A group of Far North Queensland crop growers will head west next month to learn about broadacre cropping in the Top End.
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The 18-member tour group comprising 10 mixed crop growers - largely drawn from the Atherton Tablelands region - four agronomists and four researchers will represent the FNQ Sustainable Cropping group.
They will embark on an eight-day tour of broadacre cropping and multi-enterprise farms in the Douglas Daly, Katherine and Kununurra (Ord) regions.
The study tour is being supported by the CRC-NA Cotton, Grains, Cattle project, of which Gulf Savannah NRM is a project partner.
The project aims to co-design scalable diversification options and drought resilience practices for northern Queensland cotton, grain and cattle enterprises.
Sarah Stevens, project officer with Gulf Savannah NRM, has helped plan the study tour which is designed to provide participants with peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
"Growing cotton and grains in northern Australia's tropical environment presents unique challenges for growers," Ms Stevens said.
"It's hoped tour participants will get some ideas about the challenges of growing cotton and other crops in the tropics.
"There are some specific issues being in a tropical environment and this will give growers an idea of how different properties are dealing with it and what solutions they have come up with."
All the growers participating have or are growing cotton, along with a number of other horticulture commodities. The tour presents an opportunity for them to connect with growers who have been in the cotton industry for some time.
"The Northern Territory is probably four or five years ahead of us when it comes to growing cotton," said Brad Jonsson, president of FNQ Sustainable Cropping.
"They have made the mistakes we are still to make and you only have to pick up one or two new ideas and you can change your whole approach."
The group departs on 17 May and will conclude the tour with a visit to the Northern Australia Food Futures Conference, hosted by NT Farmers in Darwin over three days.
