The much anticipated Provenance Magazine is available to view online. It is replete with stories about food producers from all over the Mackay Whitsunday Region.
Limited copies of the magazine are available. Please send an email to Reception if you would like to have one put aside to collect from Reef Catchments Mackay office.
Pasture management, ground cover, and herd nutrition are just a few of the topics updated in the 2018 Sustainable Grazing Guide.
New and updated information on tropical coastal grazing information relevant to the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac region is now available here and in hard copy from the Reef Catchments office. Readers will find updated ABCD frameworks for practices in grazing as well as new inclusions to reflect emerging issues amongst our region’s graziers.
The Mackay Whitsunday Region Sustainable Grazing Guide provides relevant information and tools to assist graziers to achieve sustainable management of their land, whilst maintaining or enhancing farm efficiency and productivity.
It is designed to be a resource for finding information rather than a comprehensive manual on grazing management. Therefore, each section provides web site links, case studies, and references to published data and identifies interactive tools including applications and software.
We hope you find it useful and we welcome comments. Please contact Michael Boland with feedback.
This update was made possible thanks to funding from the Queensland Government Natural Resource Management Investment Program and information collation by Reef Catchments Grazing Officer, Mandy Jeppesson.
The Mackay Whitsunday Isaac Sustainable Agriculture Cane Project aims to improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by targeting reductions in nutrient and herbicide loads and facilitating the adoption of management practice change.
Funding for this project is provided by the Australian Government under the Reef Trust Phase 3 Investment Programme. Led by Reef Catchments, this project began in July 2016 and concluded in June 2019. The project was fully subscribed and reached its grower participation target.
244 growers, farming 35,587 ha of cane, actively participated in the project and took up the opportunity to access $838,000 worth of major grants to assist with equipment upgrades that fast-track practice change to improve nutrient and herbicide management.
Growers have contributed a minimum of 60% of their own funds, with Reef Catchments providing 40% to a maximum of $15,000. Examples of equipment upgrades for which farmers have received grants include:
Spray rig upgrades and high-rise tractors that reduce the use of residual herbicide
Variable rate fertiliser controllers that target the actual yield on individual cane blocks e.g. late harvest and late ratoons.
Each grower has also had the option to access a small grant of $1,500 to assist with purchase of upgrades to spray equipment, conduct soil tests, EM Mapping, and G-Dots.
Extension and planning for nutrient and herbicide management has been provided to each grower via local service providers MAPS, PCPSL, Farmacist and Soil and Land Surveys. Training, workshops and field days have been held to support the project by providing practical applications for improved nutrient and herbicide application strategies. A selection of Grower case studies are available on the Reef Catchments website.
Twenty-one small steps for Mackay and the Whitsundays, one giant leap for our reef.
Twenty-one diverse organisations in Mackay and the Whitsundays are paving the way to change for International Year of the Reef (IYOR).
From local council, to conservation, to coal – all sectors have come together under the umbrella of the Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership to pledge their own International Year of Reef initiatives.
The campaign sees the local Mackay Whitsunday region take a lead in championing reef-driven collaborative action.
“From reducing single-use plastic and food waste in the office, to investing in Great Barrier Reef science and research – pledges are as diverse and varied as the Partnership itself,” said Charlie Morgan, executive officer of the Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership.
“This campaign shows a real energy and commitment to collaborative action for the Reef from the Mackay Whitsunday region.
“This is locally-led, local groups and industry proactively looking at changes and contributions they can make to the bigger reef picture.”
Ms Morgan said: “The site highlights a commitment from Mackay Regional Council and Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal to reduce the amount of litter and plastic entering our waterways, through the installation and use of Gross Pollutant Traps.
“Theo the turtle mascot was there on the day to help empty the traps and explore some of the common litter that can end up in the sea, where it impacts marine life like turtles.”
Mackay Regional Councillor Karen May said council was proud to support the Mackay Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership.
“We understand that as a council, we need to play our part in protecting the reef,” she said.
“Our pledges support our commitment to improve the health of the Region’s waterways. There are currently 252 GPTs located in the City Centre as well as the townships of Walkerston, Marian, Mirani, Slade Point, Hay Point, Salonika Beach and Sarina,” Cr May said.
“They have proven extremely effective in reducing the amount of waste that enters our waterways, which flow out to the Great Barrier Reef.
