What Is The Upper Hunter About?
The Upper Hunter region of New South Wales supplies resources, engineering and agriculture locally and to the world. It is made up of the Singleton, Muswellbrook, Dungog and Upper Hunter local government areas, with its industries supplying 60% of NSW’s power.
The Upper Hunter region is mostly located within 3 to 5 hours drive north of Sydney (a 150 to 250 km radius). With a long history ofThe towns of the Upper Hunter are Scone, Parkville, Aberdeen, Murrurundi, and Merriwa, as well as several villages, including Bunnan, Gundy, Moonan Flat, Ellerston, Wingen, Blandford and Cassilis. Of the towns, only Aberdeen on the Shire’s south eastern border is situated on the Hunter River.
Select the following links to discovery more….
http://app.remplan.com.au/upperhunter/economy/summary?state=lxvZS7NlBFo3MqYtev4Aqyc3hphAoP
http://upperhunterregion.com.au/
Agricultural Land Use in the Upper HunterThe Upper Hunter Region is classed as a sub-tropical climate with annual rainfall between 500-1100 mm. There is a large variation in soil types in the region and for this key reason, it is important producers understand soil types so they can stock their property based on its carrying capacity and not over stock. Pasture carrying capacity can alternate depending on the level of natural or introduced species and the use of the land, the main factor influencing pasture productivity is the level of phosphate in the soil.
The region also has ready access to saleyards and B double routes with relatively short travel distances to multiple processors, and to both domestic and export markets. The short transport distances will assist a carbon restricted economy. These advantages mean that local producers are well positioned to adapt to market challenges and climate change.
The predominant cattle breeds in the region are British such as Angus, but British / European cross are also popular. Also in the mix are Bos indicus cross types that do better on tropical / native pastures. The most widespread land use in the Upper Hunter region is beef cattle grazing. This industry also has a high employment contribution and is therefore important for the regions economy and rural communities.
The diversity of beef cattle enterprise options (such as weaner / yearling breeding / store cattle fattening) in the region and the diversity of available markets, helps local producers to adapt to variable market and climatic conditions. It also provides an important advantage for adapting to a changing climate.
Reliable water sources are important for pasture production and livestock. The Upper Hunter region features relatively high year round rainfall and secure water supplies from a combination of natural springs, groundwater, farm dams and regulated water supplies. The Upper Hunter region currently has excellent access to transport routes and markets.
The areas natural advantages and the expected ongoing investment in rural lifestyles that target grazing properties means that pasture based beef cattle production will remain a popular and regionally important rural land use. The larger mixed farming properties in the drier parts of the region are well suited for expansion of the feedlot industry.
The Upper Hunter – Home of the Horse in Australia
The Upper Hunter region is an internationally acclaimed and mature thoroughbred breeding area ranked second in the world to the Kentucky Region in the U.S. (Buchan 2011). It is also the leading area for Australian Stock horses, thoroughbred bloodstock and breeding. Upper Hunter Regional horse studs produce 80% of the total value of stud horses exported by Australia (HVTB 2011).