THIS time last year, if someone had told me that in just a few months' time Australia would close its international borders and isolate itself from the world, I would have thought they'd lost the plot.
Yet here we are, getting ready to farewell a year which has been like nothing we have ever seen or could possibly have imagined.
Something as basic as wanting to catch up with friends and family was suddenly off the table, leaving some people feeling incredibly lonely and cut off from the world.
Never has the proximity of people's properties to an invisible line on a map had such a drastic impact on people's lives, families and businesses.
I wouldn't have ever thought we'd see police manning roads along the SA-Vic border to keep people out, and I'm pretty sure I would never have used the phrase 'cross-border community' prior to 2020.
There are so many buzzwords and phrases that have sprung up out of nowhere during the pandemic, from vertical consumption, social distancing and medi-hotel, to contact tracing, super spreader and self-isolate.
I also never thought I'd enter a supermarket and find the shelves stripped of mince, pasta, flour and toilet paper.
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I think this year will have made a lot of people realise just how critical agriculture is to their daily lives. Without the ag supply chain taking our fresh produce from paddock to plate, we'd be seeing a lot more empty supermarket shelves.
While other industries have been crippled by the pandemic, ag has soldiered on and has ridden the bumps much better than many sectors. After all, as I've seen the National Farmers' Federation say, farmers are already experts at working from home.
It's been pleasing to see governments declare agriculture an essential service - even if the communication surrounding this hasn't always been as clear or prompt as it could have been.
While most people's memories of 2020 will be dominated by the pandemic, there have also been plenty of highlights this year - from skyrocketing cattle prices and several national records for sheep, to the strong cropping season which is tipped to result in SA's fourth-largest harvest on record.
On behalf of the Stock Journal team, I wish you all a safe and joyous Christmas.
We are all grateful for your support throughout this challenging year, and we hope 2021 is jam-packed with highlights.
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Jacinta Rose
Editor of the Stock Journal - South Australia's agricultural masthead
Editor of the Stock Journal - South Australia's agricultural masthead