“Over the last three and a half years, over 47 m3 of rubbish has been captured in these traps.”
Following the success of this project, Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal recently partnered with council to install 40 new traps in the Hay Point, Salonika Beach and Sarina areas.
“The more traps we have around the region, the less waste that ends up in our waterways,” Cr. May explained.
“We commend DBCT for their positive contribution to our environment and the Great Barrier Reef and look forward to working with them on more projects in the future.”
FAQs
Gross pollutant traps – what do the traps catch?
They catch any litter or rubbish that would otherwise head to sea through street drains. Monitoring of current gross pollutant traps in Mackay’s CBD show some of the common culprits can include – bubble wrap, plastic food packets (wrap, packets, containers etc), plastic drink bottles (water, juice, milk or soft drink), plastic non-food containers (oil, sealant, chemical etc), straws, cup lids and tops, styrofoam, and cigarette butts.
Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership – what is it?
The Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership (HR2RP) is a Partnership of local organisations committed to a shared, community-led approach to the long-term management of Mackay-Whitsunday waterways and marine environments. The Partnership is responsible for the annual waterway health report card for our region.
Our involved partners are taking action to improve regional water quality.
Visit http://www.healthyriverstoreef.org.au
IYOR – the significance
2018 is International Year of the Reef (IYOR). This is the third International IYOR, it takes place roughly every 10 years. Everyone – regardless of where they live – can help take action to look after the environment and more sustainably manage resources, which will ultimately help reefs.
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/about-the-reef/international-year-of-the-reef-2018
Around 65 local farmers turned out to see the latest in innovative climate smart farming practices at a field day at Marian on Sunday. The event “Climate, Cane and Carbon” was co-hosted by Reef Catchments and Farmers for Climate Action.
Local cane grower and Nuffield Scholar Simon Mattsson shared his family farm with a shed full of his industry peers and discussed multi species cropping, improving organic carbon levels in their soil and the latest science and research on climate and cane farming in the Mackay region.
Keynote speaker and deputy chair of the Australian Cane Farmers Association, Robert Quirk, spoke about the need for the community to understand the risk of inaction on climate change and the opportunities for cane farmers to adapt and mitigate climate damage and improve productivity at the same time. He said: “Growing cane with a focus on carbon retention is one of the best ways to get carbon out of the air and into the soil and offers a range of benefits for producers including moisture retention, higher production and less input costs.”
CEO of Mackay Regional Council, Craig Doyle, talked through council’s plans to transition to renewable energy and the economic benefits of making the switch.
Mr Doyle said: “A few years ago the council invested $2m in distributed solar energy and this year is the third year of the project. Ratepayers will save around $300,000 on council energy bills and starting next year saving will be around half a million dollars per year over the life the project.”
Event organisers, Farmers for Climate Action, Reef Catchments, Mackay Regional Council, Mackay Conservation Group and the farmer-led Central Queensland Soil Health System Group, joined forces to address climate challenges, improving soil health and carbon capture and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Farmers for Climate Action Queensland Co-ordinator Michael Kane said it was terrific to see the interest in climate smart farming practices, as well as what rural and regional towns can do to ensure the future sustainability of their regions.
“There was so much interest in the event we had to stop accepting RSVPs. Farmers in the Mackay region are hungry for information about improving soils, carbon sequestration and climate change,” Mr Kane said.
“Dangerous climate change poses great risks for agriculture in the Mackay region and farmers are very concerned about that, farmers are keen to talk about mitigating climate risk and obviously they are also interested in the production benefits of carbon farming as well,” said Mr Kane. “It is a win for the environment and farmers.”
Richard Prior, a local grower and member of Central Queensland Soil Health Systems, attended the event. He said: “It was good to get off farm to hear new ideas and farming practices. I want to build soil carbon on my place as it is a good measure of soil health and I am keen to learn more about how to to that.”
Reef Catchments regional agriculture landcare facilitator, Juliane Kasiske said it was a very successful day and Reef Catchments are looking forward to holding similar events in the region in partnership with local growers and community groups.
“Assisting local cane growers to improve production methods and achieve environmental outcomes is always very rewarding,” said Ms Kasiske.
Nine members of Central Queensland Soil Health Systems, along with a group of 19 growers from Far North Queensland, attended a Soil Health Innovation Tour in March 2018. Agroecologist, David Hardwick from Soil Land Food travelled with the group to provide interpretation of the on-farm practices.
