Cheers to our graziers — 69 land management plans and counting
A huge shout-out to the hardworking men, women, and families who work the land in the Burdekin region.
Thanks to your dedication, we wrapped up our 69th Action Plan for Land Management (APLM) under the Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions (GRASS) program in January — hitting our target with months to spare. Hats off to everybody who’s taken part.
The APLM is a core part of the GRASS program, funded by the Queensland Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program.
Through one-on-one support, the program helps graziers in the Burdekin, Fitzroy, and Burnett Mary regions improve land condition — especially those in poor (C) or degraded (D) condition — and reduce sediment runoff into the Great Barrier Reef.
The program runs until June this year, so if you’re keen for a field officer to drop by, share insights on measuring land condition, and guide you on Reef Regulations compliance, get in touch with NQ Dry Tropics, we’d love to help.
The result is spectacular. A paddock on Kirkland Downs photographed before the cattle were excluded. Move the arrows left and right to see the area before and after a rest.
Spotlight on FOUR MILE
Watching grass grow… suddenly, it’s become an exciting pastime
GRASS Program participants Gerard and Elizabeth Lyons, find watching the grass grow on their 1500ha Majors Creek property “Four Mile” to be one of their most exciting pastimes.
And that’s not because they’re bored.
Since moving to Four Mile in 2015, the graziers have focused foremost on their land, rather than their cattle… specifically groundcover.
The result is nothing short of spectacular.
By regularly moving herds through their paddocks, they were able to implement a grazing regime that included a lot of rest for their pasture.
They made headway and participated in the Grazing Best Management Practices (Grazing BMP) program, before, in 2023, signing up to the Queensland Government’s Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions or GRASS program.
GRASS is funded through the Queensland Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program and is delivered by the Department of Primary Industries, Burnett Mary Regional Group, Fitzroy Basin Association and NQ Dry Tropics.
