Australian Town Grows Crops to Fund Free Child Care

A small Australian town just found a creative way to keep families from leaving: grow their own money.

Richmond Shire Council in outback Queensland is harvesting 1,300 hectares of sorghum this season, expecting up to $500,000 in profit. The council plans to use the cash to improve life for its 600 residents without raising taxes.

"If we make half a million dollars out of this and we say to our community: 'Well, we've got some spare cash, let's give everyone in Richmond free child care,' I reckon they'll flock to our community," said Mayor John Wharton, who has led the town for 28 years.

This marks the council's second year farming on state-owned land near Maxwelton, about 100 kilometers east of Julia Creek. Last year, they harvested 1,000 tonnes of chickpeas and pocketed $300,000 in profit. Before crops, the same land earned less than $30,000 from cattle grazing.

The approach tackles a problem facing many remote Australian communities: a tiny tax base spread across massive territory. Richmond Shire covers more than 26,000 square kilometers with just 600 people to fund essential services.

Wharton wants to stop the cycle of rising rates pushing families away. "My goal is to stop the rates rising in Richmond," he said. "I want income streams like this that I don't have to rate people out of our community."

The Ripple Effect

The cropping project is creating benefits beyond the council budget. Planting and harvesting contractors are bringing jobs and spending money in town on fuel, food, and supplies. It's a welcome boost for a region where the traditional beef industry now employs fewer people thanks to automation.

Agronomist Angus Dalgliesh, who advises the council, sees huge potential for the region. "The fact that we can value-add to a pre-existing industry like the livestock industry up here, and on the side maybe grow a grain crop for a bit of a cash injection along the way, I think there's a huge future ahead of cropping," he said.

The Queensland government has supported the experiment by funding two 2,000-tonne grain silos at Maxwelton, with a third under construction. The infrastructure lets farmers store grain locally before shipping it east by rail or truck.

Other councils are watching closely. Longreach Regional Council, which faces a $43 million gap between its rate base and service costs, is exploring similar options. "Anything that can help enhance that, we'd look at," said Mayor Tony Rayner.

This season's sorghum crop should be even more profitable than the chickpea harvest because the land is already prepared, cutting costs in half.

One small town is proving that thinking outside the box can keep communities alive and thriving.