Presenters at the Burdekin Regional Science Forum shared a common message
Guest presenters from the cane and grazing industries shared a common message
Lasting change in agriculture happens when you invest in people, support practical on-ground solutions, and align productivity goals with environmental outcomes, through long-term, trust-based engagement.
Several key themes emerged from their presentations, including ‘people and relationships drive change’, ‘practical, whole-of-system solutions work’, ‘environmental outcomes flow from better management’, ‘demonstration and data support adoption’, ‘Extension is more than information, it’s empowerment’.
People and relationships drive change
- Trust and credibility are essential; change happens when relationships are built over time.
- One-on-one support and peer learning (e.g., field days, demonstration sites) are more effective than top-down mandates.
- Farmers and graziers are more likely to engage when they feel supported, not targeted.
Practical, whole-of-system solutions work
- A long-term, systems-based approach tailored to individual properties is key.
- Projects need to be relevant to landholders’ goals, like improving productivity, soil health, and business resilience.
- Short-term, compliance-focused programs often fail to deliver sustained results.
Environmental outcomes flow from better management
- Water quality improvements are often a co-benefit, not the primary motivator.
- Practices like better irrigation, chemical use, and grazing management can reduce runoff while increasing yields or profits.
- Programs should better recognise and support the indirect environmental benefits of on-farm improvements.
Demonstration and data support adoption
- Long-term demonstration sites and real-world examples help landholders visualise success and feel confident in change.
- Tangible economic benefits are strong motivators.
- Extension should focus on farmers’ limiting factors, not just compliance or data collection.
Extension is more than information, it’s empowerment
- Extension officers act as connectors, translators, and co-designers of solutions, not just information providers.
- Programs like Cane Changer and GRASS succeed because they work with landholders.
- Adoption depends on accessibility, including making research, tools, and technology (e.g., AutoWeed sprayer) available and practical.
Read a summary of what each presenter said at the regional science forum
(Burdekin Productivity Services)
(Sugar Research Australia)
(Department of Primary Industries)
Click to open presentation summaries
Rob Milla — key points
Terry Granshaw — key points
Megan Willis — key points
Working with farmers for long-term change
This presentation focused on how supporting farmers through on-ground, practical changes can improve productivity and profitability, with water quality improvements as a positive side effect, rather than the primary driver.
Key messages:
- Win-win practices that support growers’ goals—like improving soil health—are more likely to be adopted and sustained.
- Many farmers feel targeted by water quality messaging; instead, positive engagement, like the Project Cane Changer approach, builds trust and motivation.
- Real change requires a long-term, whole-of-system approach tailored to each farm, not short-term, box-ticking programs.
- Soil health consistently ranks as a top priority for growers. A 15-year study showed that farming systems with minimum tillage, legumes, and controlled traffic led to better root development and yield increases, from 600 to 810 t/ha over six years.
- Water quality outcomes often result naturally when farmers improve productivity through better management of drainage, irrigation, and variety selection, even though these practices are under-recognised in formal programs like Paddock to Reef.
- Effective extension is about relationships and credibility, being there for conversations, understanding individual grower needs, and helping address their most limiting factor, not pushing an external agenda.
- Programs should be designed around what matters to farmers, not just modeled pollutant reduction outcomes. That approach drives real, sustained change on the ground.
Focus on on-ground impact and industry adoption
- On-ground projects: Drawing on decades of experience as a farmer, contractor, extension officer, and manager, Terry Granshaw emphasises support for practical, impactful projects, particularly those improving water quality, productivity, and profitability in the Burdekin. Project Bluewater was acknowledged as a key contributor.
Project Bluewater
Project Bluewater was a Farmacist initiative that supported sugarcane growers in Queensland’s Mackay-Whitsunday and Lower Burdekin regions to enhance pesticide use efficiency. From 2019, the project helped farmers refine their chemical selection and application methods to improve sustainability and meet compliance standards.
- Collaborated with over 140 farms to develop tailored pesticide management plans.
- Conducted spray rig assessments to ensure accurate pesticide application and minimise drift.
- Delivered workshops on advanced application techniques to enhance farmers’ knowledge and skills.
- Provided support for data recording compliance to align with legal and environmental requirements.
- Impact areas:
- Sugarcane Yield Decline Joint Venture: Promoted a systems approach to improving soil structure, reducing runoff, increasing crop growth, and decreasing pesticide use. Widely adopted overseas, but underutilised in Australia.
- Demonstration sites: Long-term (e.g., 13-year) sites yielded strong economic and environmental benefits—e.g., $400/ha profit increase and measurable improvements in soil health and water use.
- Delta soil health project: Demonstrated clear biological soil improvements, hard to measure, but visually compelling and valuable to growers. This work refers to efforts to improve the health of soils in delta regions by addressing issues like erosion, nutrient deficiency, or salinity.
- Emerging technologies: Highlighted innovations like the autoweed sprayer developed by James Cook University, in partnership with agtech company AutoWeed and Sugar Research Australia. The AI-powered machine detects and targets individual weeds, offering a more efficient alternative to traditional blanket spraying, leading to major reductions in chemical use. Terry expressed frustration at the lack of commercial access due to Intellectual Property (IP) control by large companies.
