Agriculture

OFFICE MOVE

PLEASE NOTE THAT PERIOD 22 FEBRUARY TO 4 MARCH, WE WILL BE MOVING OFFICES AND OUR OFFICE LINES WILL BE UNAVAILABLE. PLEASE DIRECT ALL CALLS TO OUR MOBILE NUMBERS LISTED BELOW. David Breese – CEO – 0418 149 235 Stacey Kent – Marketing Manager – 0488 770408

Prices at a premium in mining areas

John McCarthy | The Courier-Mail | February 20, 2012 12:00AM FOR the first time in decades the Western Downs is planning for growth, not just incremental growth but nerve-racking, infrastructure-busting growth. Western Downs Regional Council Mayor Ray Brown said potentially there were 80 projects across the Surat worth $180 MORE

SURAT BASIN CORPORATION EXTENDS OFFER OF SUPPORT TO RETRENCHED WORKERS

MEDIA RELEASE 17 February 2012 SURAT BASIN CORPORATION EXTENDS OFFER OF SUPPORT TO RETRENCHED WORKERS IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Surat Basin Corporation CEO, David Breese has written to Senator Kim Carr, Federal Minister for Manufacturing and QANTAS CEO Alan Joyce offering support to those that have recently lost MORE

Solar Dawn team to provide update

14th February 2012 | The Chronicle Original Source – AAP THE Solar Dawn Consortium is holding its second round of community information sessions to give residents and businesses an update on the solar thermal power plant to be built near Chinchilla. The consortium is continuing to advance the development and MORE

Aussies want a fair go

Bill Hoffman | 15th February 2012 | Sunshine Coast Daily PLANS for enterprise migration agreements that would allow mining companies to fly overseas labour directly to mines have angered Australian workers unable to get a foot in the door. And Ray Brown, mayor of Western Downs Council based in Chinchilla MORE

SBC Founder Member Easternwell Secures $20.8M Contract

15th February 2012| The Chronicle EASTERNWELL announced today that it has secured a A$20.8 million contract to support Santos’ GLNG Project. The contract is a renewal for the provision of full camp facility management including catering and housekeeping services throughout the Surat and Cooper Basins. The three-year contract commenced this MORE

SBC Member secures $52M contract

Adam Davies | 9th February 2012 | The Chronicle TOOWOOMBA-BASED company Hutchinson Builders is fast gaining a reputation as the benchmark provider of temporary accommo- dation to the mining and gas sectors. In a major coup for the company, Hutchinson Builders announced yesterday a contract worth $52 million to build MORE

Job seekers head to work expo

Adam Davies | 8th February 2012 | The Chronicle ALL roads led to the Toowoomba Showgrounds yesterday as the Work for Queensland Mining and Gas Jobs Expo juggernaut rolled into town. More than 2000 people interested in obtaining jobs or the skills necessary to gain employment within the sectors took MORE

Farms locked away from miners

by: Staff Writer From: The Courier-Mail January 31, 2012 12:00AM Queensland’s best agricultural land is officially protected from some forms of mining. The Strategic Cropping Land legislation came into effect on Monday. The laws will take away the right to develop new open-cut mines in the strategic cropping land MORE

ATTENTION: Release of Western Downs Regional Council Housing Affordability Strategy

The Mayor, Councillors and CEO of Western Downs Regional Council are pleased to announce the release of the Western Downs Regional Council Housing Affordability Strategy. Interested persons are welcome to view or download the WDRC Housing Affordability Strategy at http://www.advancewesterndowns.com.au/business-investment-affordable-housing.html

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The geophysical process that formed the Surat Basin has delivered some of Australia’s finest soils that underpin sustainable agriculture across large areas of the Basin.

The region has a strong existing agriculture and food processing sector. The region is favourable for agriculture due to good access to domestic and international markets, access to large numbers of livestock bred within the region as well as other parts of the State, local saleyards including the State’s largest selling centre at Roma, and good access to road transport and value-adding facilities. The major agricultural field crop products include wheat, barley, sorghum, sunflower, pulses and cotton. Livestock production is primarily beef, but includes wool, meat sheep, and pork and poultry products. Intensive livestock industries are concentrated in the region and based around local feed grain supply and proximity to markets.

Grain Industry

Summer and winter grain productions occur across the region. Sorghum is the main summer crop while wheat is a winter crop and is the highest contributor to the region´s grain economy. Southern Queensland normally accounts for some 75% of the state´s total wheat production, mostly grown in the Western Downs and Maranoa area.

Meat and Livestock Industry

The beef cattle industry in Queensland is the nation’s largest supplier of beef products. The Darling Downs and South West Queensland contain about 22% of Queensland´s cattle.

Feedlots are increasing, with the Surat Basin region having most of the State’s large specialist cattle feedlot capacity. Growing international and domestic demand for grain-fed beef is driving this trend.

Cotton Industry

Both irrigated and dryland cotton is grown in the Darling Downs and St George regions.

The extensive system of production, harvesting and ginning provides countless jobs for mechanics, distributors of farm machinery, consultants, crop processors and other support services workers. Read More

Pig Industry

The Darling Downs has approximately 39 per cent of the state’s herds with approximately 54 per cent of Queensland’s pigs. Pig production is located close to grain growing areas. Read More

Dairy Industry

The dairy industry in the Surat Basin is based on the prime agricultural soils of the eastern Darling Downs. Slightly more than half of the farms are found north of the Warrego Highway (around the towns of Quinalow, Oakey and Crows Nest) with the rest on the southern side (around the towns of Warwick, Allora and Clifton).

Horticulture

The Basin’s southern region has a diverse climate, significant water resources and prime agricultural soils that provide excellent growing conditions for horticultural crops.