‘Farming water’ helps wine grape growers stay afloat

THEY’RE the farmers trading orange juice for water — crop growers who have been forced to find an alternative source of income, quite literally, to survive life on the land. Fruit growers in the Riverina district are turning their sights to “farming water”, rather than toiling on the land, to help them put food on the table as farmgate prices are slashed. As the dairy industry faces milk price cuts, so too are wine grape and citrus growers, which is crippling the industry.