Ian Shippen, a 42-year-old farmer with spiked hair, is considered a rural prophet in the arid salt plains located 1,000 kilometers west of Sydney. Shippen believes that the ongoing drought in Australia's food bowl will bring permanent changes to agriculture in the driest settled continent. According to Shippen, farmers will have to revert to traditional farming methods, similar to those used 100 years ago, focusing on growing broadacre areas and raising sheep. He predicts that vast areas of land will become unproductive, forcing farmers to only be able to sustain one sheep per 5 or 6 acres. Shippen believes that the drought will have a significant impact on the agricultural industry. Shippen, along with many others, is trying to find solutions to overcome the drought by taking a risk and transitioning from irrigated cropping. Nine years ago, he cultivated rice on 2,000 acres of previously barren land that had been made arable by water from the eastern Australian alps, located a day's drive away. Shippen and his wife Camilla, who is the daughter of a city doctor, foresaw the impending changes as a prolonged dry spell began and water costs started to rise, altering the profitability of irrigation. Shippen believes that the increasing cost of water has transformed it from an asset to a liability. Shippen, a local councillor and respected farmer, is selling water licenses to other farmers in order to purchase more land. This strategy has allowed him to expand his operation from a few thousand acres to over 180,000 acres, supporting thousands of sheep and cattle. However, the debt incurred from these purchases demands significant interest payments, forcing Shippen to work tirelessly to pay off the loans. Shippen believes that despite the challenges of drought, there are also opportunities to be found. He acknowledges the uncertainty of the upcoming summer and the impact it will have on crops and livestock sales. Shippen notes that some farmers may be forced to sell their farms at low prices, highlighting the competitive nature within the farming community. He emphasizes that the major shift in focus is not just the drought, but also the increasing attention on water conservation by Australian governments in response to the possibility of a permanent climate change. Shippen is lamenting the fact that due to the current boom in commodities and the sale of Australian resources to China, farmers have lost their political influence. He expresses concern that they are now unable to advocate for important national projects such as redirecting coastal rivers westward to potentially mitigate future droughts. Shippen believes that farmers, who make up only 2 percent of the population, are now considered irrelevant and expendable. He predicts that they will have to make tough decisions, such as selling stock, converting wheat to hay, and laying off employees, in order to survive the current situation.