THE rural industry faces many challenges, including high debt levels, increasing input costs, labour shortages, limited market access, the effects of climate change and natural events such as drought and cyclones.
Despite all of this, there continues to be strong interest from Burdekin graziers to implement practice changes which not only improve environmental outcomes by reducing agricultural run-off into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, but also improve productivity.
NQ Dry Tropics is supporting many graziers to improve their management practices to benefit the environment, including Barry and Leanne O’Sullivan, who have used high-impact grazing techniques to remediate gully erosion on their Glenalpine Station, 80 km south west of Bowen.
The O’Sullivans will be hosting an NQ Dry Tropics Resilience in Grazing Open Day at Glenalpine on Tuesday, March 24. At the event, graziers will have the opportunity to hear their story and see the early results for themselves. The field tour of the property will visit treatment areas and gully remediation sites.
Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator Colleen James said NQ Dry Tropics had been working with graziers to reduce the adverse effects of uneven grazing pressure by implementing land-type fencing and spreading of waters. She said that graziers were also undertaking gully remediation, and installing riparian fencing to protect river and stream banks and reduce sediment losses.
“We have all heard about the impacts grazing is having on the Great Barrier Reef, but the important story is what the agriculture industry is doing about it,” Ms James said.
“Since 2008, Burdekin graziers have invested over $10 million of their own money to improve their ground cover and in turn reduce sediment leaving their properties, this equates to $1.14 for every Australian Government dollar,” she said.
The O’Sullivans have also been assisted by an Australian Government Reef Water Quality Grant, and funding from the Queensland Government’s Building Resilience in the Burdekin Grazing Industry project.
The Australian Government is supporting graziers through Reef Water Quality grants which are designed to assist with the financial resources to allow earlier adoption of practice changes and ultimately improve water quality outcomes.
Under the Australian Government Reef Program, the Reef Water Quality grants continue the work achieved through the Reef Rescue Program from 2008 to 2013 to reduce the impacts of agriculture and improve water quality in the Great Barrier Reef.
By June 2016, the combined programs will have injected over $12 million into supporting Burdekin graziers to fast-track the implementation of practice changes for production and water quality outcomes.
For more information on the Glenalpine Open Day, or to register, contact Rod Kerr on 0488 943 326 or email rod.kerr@nqdrytropics.com.au.
