Meetings to discuss the release of the Best Management Practices (BMP) manual for mixed cropping will be held by Barron Catchment Care on the Upper Tablelands on October 4-6.
The shed meetings will be held at East Barron (October 4), Kairi (October 5) and Rocky Creek (October 6), and are open to everyone.
The manual was prepared in consultation with Tablelands’ farmers, and has been ten years in development.
Chair of Baron Catchment Care, Upper Zone, Case Schoorl said they started putting it together so farmers could meet the requirements of the state government when accessing irrigation water.
“We thought we would never finish it, as the rules and regulations kept changing!,” he said.
“However we kept going at it, talking to the farmers to find out what they were doing.
“We’ve had some great help from officers of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and now here we are.”
Tablelands farmer and Barron Catchment Care member Guido Poggioli said farmers like himself, who are growing spuds, corn, peanuts and grass for seed and hay don’t have an industry based BMP, unlike sugar cane or dairy.
“This document fills a gap so we can be confident that we are doing the right thing for our farm, the land and for the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.
The meetings will allow farmers to hear about the BMPs, and will provide farmers with an opportunity to how see how their current practices compare with the BMPs, and the advantages, both in terms of profit and sustainability, of using best practice.
The meetings will go from 10am to 12pm and will be followed by a light lunch.
For information contact Ian Sinclair on 40 957 109 or 0437 635 043.
