AGRICULTURE is increasingly becoming a focus of investment in WA, Regional Development Minister Terry Redman pointed out as he opened the Make Smoking History Wagin Woolorama on Friday.
Mr Redman pointed to prominent people with mining and business interests who now saw investment opportunities in WA's agriculture and pastoral industries.
As examples he listed mining magnates Gina Rinehart and her investments in Liveringa Station Beef and Bannister Downs dairy operations and Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest's investment in Harvey Beef, along with businessman Kerry Stokes buying Napier Downs cattle station in the Kimberley.
"This is happening now," Mr Redman said
Further examples of increasing investment interest in WA agriculture and livestock were Qatar-based Hassad Food Company's investment through Hassad Australia, V&V Walsh's joint venture with Chinese interest to export lamb into China and other Chinese farming investments, he said.
"In the last two years there has been a step shift in agriculture," Mr Redman said.
"We are now demand driven rather than driven from the supply side.
"We are limited only by our capacity to meet demand at scale.
"Our challenge is to meet that demand at scale.
"How do we position ourselves to capitalise on the opportunities?"
Mr Redman said the State Government was working in various ways to ensure WA could capitalise on new investment interest in agriculture by removing barriers constraining production.
Royalties for Regions had provided $300 million to help best utilise land and water assets as well as the Water for Food project being run by Water Minister Mia Davies, he said.
It had invested in the Sheep Industry Business Centre at Katanning and the Bunbury Dairy Centre with the aim of strengthening both industries.
Fifteen major projects were "on the table" as part of the WA Open for Business (WAOFB) strategy, a component of his own department's Seizing the Opportunity Agriculture initiative, Mr Redman said.
He said WAOFB, which had been pledged $20m over four years, would be a "shopfront for WA agriculture", he said.
"Events like Woolorama remind us of our history but also make a statement about our future."
Mr Redman reminded people it was the 44th year of Woolorama and the 113th Wagin show and of the massive community effort involved.
Woolorama puts about $200,000 back into the Wagin community each year, he said.
He acknowledged Woolorama rural ambassador Kara Dohle from Wagin and the contribution of her family over three generations.
Her grandmother was Woolorama's media person for 24 years, her mother was Miss Woolorama and Miss Great Southern in 1982 and her father had been a head steward in the B&A Sheep Shed.
While he was at Woolorama, Mr Redman also launched Pastures from Space Plus, Landgate's upgraded farm monitoring tool.
Pastures from Space Plus provides farmers with access to high-resolution satellite imagery to help them make day-to-day decisions about their properties.
It also incorporates a stocking rate calculator, feed budgeting tool and Bureau of Meteorology rainfall data.
"This type of technology is giving us the edge over our overseas agriculture competitors and I applaud Landgate for its innovative approach," Mr Redman said.
