Road tour for BBB graziers

Plenty learnt in four days on the road

Four days on the road, a bus full of graziers, plenty of paddock conversations, and no shortage of ideas being shared… the recent Landholders Driving Change bus trip brought graziers together to see what’s happening across the north and hear directly from the people putting different approaches into practice.

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION AT GLENALPINE STATION

The road trip kicked off at Glenalpine Station with a field day focused on Optiweigh technology, combining CQ University research with grazier experience.

Jess Norman from Aberdeen Station and host Barry O’Sullivan gave the group an honest look at how the system was being used in their grazing operations and how data could help support practical management decisions in the paddock.

As expected, the conversations quickly moved beyond the presentations, with graziers comparing notes about cattle performance, labour savings, technology adoption, and whether the system could work in different grazing setups.

FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE

From there, the group headed to the Tropical Weeds Research Centre where discussions turned to weed management, seed longevity, and biocontrol research.

The sessions explored how weeds persist and how current research could help graziers better understand long-term management options back on their own properties.

Next stop on the road was at Wambiana Station where participants gained insights about long-running grazing trials in action.

Graziers toured the long-term grazing trial and discussed the management decisions needed to improve land condition and productivity, including spelling and matching stocking rates to feed availability.

The Wambiana trial is funded by the Department of Primary Industries and Meat and Livestock Australia in partnership with the Lyons family.

The group also discussed with Michael Lyons about breeding for the future, including Brahman genetics, genomics, and IVF to improve herd performance and productivity.

For Brett Scott, seeing innovation and long-term industry commitment stood out.

“It’s a great group of producers that we’ve got together, and we’re going to some very interesting industry-relevant places that have been very enjoyable to go to,” he said.

“Just seeing new technologies, starting off with the Optiweigh Field Day and going through to Wambiana that’s had a trial running for 28 years.

“To see an industry trial going for that long is pretty impressive.”

PRACTICAL LESSONS IN THE PADDOCK

At Amelia Downs, Jane and Jordan Moore shared the realities of their grazing journey, including what worked, what didn’t, and what they would do differently if starting again.

Graziers discussed infrastructure decisions, financial risk, seasonal conditions, and how management approaches needed to adapt to different land types.

A paddock walk gave everyone the chance to look at feed availability, pasture condition, and dry season impacts firsthand, while also highlighting how wet season decisions could shape dry season outcomes months later.

The conversations continued at Maryvale Station where a 55-species legume trial was testing which pasture species performed best across different soil types.

The trial is looking at establishment success, site suitability, and the potential for legumes to improve productivity and resilience in grazing systems.

The work is a collaboration between the Department of Primary Industries, James Cook University, Charters Towers Regional Council, and NQ Dry Tropics.

For grazier Harry Howard, one of the biggest takeaways was seeing the variety of approaches graziers were trying in different regions and operations.

“It’s been really interesting seeing different places, meeting different people and listening to the way they do different things,” he said.

“People are trying different things and finding out what works best for them, and I think we can put into practice things that they’re doing into what we’re doing to trial it in our own operation.”

FROM PADDOCK TO REEF

The final day took the group from paddocks to the coast, visiting the Australian Institute of Marine Science to explore long-term reef monitoring and catchment science.

Flood history, water quality research, and the connection between land condition and downstream reef outcomes reinforced the role grazing management played beyond the property boundary.

The group also toured the SeaSim facility and gained insight into the science supporting reef and catchment research.

STRONG CONVERSATIONS, SHARED INSIGHTS

By the end of the trip, it was clear the learning wasn’t just happening at the trial sites or during presentations.

Some of the most valuable moments happened on the bus, during lunch, or standing around in the paddock talking through challenges, ideas, and experiences with other producers facing similar situations.

As Barry O’Sullivan reflected: “What it’s done is brought a lot of us a lot closer and we realised we’ve got so many things in common.

“Unless you spend this sort of time together, you don’t really see it, and it’s only going to strengthen the community when we go home.”

For tour organiser Brad Martin, NQ Dry Tropics Senior Extension Officer, one of the biggest successes of the trip was the conversations and relationships that developed naturally throughout the tour.

“The aim of the  tour was to get everyone together to share ideas and spend a bit of time together, meeting different people and seeing different country,” he said.

“You could really see the relationships being built, those frank conversations happening.

“It’s nice to see friendships being made.

“Older guys learning from younger guys and the other way around as well.

“You’re seeing mentorship happening and a lot of questions and new ideas getting shared across the group.”

This bus trip was hosted through the Landholders Driving Change (LDC2) project, funded by the Queensland Government through the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program.