I oppose the live export ban vehemently, but I've been observing...

I oppose the live export ban vehemently, but I've been observing rural towns and businesses etc for over 40 years pretty closely...I've seen some real wealthy broadacre farming areas with dead service towns...even some pretty dead towns with irrigation in the area.

but if you have diversity, irrigation water, preferably horticulture, dairy and those type of more intensive industries , you tend to have good towns....those towns that are lucky enough to have education institutions and/ or good value adding businesses in the area do well also

I'm not talking of those areas within 3 hours of capital cities on tourist trails as they have the day tripper and overnight tourism markets