- Irrigation practice change: Across five sites, improved practices showed 30 per cent less water and energy use with no yield loss. Demonstrated 34 per cent reduction in nitrogen runoff and 50 per cent reduction in pesticide runoff.
- Automated tools: Encouraged for better record-keeping and informed decision-making. Not promoting specific products, but the principle of automation and data use.
- Sugarcane Yield Decline Joint Venture: Promoted a systems approach to improving soil structure, reducing runoff, increasing crop growth, and decreasing pesticide use. Widely adopted overseas, but underutilised in Australia.
- Adoption and communication challenges:
- Long-term projects are needed for real change, yet many are short-lived (2–3 years), limiting long-term benefits.
- More support is needed for turning research and tech into commercial solutions accessible to farmers.
- Terry has delivered multiple talks across regions to promote adoption and share findings, with a strong belief that improving soil health also benefits environmental outcomes.
- Long-term projects are needed for real change, yet many are short-lived (2–3 years), limiting long-term benefits.
- Economic and environmental outcomes:
- Department of Primary Industries economic analyses confirmed cost savings, increased profitability, and environmental gains from improved irrigation and reduced pesticide use.
Demonstration sites offer “real numbers” to support decision-making and encourage adoption.
- Department of Primary Industries economic analyses confirmed cost savings, increased profitability, and environmental gains from improved irrigation and reduced pesticide use.
- Closing message: Long-term sustainability requires industry-wide focus on adopting better practices. Projects must aim not only for on-ground success but also for meaningful adoption by growers to deliver environmental and economic outcomes.
Supporting practice change through strong relationships with graziers
The DPI’s Grazing team supports graziers across the Burdekin Reef catchment and also leads projects in the Burnett Mary and Fitzroy regions. The work is funded by the Office of the Great Barrier Reef to support producers in adopting recommended management practices.
The largest initiative, the Grazing Extension Support project, is a practice change program that focuses on building graziers’ capacity to improve productivity and sustainability across their whole business.
While the key aim is to drive practice change, the real focus is on strengthening awareness, skills, and intent, turning that intent into action through strong, trust-based relationships.
The Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions (GRASS) project is a more targeted practice change initiative. GRASS and the Extension Support project often work together, where GRASS supports land management planning, and Extension Support helps producers build long-term outcomes from those plans.
Extension work includes field days to build awareness and knowledge, workshops to develop practical skills and intent, and, most importantly, one-on-one support to help producers turn ideas into action.
Case Studies
- Charters Towers: gully remediation and grazing management
A family property worked through the GRASS and the Extension Support projects to remediate gullies using diversion banks, reprofiling, seeding, and spelling. Erosion reduced, pasture improved, and productivity increased. The landholder also hosted a forage budgeting day to build awareness among peers.
- Belyando: whole-of-business improvements
A long-term DPI collaborator improved degraded areas by installing fencing and watering points, allowing wet season rest and reducing sediment loss. Soil testing supported better pasture development, weed control, and strategic feeding. The result was more productive paddocks, increased profit potential, and greater seasonal resilience.
- Demonstration site: long-term sustainable management
A well-managed property became a demonstration site. Although it showed no measurable sediment savings (because of its already high standard), it’s an important example of how good management delivers productivity and sustainability. It helps other graziers see practical examples of effective systems in action.
Key message:
Practice change isn’t just about data, it’s about people. One-on-one support and peer learning are essential. We see strong intent from graziers (more than 80 per cent after events), but actual change still lags. The opportunity lies in closing that gap through investment in people, relationships, and on-ground support.
Putting it all into practice: Paddock to Reef program in action
(Office of the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage)
(Burdekin Bowen Integrated Floodplain Advisory Committee — BBIFMAC)
Click to open presentation summaries
Linking farms — key points
Carl Mitchell — key points
Arwen Rickert — key points
Linking farms to the reef
The Paddock to Reef Program helps link farm-scale actions to reef-scale outcomes by guiding investment, validating improvements, and supporting science-based decision-making.
It’s the invisible backbone behind many visible on-ground changes, but it works best when paired with local knowledge, strong relationships, and practical support for landholders.
Sets clear water quality targets
- P2R helps translate Reef water quality goals into measurable targets for pollutants like fine sediment, nitrogen, and pesticides.
- These targets guide government investment and industry programs (e.g. Reef Trust, Reef Credits, LDC) that fund on-ground projects in farming and grazing.
On-ground benefit: Clear direction for what landholders are working toward, e.g., reducing sediment loss through gully remediation or improving nitrogen use efficiency in cane farming.
Measures and validates change
- P2R uses a combination of:
- Paddock-scale monitoring (real-world data from demonstration farms),
- Catchment-scale modelling (to estimate pollutant reductions), and
- Water quality monitoring at rivers and the Reef.
- Paddock-scale monitoring (real-world data from demonstration farms),
On-ground benefit: Landholders and project teams can see if their changes are making a measurable difference at both farm and reef scales, which builds trust and credibility.
