As we reported previously, over 20 foreign diplomats made their way to Chism Farms just outside of Kokomo, Indiana last week as part of their tour of Indiana. Matthew Worrell, Minister Council for Agriculture based at the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C., spoke with me about the opportunity to tour the farm.
“I’m from Australia, and obviously agriculture, farming is an important part of our economy. Most of our agriculture is owned and operated by family farms, which I understand is the case here in the U.S. So, it’s always interesting to get a better feel for another country’s ag sector, and how that compares to some of the issues that are facing Australian farmers, which are a lot in common.”
Worrell says there are more commonalities than differences between Australian and U.S. agriculture, and that’s probably why we’ve had such a strong ag relationship over the years.
“It’s true to say that U.S. and Australia, we view farming as a commercial enterprise. You know, very much keen for sustainable productivity growth and the profitability of the sector. So, it’s a commercial business. And I think that’s something that we have in common. At a national government level, we work really well together because of that in some of the key global decision-making forums that sort of set the international trade standards that impact on agriculture.”
While we don’t think of Australia as one of our strongest trading partners, Worrell says the partnership is there and it’s a valued one.
“Our geographical separation poses a bit of a challenge, but at the same time, the U.S. is a major supplier of farming inputs, and also one of the major, if not the largest, investor in Australian ag land as well. So, there’s quite strong connection commercially there, as well as at a government level.”
In addition to touring the farm, the group of ag attachés also joined the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture meeting being held in Indianapolis and toured ag facilities at Purdue University. They also got to spend an evening with National FFA officers near the FFA headquarters in Indy.
