How much water do Australian farms use?

Farming businesses across Australia can often find themselves in a difficult position during the summer months. In truth, at any time of the year, the fierce Australian climate can bring with it a host of risks that threaten to derail months of work.

It's the reason why the federal government recently released a number of loans for farms that have been affected by drought. With water scarce, it takes planning and forethought for farm owners to ensure they are able to continue, even when rain refuses to fall.

The matter is compounded when we consider that 99 per cent of Australia's 134,000 farming businesses are family-owned (according to the National Farmers' Federation); resources are often stretched and margins tight.

Many farms have polyethylene water tanks installed as a means to add to their water resources throughout the year. After all, such businesses can quickly find their stores depleted and the public water system limited.

According to a 2015 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report, farm industries used 11.6 million megalitres of water in the year previously – or 11,600,000 litres.

"The decline was most prevalent in New South Wales, where water use dropped 13 per cent to 4.5 million megalitres," explained the ABS's Sarah Kiely. However, not all farms have managed to restrict their usage of the precious resource.

"Reflecting the adverse seasonal conditions across the eastern states, Queensland saw a 47 per cent increase in the volume of water applied to sugar cane crops, while in Victoria, the volume of water applied to pasture and crops used for grazing, hay and silage increased 24 per cent," Ms Kiely continued.

Water storage is as important as ever across Australia. To find a poly water tank that can help your farm reduce usage of the mains supply, contact your local supplier, such as Betapoly in Queensland.

By Gerald Beckton