The latest news…
Farmers get support to improve productivity and reef water quality
A $20.4 million program to support cane farmers to improve management practices while improving the quality of water flowing into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon has started rolling out in the lower Burdekin.
Aquatic weeds to compost improves soil health and crop yield
NQ Dry Tropics is working with five farmers to turn aquatic weeds sourced from local creeks into compost. The aim is to turn problem weeds into a valuable on-farm resource, through cost-effective means, while controlling weeds in waterways.
New Board members bring science and indigenous knowledge
The NQ Dry Tropics Board has been strengthened by the appointment of two new Directors; Richard Hoolihan and Prof. Damien Burrows.
Burdekin farmers dig into soil health
More than 25 Burdekin farmers gathered in Bowen and Ayr recently to learn more about one of their most valuable assets – soil.
Big rocks protect beach scrub
Rocks weighing more than 650 tonnes were recently installed along King’s Beach Road to protect fragile beach scrub, mangroves and saltpans from damage caused by 4WD vehicles.
Community planning prioritises local Reef support projects
A community-driven planning process aimed at identifying local solutions to protect the Great Barrier Reef has generated four ‘shovel ready’ projects.
Cane farmers learn about soil health and cover cropping
A group of Lower Burdekin cane farmers recently learned about optimising soil health and the benefits of cover crops at a workshop held at Denis Pozzebon’s farm in Airville.
Info day fosters better understanding between graziers and government
More than 20 Upper Burdekin graziers recently met with Queensland Government staff at the World Theatre in Charters Towers to learn more about the ins and outs of vegetation management laws and the new Reef protection regulations.
Cane farmers learn benefits of collective action for feral pig management
Cane farmer Robert Boccalatte is fed up with the damage caused by feral pigs on his property at Saltwater Creek.
“In a bad year pigs will eat between 500kg to a tonne of cane, but that’s not the only problem,” Mr Boccalatte said.
Funding boost for work in the BBB
Bowen and Collinsville graziers are encouraged to get involved with a multi-million dollar natural resource management project to enhance land condition and productivity that will help improve water quality outcomes for local waterways, and the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
New project to help Burdekin landholders
Graziers in the Upper and East Burdekin catchments have an opportunity to get involved in a new extension project to support the adoption of land management practices to boost productivity and profitability, build soils and improve pasture health and enhance biodiversity.
Grazing Science Forum to discuss regional water quality projects
NQ Dry Tropics is hosting a Grazing Regional Integrated Science Forum to bring together local grazing extension officers, government and science representatives to discuss the implementation of the Paddock to Reef (P2R) Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program (Paddock to Reef program) in the Burdekin region.
Cane growers improving reef water quality
Burdekin sugarcane growers are adopting improved management practices for a more sustainable and productive farming future – and the results are in to prove it.
Partnership tackles beach scrub invader
An environmental threat to a patch of valuable endangered beach scrub near Ayr will be tackled by a long-standing partnership.
Farm transformation
Home Hill cane grower Joe Linton has operated the farm where he grew up for more than 50 years and he has always tried to ride the first wave of every innovation in the industry.
Drones fly in agriculture
PEOPLE who work with cattle will be able to muster using a drone, but even the most skilled drone pilots with no cattle nous will fail. That’s the steadfast opinion of veteran helicopter and drone pilot Lyle Gillham
Funding boost to help protect important coastal ecosystems
North Queensland’s spectacular coastal ecosystems will be better protected thanks to a new three-year project delivered by NQ Dry Tropics.
Partnership to help close the gap and protect reef
A new project will create Indigenous jobs in North Queensland while supporting efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef and nearby coastal ecosystems.
Automated irrigation saves time and money for Burdekin growers
Burdekin grower Heath Salter has hailed the “life changing” benefits gained from installing an automated irrigation system on his parents’ Mulgrave Road farm in Clare.
Education key to moving cattle calmly and safely
THE workshops conducted by Neil McDonald at his Livestock Handling and Working Dog School are all about educating graziers to develop a calm, safe routine for shifting cattle. He has a strict priority in the way he goes about delivering that education.
Restoring Bowling Green Bay Wetlands
The Bowling Green Bay wetlands are a jewel in the lower Burdekin’s crown, and a newly-launched project will help ensure their health is maintained and restored.
Fine-tuning breeder herds
MORE of a good thing was the philosophy behind a sweep through the North by breeding herd management expert Dr Ian Braithwaite last month.
