Big ideas, big skies at research committee meeting in Hughenden
A few of our Grazing Team legends hit the road for the North Queensland Regional Beef Research Committee meeting, held out west at the Flinders Shire Council Chambers in Hughenden.
True to form, they were met with a warm country welcome and a jam-packed agenda covering everything from research priorities to exciting new opportunities in the beef space.
The meeting marked a changing of the guard, with Carleigh Drew stepping in as NQ Dry Tropics’ stakeholder rep on the committee, taking the reins from Chris Poole, who was elected to the committee as a producer representative.
Grassfed beef producers across northern Australia are encouraged to get involved with their local Regional Beef Research Committee to help shape the direction of levy-funded research, development and adoption (RD&A) in their area.
The North Australian Beef Research Council (NABRC) plays a key leadership role in advising organisations that invest in or deliver beef cattle RD&A across Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia’s Pilbara and Kimberley regions. NABRC is an independent body made up of producer representatives, research institutions, education providers, and state farming organisations.
At the core of NABRC’s work are 11 regional committees, each chaired by a local producer who represents their region at council meetings.
These committees provide vital grassroots input and are essential to NABRC’s continued success. They include producers and local RD&A staff from a broad range of organisations, ensuring decisions reflect local needs and knowledge.
Day 1 – Field visits, on-ground insights
Woodsberry field trip
- Key topics:
- Prickly Acacia biological control using Thrips
- Spelled (rested) paddocks
- Wool production and management
Peronne field trip
- Key topic:
- Legume integration in grazing systems (discussion at the dedicated legume plot).
Day 2 – Workshop and project updates
Grazing Land Management workshop
Lead: Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI)
Focus areas:
- Forage management strategies
- Decision support tools for grazing land management
Project updates
- Forage: Decision support information for grazing land management: Led by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI).
- Long-term cattle contraceptive: Led by Sorensis.
- Calf Alive project – determining the impacts of short-term supplementation during late pregnancy on reproduction, mortality, and production outcomes in northern Australia: Led by the University of Queensland.
- North Queensland Pasture Resiliene Project (QPRP): Led by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).
- Bunuro Grazing Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) – Monitoring herd performance and land condition in two different grazing systems: Led by the DPI.
Stakeholder updates by a wide range of stakeholders were also presented.
