A new $6 million water quality project on the Cassowary Coast is turning the tables on traditional extension work aimed at reducing nitrogen input runoff into Great Barrier Reef catchments.
Cassowary Coast Reef Smart Farming aims to identify and implement new opportunities to increase nutrient uptake in plants, thereby reducing the possibility of unused nitrogen entering waterways.
It is funded under the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and is managed by CANEGROWERS Innisfail. It is being delivered across the cane and banana industries.
Project leader Debra Telford said the project's main goal was improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) without compromising farm productivity and profitability.
"It's not focused on nitrogen application as has been the aim of most other water quality projects over the past 14 years," Ms Telford said.
"Instead, we are intent on improving productivity and profitability by refining nutrient management and farm practices to increase plant uptake of nitrogen.
"That will then keep nitrogen on the land and decrease the amount of DIN in our catchments."
More than 80 cane growers are taking part in the project, with some working on refining their nutrient management and others involved in developing enterprise-specific productivity plans.
The work is driven by key constraints associated with DIN losses and reduced productivity as identified by the South Johnstone Local Expert Analysis group (LEA), which is made up of local researchers, growers, industry stakeholders and agronomists.
Participant and Innisfail cane grower Alan Colgrave, who farms at Mourilyan, has welcomed an opportunity to work with a project that has moved away from the "one size fits all" approach.
He said historically, growers had been under pressure to limit nitrogen inputs on farm.
"Every message we got from government was always about stifling the amount of nitrogen a grower could use on his crop," Mr Colgrave said.
"Over time that took a lot of onus off overall soil health.
"We lost focus on the basics of how to grow a good crop, that being a balanced nutrition program rather than being focused on one element.
"For a long time, we have not thought about our soil as a dynamic medium to grow a crop in; it's always been about nitrogen and therefore our productivity has been reducing.
"Once you go back to growing a good and healthy crop with the right nutrient inputs, you'll be utilising those nutrients rather than them potentially moving offsite.
"Common sense has prevailed."
Ms Telford said enduring practice change would be achieved through sustainable, tailored, co-designed management strategies that are supported by skilled extension staff and owned by each enterprise.
"This is an extension project tailored to meet the needs of each participating enterprise," she said.
"Past water quality initiatives have relied on a prescriptive course of action, often overlooking key differences between farms and the people that manage them.
"Farming is not a recipe, and every enterprise and situation is unique."
Working with the banana sector is Australian Banana Growers' Council extension officer Molly Blake, who is adapting learnings from previous sugar cane industry water quality projects for use on banana farms.
"We identified an opportunity to apply certain aspects of the SIX EASY STEPS nutrient management program used in sugarcane to banana crops," Ms Blake said.
"The banana industry has identified a clear need for formalised, holistic nutrient management plans that employ reflective practice to evaluate the impacts of application rates on productivity."
