The National Farmers Federation (NFF) is confident it can work well with new agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce, despite some differences of opinion around foreign investment.
Mr Joyce was handed the agriculture portfolio and promoted to the coalition cabinet by Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott on Monday.
It's another win for the high-profile Nationals MP, who quit the Senate to successfully run for the rural seat of New England before being elevated by his party to deputy leader.
But he's stepped on a few toes in his career over his views on foreign investment in Australian farmland and agriculture companies.
He was a vocal critic of the Chinese-led buyout of cotton farm Cubbie Station and the takeover of grains handler GrainCorp, and has lobbied for the Foreign Investment Review Board to be toughened up.
Last week, Mr Joyce raised concerns over a proposal to sell a million hectares of farmland to Indonesia, despite farmers largely embracing the idea.
NFF chief executive Matt Linnegar believes the proposal is in the national interest, but isn't worried about working with the incoming minister if differences in opinion arise.
"Whilst we don't expect him to change his views with the drop of a hat, he'll no doubt take a much broader view in coming into the ministry," he told AAP on Monday.
"But obviously we will want to sit down with him at some length and just walk through all of those issues and see where he's at."
The coalition has vowed to introduce a national register of foreign-owned farming land, and to apply a national interest test to all proposals worth $15 million or more, down from $248 million.
The NFF has concerns about lowering the threshold before the register is in place and the actual levels of foreign investment in agriculture are known.
Mr Linnegar believes Mr Joyce's passion for agriculture will work wonders for the industry.
"I'm sure most would agree that Barnaby will fit the bill in terms of creating a higher profile for those issues," he said.
Mr Abbott is confident Mr Joyce's farming pedigree will serve him well in his new role.
"Barnaby knows country Australia like the back of his hand," he told reporters on Monday.
The federation also welcomed the appointment of senior Liberal Andrew Robb - a former NFF boss - to the trade portfolio, and Richard Colbeck as parliamentary secretary to agriculture.
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