variety make the area not only aesthetically beautiful but abundant with natural flora and fauna, including the koala.
“We can grow anything here, you only have to look at the black soil and the climate.” — Rosemary Nankivell, Liverpool Plains farmer.
The fertile soils of the region, combined with its favourable climate and unique aquifer system enable year in year out production of both winter and summer crops.
Annual production of cotton in the Liverpool Plains is 1,285,178 bales (based on 2012–13) figures. That’s a hell of a lot of undies!
The 1,285,178 bales of cotton produced on the Liverpool Plains in a year is equivalent to around 276 million pairs of jeans.
The Liverpool Plains produces 40% above the national average in agricultural output.
29,018 tonnes of corn is enough for 58 million boxes of cornflakes, and that’s how much corn the Liverpool Plains region produced in 2012–13.
Each year, farms on the Liverpool Plains produce 233,000 tonnes of sorghum. That’s enough sorghum to produce 62.5 million packets of pasta.
In just one year, Liverpool Plains farms can produce enough barley for 144 million bottles of beer.
Chinese-government owned mining company Shenhua is currently planning to develop an open-cut coal mine at Breeza on the Liverpool Plains. Local farmers fiercely oppose this mine proposal and are fighting to stop it.
Find out more here.
“The Liverpool Plains is a beautiful spot, the jewel in the nation.” — Mike Baird, Premier of NSW
