FARMERS have been hearing about the coming Asian-led food boom for some time.
While some are understandably tired of hearing of these future booms, as they battle volatile seasons and prices at home, it would be folly to allow today's problems to blind us from acting to take up these staggering opportunities.
The farm sector is feeling unloved by the public, bruised and battered by animal welfare problems and vigilante activism.
Farmer morale is not as high as it could be. It should be towering.
Victoria's booming export figures are proof that farmers have not taken their foot off the pedal.
And they've achieved it with sparse government or even community support.
But what the ANZ's landmark report into agriculture's opportunities and hurdles shows is that, strategically as a nation, we've dropped the ball.
We've allowed our vital research and development spend - the gears that drive productivity gains - to drop.
Just this week there are new reports that the future of Adelaide's renowned agricultural research at the South Australian Research and Development Institute is under threat.
We've also failed to invest enough in infrastructure that keeps supply chain costs down.
And we haven't been as proactive as some of our competitors, such as New Zealand, in gaining access to new export markets and making them our own.
Australia is overlooking its plentiful resources.
Our future prosperity - which can be driven by fully and responsibly utilising our national resources - is at stake if we continue to do so.
Now is the time for all Australians to sit up and take notice of farming. It is not a sunset industry.
With a renewal of respect for the opportunities our farmers have known about for decades, some serious policy intent from governments and unity from the agribusiness sector, it could be the dawn of a renaissance.