Help to restore degraded land
AN NQ Dry Tropics project is helping Amelia Downs grazier Jane Weir to restore degraded land along a river front on her 20,000ha property. The Linking Landholders to Frontage Country project, funded by the Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Investment Program — will help her to remedy a large and long-standing erosion problem in the Bottom River paddock, one of 32 paddocks on the property.
Traditional Owner Management Group tackles NRM issues
Representatives from 12 indigenous groups within the Burdekin Dry Tropics region met earlier this month in Townsville to discuss conservation and land management issues.
Community Action Plans to help prioritise reef protection measures
A partnership between NQ Dry Tropics, Reef Ecologic and Magnetic Island Community Development Association (MICDA) will boost efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
The ‘show’ must go on
AS the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention”. To help ensure safety in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, NQ Dry Tropics has cancelled workshops, field days, and all other face to face events until at least 1 June.
Cane grower reduces pumping costs
Burdekin cane grower Leon Franchina’s efforts to improve the efficiency of irrigation water use are paying off.
Plantation Creek weed removal works to reduce flood and fire risk
Work will begin in early July to remove aquatic weed Typha, commonly known as Cumbungi or Bullrush, from Plantation Creek in the lower Burdekin.
Scottville landscape remediation works paying off
Small-scale land remediation efforts by graziers from six properties at Scottville (near Collinsville) are paying dividends.
Conservation Action Planning to support communities to manage country
Good planning leads to successful outcomes, according to Protecting Biodiversity Program Manager Brett King…
Cochineals eat their way to victory
A COMPREHENSIVE victory is within sight in a battle being waged in an inconspicuous patch of beach scrub near Bowen.
New automated gates and fishways to improve efficiency & fish connectivity
Construction work will begin next month on two automated gates and fishways on Saltwater Creek, near Ayr.
Shutterbugs, train your lenses
NQ Dry Tropics is on the hunt for photos featuring beautiful landscapes and hard working, salt-of-the-earth people in the Bowen and Collinsville region. This is the second year the organisation is running a photography competition through its Landholders Driving Change (LDC) project.
New program to support lower Burdekin farmers and improve reef health
A newly-launched program will support farmers to improve management practices and adopt new technologies – while improving the quality of water flowing into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
Workshop helps Gudjuda Rangers improve bird ID and monitoring skills
A group of Gudjuda Rangers are now better able to identify and monitor endangered migratory shore birds thanks to a joint initiative with NQ Dry Tropics and Birdlife Australia.
Burdekin growers reduce nitrogen use and maintain yield
THE first “report cards” are on the way to Burdekin cane growers who participated in a three-year program to reduce the amount of nitrogen fertiliser applied to their crops.
Power of peer-to-peer learning
AN enthusiastic “mob” of North Queensland graziers is gaining an appreciation of the power of peer-to-peer support as they adopt new grazing and pasture management practices on their properties.
Siam Weed information sessions
SIAM weed (Chromolaena odorata) is the focus of weed management information sessions at Reid River and Hervey Range in coming weeks.
World Wetlands Day: shining a spotlight on our beautiful wetlands
If you enjoy fishing, boating or swimming, chances are you have benefited from our regions’s beautiful wetlands.
Growers raise a glass to celebrate 2019 achievements
MORE than 70 cane growers, extension staff, contractors and suppliers were hosted by NQ Dry Tropics at an End Of Year celebration in the Burdekin Theatre this week. Sustainable Agriculture Manager at NQ Dry Tropics Rob Hunt said there was plenty to celebrate.
Profitability dominates breeder management strategies
CASH flow, not calving rates should be the measure North Queensland graziers use to manage their breeding herds according to cattle veterinarian Dr Ian Braithwaite. Without cash flow, herd performance declined and land condition suffered.
Burdekin property planning takes a front seat
IT was Benjamin Franklin who said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. Eight Burdekin extension officers on a learning journey to support graziers develop land-based property management plans focused on water quality and ecology are definitely planning to succeed.
Grazing Science Forum discusses water quality results
NQ Dry Tropics hosted a Grazing Regional Integrated Science Forum in Townsville that brought together local grazing extension officers, government and science representatives…
NQ Dry Tropics sponsors Fit 4 Rural Futures event
NQ Dry Tropics sponsored a sports camp in Charters Towers last week that gave children and parents from rural areas a chance to have fun and make community connections.
Basalt wall erosion threatens highway
THE Commonwealth and Queensland governments’ Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) will help to prevent expensive repairs by averting a disastrous landscape change that could threaten a section of the Lynd Highway.
