Australia is among the leading agricultural producers today. Due to its different climatic conditions and vast size, this country has diverse farming specialties such as: fishing, cropping and livestock farming. Farming has had a positive impact in the county’s gross domestic product. People have gained employment in these industries and manufacturers of farming tools and equipments have also prospered. Agriculture also touches on other industries indirectly such as transport, clothing and food.

Dairy farming

Dairy farming is among the leading rural industry in Australia. Statistics have proved that an average of forty thousand folks are employed in this sector. Many jobs have also been created on research and development, transportation and distribution. Dairy farming in Australia is mainly concentrated in the subtropical regions of the country. Most of the dairy farms are situated in Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria. Milk is used in the production of various products such as : cream, butter, yoghurt, cheese, powdered milk, fresh milk and ice cream among others.

Beef

The beef industry in Australia is quite diverse. There are both small scale and large scale farms that deal in the rearing of cattle. In 1788, the first beef cattle were reared in Australia and the number has now grown to approximately twenty million. Beef export has grown exponentially in Australia today. Sixty percent of the beef that is produced locally is exported out of the country.

Crops

The most common crops in Australia are inclusive of cotton, fruit, sugarcane, canola, rice, oat, barley, cotton and wheat. Wheat is the biggest grain crop that is grown in Australia today with approximately 80% being exported out. A total of twenty five thousand farms in Australia are growing wheat as the main crop. Wheat is milled and converted into flour which is then used to make different food products.

Wool

The mild climate in Australia makes it suitable for sheep farming. Sheep is used in producing wool. Some of the areas that are popular for rearing sheep in Australia include: South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales. Some of the farms have got as many as over one hundred thousand sheep. Sheep come in different types with some being reared for meat and milk while others are specially reared for wool. The Australian Merino is the most common sheep in the wool industry. Today, there are approximately seventy two million sheep in Australia.

Seafood

Since Australia is geographically isolated from other continents and it has different climatic zones; marine life is clean and superb. Australia is a major exporter of sea food to different parts of the world. The sea food industry is the fifth most profitable the country after beef, wool farming, wheat and also dairy farming.