Cotton Australia says having mineral rights to their land has certainly helped some American farmers co-exist with the coal seam gas industry.
Mining and coal seam gas policy officer Sahil Prasad recently returned from a fact-finding mission trip to the USA.
He says he was surprised to see so many gas wells so close to roads in Weld Country in Colorado.
"There were as many as 20,000 wells in that county. That county was quite pro-CSG, potentially because of the amount of money they were receiving from it.
"They (wells) were everywhere; beside irrigation schemes, in national parks."
Mr Prasad says the extraction technology used in the USA is older than in Australia.
"We found it quite hard to use their technology to gauge what the impacts would be on our industry.
"I think Australia has taken a bit more of a lead, following a lot of public pressure from environment, community and agriculture groups, to develop best practice and are using more technology like reverse osmosis, and are taking water management more seriously."
Narrabri businessman Ron Campbell has also recently toured a coal seam gas region.
He's one of several Narrabri locals invited by gas company Santos to tour Queensland's CSG fields.
Mr Campbell is looking to expand his waste management business and is keen to get gas companies on his books.
"I want to know what I'm dealing with and I don't want to be involved with something that I don't believe is good for the environment or good for our community.
He says one of the farming families he met with near Roma had done well out of coal seam gas.
"They indicated that they had had a 20 year plan for their farm. They've been able to achieve that in seven years.
"They once had 1,000 head of cattle. Now they've got 2,500 head. The kids had all left the farm; they've now got a succession plan and the kids have moved back."
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