Agriculture
Agriculture is the main industry in Gilgandra, employing over 600 people. Farming includes:
- Cereals such as wheat, barley, oats, rye and sorghum
- Oil seed crops including canola, safflower, sun flower and linseed
- Legume crops such as chick peas, field peas, faba beans, cow peas and lab lab
- Small mixed farming including olive groves, native flower production and others.
Sheep have been grazed for wool production since 1830 and there is a significant number of cattle.
As well as the traditional, there are a number of unique farming enterprises within the Gilgandra Shire. There is a native eucalypt plantation supplying flowers to the cut flower markets and lavender, emu, buffalo, silver perch and poultry farms operating in the district. There are a number of services that support the agricultural industry including rural traders, machinery dealers, the Gilgandra Marketing Co-op, Graincorp and Financial Advisory Services. Farming is the basis for Gilgandra’s economy and the town has a proud history as an agricultural service centre