'One size fits all': how water-sharing rule changes threaten Hunter Valley farms

Locals say a cease to pump rule that's based on salinity levels in one spot is arbitrary and denies the historical use of riversSign up for the Rural Network email newsletterJoin the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the communityStanding on an embankment knee deep in kikuyu grass, Stephen Osborn points over his alluvial plains to his potato crop. He's expecting to get 12 tonnes of potatoes per acre this year.Stephen and his twin brother, Roger, are vegetable growers from Pitnacree, a highly fertile agricultural area surrounded by the rapidly expanding New South Wales Hunter Valley city of Maitland.Sign up to receive Guardian Australia's fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter Continue reading...