There has been talk of an agri boom for a few years now but I'm not so sure where the ramp up in demand is going to come from . Many of the talked of country's from south east Asia are actually net exporters of food , at least in some commodities .
I run a dairy operation and the financial year just gone would be the toughest I think I have been through for at least 20 years .
Service towns in the more reliable grain growing areas might be worth a look . Most probably grain would be the one to boom first and then beef , dairy , pork etc follow . The $A would have to come off a bit more too .
Currently superannuation funds don't invest much in agriculture but if prospects become brighter then they may well do so . If this were to happen , the price of good farm land may appreciate rather quickly .
DaveM , I agree that major regional hubs might be worth a look . Margaret Lomas keeps banging on about this on her show from time to time . I find her pain full to listen to by the way ...
I think TC is right about agriculture here in Australia needing to be highly industrialised to be competitive . The cost of employing people is getting way out of hand . I know in dairying, robotic milking has been around for a while now but so far most of it is really only aimed at the confinement systems of the northern hemisphere . New robotics that can be applied to existing rotary s and general automation of most things will reduce the need for employees somewhat .