Agriculture in the Gwydir

Farmland in the Gwydir Shire is extremely diverse, the great black soil plains around Croppa Creek and North Star produce irrigated crops, including cotton, using bores and water drawn from the McIntyre River. Northwards from the Gwydir River, wheat, barley, sorghum, sunflowers, legumes including faba beans, mung beans and cow peas, maize, and oil seeds such as canola are important crops.

Irrigation pivots on the Gwydir and Horton Rivers produce lucerne for silage and baling. The modern farmer makes extensive use of technology, including minimum tillage and satellite guidance systems and many crops are destined for feedlots that supply grain fed beef for the domestic market and export. Oats, mostly grown as a winter forage crop for cattle, is important in the higher, milder southern area.

There are a number of cattle studs in the Gwydir Shire and these enterprising farmers use the latest artificial breeding and agronomic technology to produce beef of exceptional quality. Meat sheep and merinos that grow high quality wool are also grazed in the area.