Changes clear at LDC midway point
THE NQ Dry Tropics’ Landholders Driving Change (LDC) project has reached the halfway point.It is piloting land management and repair approaches at a catchment scale, evaluating their effectiveness in improving water quality and long-term sustainable land management.
Weed removal to benefit animal habitat and farm productivity
Work is underway at Merryplain’s Creek to remove invasive aquatic weeds for use as a nutrient-rich compost on local farms.
Changing the landscape with soil health
GRAZIERS in the Bowen, Collinsville Ayr and Eungella regions have delved deeper into soil health with two of the best in the ‘soil health’ business – internationally renowned soil ecologist and founder of Amazing Carbon Dr Christine Jones, and agricultural ecologist David Hardwick, of Soil Land Food.
Central Queensland funding boost
Extension providers, landcare groups and primary producers in the Central Highlands area will have the chance to increase their skills while learning from each other and industry experts, thanks to a series of upcoming projects worth around $50,000.
Cochineals to the rescue
An insect used to make dyes and food colouring has been employed to destroy an infestation of drooping prickly pear in a patch of threatened Beach Scrub near Bowen.
Digging in for good health
SOIL health and tips on managing land to achieve good healthy soil will be the subject of a series of up to five workshops conducted in North Queensland by soils specialist David Hardwick.
Graziers make a change for the better
MOST people find change uncomfortable. Grazing Naturally advocate Dick Richardson revels in it. He believes change is the keenest tool he has as a land manager, particularly in a grazing setting.
Erosion experts converge on Townsville for gully symposium
The global issue of gully erosion was the focus for a major international conference held in Townsville last week.
Irrigation improvement funding to support cane growers and the reef
Download Water Quality Grant Guidelines Irrigation improvement funding to support cane growers and the reef Burdekin cane growers can apply for support worth up to $20,000 to improve irrigation practices and profitability while preventing valuable water and nutrients...
Graziers get Reefwise to protect land and business
BURDEKIN graziers will be supported to boost productivity and improve water quality flowing to the Great Barrier Reef, as part of the recently-launched Reefwise Grazing of Burdekin Rangelands project. The two-year project will work with 12 properties to improve landscape function and business performance in a challenging climate, and is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Agricultural professionals learn to flourish as influential leaders
RENOWNED Australian behavioural scientist Allan Parker, OAM, is guiding agricultural professionals through an accelerated program to learn how to excel as influential leaders. With an emphasis on frameworks and techniques to help broaden perspectives in family and business negotiations, 44 participants completed two days of theory and practical scenarios around conversation, conflict resolution, questioning and body language.
Managing breeders for profit
A take-home message for graziers who attended a herd management and pregnancy testing workshop at Glenden Station, near Glenden: if you want to develop a good maternal herd, cull hard and cull consistently. Earlier this month, nine graziers from near Glenden and Collinsville took part in a NQ Dry Tropics’ Landholders Driving Change two-day workshop, led by Dr Ian Braithwaite, a cattle veterinarian with more than 30 years experience.
Burdekin cane growers meet AIMS scientists
LOWER Burdekin cane growers have met face to face with scientists who are monitoring water quality in the Great Barrier Reef as part of the Marine Monitoring Program. The NQ Dry Tropics event, supported by the Australian and Queensland governments, gave scientists an opportunity to learn about the issues growers faced as they embraced practice change – and the growers had no shortage of questions on the science.
Conserving Brigalow corridors in the Burdekin
Conserving Brigalow corridors in the Burdekin Land managers in the Northern Brigalow Belt region are working to conserve and protect brigalow threatened ecological community corridors to help conserve wildlife, specifically endangered species. The NQ Dry Tropics’...
Collaborate to benefit landholders and the environment
NQ Dry Tropics is focused on its people and building cross-program collaboration to work towards a common goal – to partner with the organisation’s stakeholders to create connected and functioning landscapes. Recently, 16 staff across three program areas – Sustainable Agriculture, Strategy and Partnerships and Landholders Driving Change – attended a masterclass with industry specialists Brian Wehlburg (Inside Outside Management), Dr Christine Jones (Amazing Carbon) and Dick Richardson (Grazing Naturally).
