On The Land
13 November, 2026
Modern farming approaches pay off
THE profile of many of the farmers now involved in agricultural and horticultural production across the Tablelands and Mareeba-Dimbulah Irrigation area and the crops they produce are vastly different than what they appeared to be 25 years ago.
New crops and new farmers have made the transition from the once regarded staples of maize and tobacco to reach an annual Gross Value of Production of $748 million, according to the Department of Primary Industries five-yearly Horticulture Profile.
One such farmer is Paddy’s Green producer Mark Taylor.
Originally working as a diesel fitter, he now heads his family’s mixed horticulture enterprise.
The Taylors are fourth-generation farmers, with a history dating back to 1959 at their Paddy’s Green property.
As an ex-tobacco farm, also producing mangoes, avocados and pomegranates, the property has undergone a number of progressions to evolve to its present form, changing with the seasons and generations, but always remaining true to the family’s farming roots.
“As a family farm, we have trialled new crops, and have centred on farm expansion and practices and innovation to secure long term viability of farming and production on our properties,” Mark said.
“We also have undertaken new farming practices and modernisation in order to achieve significant cost savings on inputs including electrical power and water.”
Mark and Jess took over the family’s farming operations in 2016 and have built on the farm’s rich history, tradition and innovation.
“What once began with mangoes, avocados and lychees, has now expanded to include a whole range of tropical fruit, including Tahitian limes, and ongoing lychee varieties that thrive in the Far North Queensland climate,” he said.
Initially, Mark started farming with little knowledge of tree crops but now produces lychees and limes across his family’s three farms.
Through all sectors of the entire multi cropping operations, there’s a deep respect for the land and a hands-on approach to farming.
There’s also a strong and innovative direction to blend traditional tried and true farming principles and innovation with modern agricultural technologies to ensure the highest quality produce and maintaining sustainable farming practices.
“As part of the futuristic approach to farming, we have overseen the recent installation of new generation fruit-grading equipment at our farm as part of overall improved production processes,” Mark said.
Thanks to adoption of new farming practices and expansion of the region’s farming sector, the Total Gross Value of Production of $748 million represents a 42% increase since the last Tablelands Horticulture Profile in 2019.
The citrus industry has experienced the most growth, increasing in value by 200% in the past five years, with high yielding lemon and mandarin plantings with strong market prices, reaching a $170 million GVP, then comes bananas ($169 million), avocados ($151 million) then mangos at $54 million.
It should be noted that these figures do not represent grower profitability. Most commodities have experienced farm gate Gross Value Production growth, however the cost of production has increased significantly more.