Supports investment in practice change
- P2R underpins funding decisions by showing which practices deliver the biggest water quality benefits (e.g., legume rotations, minimum tillage, controlled grazing).
- It informs programs that subsidise fencing, water points, gully repair, improved nutrient planning, and more.
On-ground benefit: Access to financial support and expert advice for adopting improved land management practices.
Enables consistent, statewide reporting
P2R provides the science used in the Reef Report Card, helping track progress toward the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan targets.
Click here to read the latest Burdekin Region Reef Water Quality Report Card.
On-ground benefit: Ensures that efforts by landholders, extension officers, and NRM groups are recognised and counted, building public and policy support for continued investment.
Drives collaboration across sectors
- The program brings together scientists, farmers, graziers, government, and NRM organisations to co-design and deliver solutions.
On-ground benefit: Encourages shared learning, local innovation, and regionally tailored approaches to water quality challenges.
Challenges
- Modelling can overlook unmeasured benefits, like improved drainage or unmonitored erosion control.
- Short funding cycles sometimes don’t align with long-term landscape repair.
- Communication gaps between science and landholders can make it feel disconnected from farm reality.
Paddock to Reef Program (P2R) Overview
Great Barrier Reef water quality research and Investment framework.
The P2R program aims to improve the quality of water flowing to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) by integrating scientific research with policy, planning, and on-ground action.
It sits within a complex policy framework shaped by international (UNESCO), federal, and state commitments, particularly under the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan. Within this, the focus is on land-based runoff through the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan.
Program foundations and progress:
- Started in 2009 and jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments.
- Involves collaboration between government, industry, landholders, research organisations, and universities.
- Designed to support continuous improvement by building knowledge and refining approaches over time.
Core components:
- Monitoring and modelling: Tracks water quality impacts from paddock to reef. Monitoring captures real-time conditions while modelling allows prediction, scenario testing, and removing climate noise to identify human-caused impacts.
- Science to policy pipeline: Research and synthesis directly inform government investment and policy decisions.
- Tools and support: Development of decision-support tools such as the Paddock to Reef (P2R) Projector and pesticide decision tools to help landholders plan and evaluate water quality benefits.
On-farm trials: Data is gathered at paddock level to understand practice impacts, then scaled to catchment and reef-wide assessments. - Human dimensions: A dedicated team studies what influences landholder decisions to adopt best practices and how to improve collaboration and support.
Recent and ongoing work
- Program review: A major five-year review is currently underway with external experts to redesign the program for the next 5–10 years.
- Spatial management prioritisation project: Identifies where key pressures exist across GBR catchments, what receiving water bodies are most vulnerable, and what interventions should be prioritised.
- Goal: Direct future investments more effectively to areas and actions that will yield the most benefit for GBR water quality.
Future Focus
- Deepening understanding of how human and natural systems interact.
- Supporting local action through better tools, data, and collaboration.
- Improving outcomes for rivers, landscapes, and the Great Barrier Reef by helping those who work on the ground (e.g., graziers, cane growers, local governments) to make impactful changes.
Paddock to Reef: real outcomes on the ground
The Paddock to Reef program brings together science, modelling, and on-ground practice to improve water quality flowing to the Great Barrier Reef.
One of its key strengths is the integration of independent, local monitoring organisations like BBIFMAC (BurdekinBowen Integrated Floodplain Advisory Committee), which collect real, site-specific data from farms across the region.
How it works on the ground
- Farm-scale water quality monitoring: BBIFMAC and partners install in-paddock and sub-catchment monitoring systems to measure:
- water volumes lost through surface runoff and deep drainage;
- associated pollutant loads (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides); and
- effects of different irrigation and nutrient management practices.
- water volumes lost through surface runoff and deep drainage;
- Real-time and high-frequency data: Using automated samplers and in-field sensors, data is captured regularly across more than 25 sites to provide insight into irrigation performance and runoff dynamics.
- Validating practices, not setting them: BBIFMAC’s role is not to run trials but to independently monitor the outcomes of existing grower practices and funded interventions, creating confidence in the data and its relevance.
What the data tells us
- Excess irrigation losses are common: Many farms lose 20–50 per cent of irrigation water, either through surface runoff or deep drainage, with significant productivity and environmental impacts.
- Improved irrigation practices work: Shorter irrigation runtimes, better scheduling tools (like soil moisture sensors), and automation significantly reduce water loss and pollutant runoff.
- Economic and environmental wins: Less water loss means:
- lower pumping and labour costs for growers;
- less nutrient and pesticide loss (up to 50 per cent reduction); and
- reduced impacts on the Reef and downstream systems.
- lower pumping and labour costs for growers;
Supporting government models and investment
- The local monitoring data feeds into government-supported modelling tools. These models estimate pollutant reductions from improved practices and guide Reef investment priorities.
- By providing high-quality, locally relevant data, Paddock to Reef helps ensure funding goes to interventions that deliver measurable, validated outcomes.
Bottom line:
Paddock to Reef program turns research into results, supporting farmers, improving practices, and protecting the Reef. Independent monitoring builds grower trust, sharpens government models, and ensures real change happens, paddock by paddock.