Minimising grazing impact on stream frontage pastures
NQ Dry Tropics is working with landholders in the Upper Burdekin catchment to find ways to manage grazing pressure to maintain productive frontage pastures and minimise impacts on waterways and wetlands. The Linking Burdekin landholders to their frontage country for vegetation, and soil quality gains project, funded by the Natural Resources Investment Program, is taking a ‘ground-up’ approach that combines landholders’ knowledge with the latest scientific research to develop and trial solutions designed to remove social, financial and technical barriers to practice change.
Water monitoring helps protect wetlands
PREVENTING runoff makes good business sense for cane farmers in North Queensland’s Lower Burdekin region, and with internationally significant wetlands and the Great Barrier Reef on their doorstep, it makes good environmental sense too. NQ Dry Tropics’ Connecting Burdekin Cane Farmers To Their Local Wetlands project supported a group of farmers located near Lilliesmere Lagoon, Ayr, and Horseshoe Lagoon, Giru, to monitor their runoff and improve their irrigation and nutrient efficiency.
Use natural tools to develop a “fit for purpose” landscape
THE best tool to develop a fit for purpose grazing landscape was the animal for which the pasture was intended, according to renowned regenerative grazing expert Dick Richardson. Speaking at a workshop designed to coach graziers in pasture management and grazing planning, Mr Richardson said nature provided the tools to “inoculate” land with desirable pasture, and those tools were the same animals that were going to be grazed there.
Workshop to address soil health in sugar cane crops
FRESH from conducting soil health workshops across the region with a range of primary producers from graziers to market gardeners, agroecologist David Hardwick will share his knowledge with Burdekin cane growers at the end of the month.
Leadership program for local graziers
A LEADERSHIP program, developed specifically for graziers in the Bowen and Collinsville region, has kicked off. Thirteen local producers have signed up to the program that has been designed by NQ Dry Tropics’ Landholders Driving Change (LDC) project.
Toolbox to assess soil health
NQ Dry Tropics has developed an online tool box to help landholders assess the condition of soil on different land types across their properties.
Learning how to build healthy soil
Soil is an important asset for every farmer, and Central Queensland graziers now have a greater understanding of soil health and soil-building practices thanks to a six-month soils extension and training program that wrapped up last week.
Farmers and scientists learn from each other at Horseshoe Lagoon
Two water quality scientists visited a cane recycle pit at Horseshoe Lagoon, Giru, last week to chat with local cane farmers about the importance of local wetlands as habitat for species such as fish, birds, turtles and crustaceans.Principal Research...
Taking stock – pasture management is key
The Landholders Driving Change (LDC) grazier support program for 2019 kicked off with 40 producers attending a Taking Stock – Managing Pastures and Productivity Day at Weetalaba Station, near Collinsville last month.
Finding common ground on how to prevent erosion
PREVENTING and managing erosion isn’t just an issue for graziers, but one for all land managers including utilities, mines, local councils and government departments. Through its Landholders Driving Change project, NQ Dry Tropics is facilitating cross-sector collaboration…
Erosion control information never goes ‘stale’
Erosion control always topical Erosion control expert Darryl Hill constructs a whoa boy on Springview Station during the workshop. Inset: Payne's Lagoon grazier Don Wincen uses a dumpy level during the workshop ...
Gully restoration prevents erosion and promotes grass growth
Grass, not gullies follow the heavy rain at Riverview BEFORE: A blacksoil gully 500m long and 50m wide AFTER: Not even a scar and the pasture grass is thick and lush GAZING out onto lush green pasture at Riverview Station,...
Pilot weed control a win-win for farmers and the environment
A win-win for farmers and the environment Pilot project turns a problem into a plus A PILOT project is turning the problem of weed chokes in a Lower Burdekin creek into a solution that benefits farmers. NQ Dry Tropics partnered with Evolution...
Whoa boys stand up to monsoon at 6 Mile Creek Station
A series of erosion control measures installed at a grazing property south west of Home Hill have held firm despite nearly record monsoonal rainfall during February. Last September, whoa boys – a type of diversion bank – were installed along 14 km of roads throughout...
Big year ahead for cane projects in the Lower Burdekin
It promises to be a busy 2019 for NQ Dry Tropics and its project partners in the Lower Burdekin, with several initiatives continuing to support cane growers to implement practices that improve water quality and their bottom line. NQ Dry Tropics’ Sugarcane Team Leader...
Pest Advisory Forum
Pest forum helps Burdekin community tackle unwanted species More than 65 people including sugar growers, scientists, property owners and other interested community members, attended the Dry Tropics Pest Advisory Forum at the Ayr Showgrounds, to learn more about how to...