Hug a farmer, they've just saved Australia's economic bacon

"People 'round here the call me a newcomer," he said. "They tell me you haven't had time to unpack your bags." 

But during four decades on the farm, rarely has Mr Milson seen as season as good as this one - and neither has the rest of Australia. 

Agricultural growth surged by an extraordinary 27.6 per cent in 2016, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics national accounts have revealed, following a record harvest in every state. While agriculture enjoyed a double-digit leap, the traditional driver of the Australian economy - mining - grew by just 4.6 per cent. Retail struggled, and manufacturing and construction went backwards. 

Agriculture had 10 times its average contribution to the economy in the three months to December, making up 0.5 per cent of the country's 1.1 per cent growth. It usually contributes just .05 per cent. 

"It is a fantastic year for agriculture and it's made a very strong contribution to the Australian economy on the back of a record winter crop," said Trish Gleeson, a commodity analyst at the Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.

The farming boom looks set to continue, with export earnings in cotton projected to skyrocket by 56 per cent, wheat 25 per cent and sugar 23 per cent.  

Angus Taylor, Mr Milson's local federal MP, said farmers in his electorate "haven't been as buoyant as this for many many decades, probably my lifetime".

The Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister, Barnaby Joyce, said regional areas had "saved the economy" but not enough Australians appreciated the contribution.

"We are actually making money that actually helps this nation pay its bills," he said this week.

But hurdles remain on the horizon.

Sugar has become a major political issue in cane growing regions on the back of fears the industry might miss out on the wider boom. A pricing gridlock has forced Queensland growers to stock excess harvests despite the bumper crop. 

While the last year also saw strong gains for cattle across the country, export earnings this year are forecast to fall for 17 per cent for beef.

Cattle farmers hope the projection will be reversed by a new deal signed this week between Indonesia and Australia to increase the import cattle weight limit from 350 to 450 kilograms.

The other side of cattle production also looks promising, with China's insatiable demand for dairy showing few signs of letting up. 

Imports into China of infant milk formula increased by 42 per cent last year to a record 200,000 tonnes, while butter surged by 53 per cent to 65,000 tonnes.

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is also targeting further trade inroads in India, where tariffs on wheat have been cut by 15 per cent after a weak season, and imports are set to increase sevenfold to 3 million tonnes. 

Mr Milson, a father of five, sees it as an opportunity for young Australians to get back on the land. 

"They'll come if they can see a future," he said. "But we don't want to get ahead of ourselves and say that high prices will last forever, history dictates that does not happen. We want to be here for the long term."

This story first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.