A visit to the Environmental Analysis Laboratory EAL provided insight into soil analysis techniques.There are differing methods for soil analysis and it is important to know the different methods offered by one laboratory in comparison to another. Laboratories set their parameters at low, acceptable, and high, according to the importance placed on soluble nutrient availability and or biological function.
The recommendations provided by their agronomists for quantities of mineral inputs may differ depending on this. You shouldn’t be too reliant on one soil test, especially on large properties where soil tests represent large potentially diverse soil types. The message is build up a database overtime, test, test and test again. You will be able to see trends overtime rather than being reliant on one set of data which may not be entirely reflective of the conditions, it’s just a snapshot in time.
Another stop, Bingara Living Classroom provides a diversity of functioning regenerative techniques to observe. Specifically, cover cropping was the focus of discussions here. Plant diversity is essential for creating soil health. There are many ways to create plant diversity. The common practise of growing mono-cultures and at most two mono-cultures per year in a field, is simply not enough plant diversity. Those farmers pushing the envelope try for 3 to 4 mono-cultures per field but even this isn’t enough to actually improve soil biological function and therefore soil health. Instead of this many rotations you could look at options like dual cropping (growing two crops together) or a multi-species cover crop, to put that necessary plant diversity into a field.
Kalfresh at Kalbar are one of the largest carrot producers in the Southern hemisphere. They have transitioned over the past 5 years from conventional agriculture systems to using regenerative techniques, like creating their own compost. The take home message here was one of validation, the change from conventional systems to regenerative systems with a soil health focus will take time. Maybe 3-4 years or 5-6 years however the benefits in the long term do pay off.
Finally, on this journey to soil health most farmers you will meet on this path will be willing to share their knowledge and mistakes with you so don’t be afraid to ask questions.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but the principles are few. The man who grasps the principles can successfully select his own method”.
Congratulations to Fred, Janelle, and Ryan Axiak – recent winners of the Reef Catchments Practice Adoption Award at the Plane Creek Productivity Services (PCPS) Productivity Awards Night.
Fred tells us more about what they’ll be doing toward reduced fertiliser use – including using a furrow-closer they have manufactured.
“This year we’re going to go from using liquid one shot on top of the ground, to putting our fertiliser in the ground. We decided to give it a go to try something different and basically we’re aiming to use less fertiliser.
“It is more work for us, but we’re hoping to perhaps grow our cane with a little less nutrients and cut out the losses.”
In addition, the Axiak’s have manufactured their own furrow-closer – with the design plan provided by SRA and EHS manufacturing.
“There’s a lot of stool splitters around but they can still leave the furrow and the ground open. If you get rain, you can still lose a lot of fertiliser,” Fred said.
“Furrow-closers come along behind the disc openers and fill the furrow in. We’re hoping it will make a bit of a difference. We manufactured it ourselves mostly because of the cost. We estimated we could manufacture it for about half the cost.”
The Axiak’s farm about 10km south of Koumala.
Reef Catchments recently sent Wendy Eiteneuer from Pioneer Catchment & Landcare Group Inc to Cairns to take part in an introductory Syntropic Farming Course. Wendy shares her learnings with us below.
Participation in the course was thanks to funding from the QNRM (Queensland Government’s Natural Resource Management Investment) program.
Syntropic Farming mimics a forest’s interdependent plant relationships – methods can be applied in food production. If planned correctly it is said a Syntropic system can produce an almost continual harvest of vegetable, fruits, herbs, flowers or forestry timber over a 20-40 year span.
– By Wendy Eiteneuer
Syntropic Farming is the brainchild of Swiss farmer and scientist, Ernst Götsch. Ernst moved to Brazil in the 1980’s, and spends his time there refining his Syntropic Farming methods and passing on his knowledge to others. Ernst has rehabilitated thousands of acres of cleared and degraded land back into the lush rainforest it was originally, while also producing abundant food crops.
I recently attended an Introductory Syntropic Farming Course on the Atherton Tableland, presented by Thiago Barbosa. Thiago has been a long-time student of Ernst Götsch, and now practices Syntropic Farming in Australia in the Byron Bay region of NSW as well as passing on the information through courses and workshops like the one I attended. I found the course to be very informative, and I feel that this is an exciting concept that can be used to improve agriculture in our region.
Syntropic Farming is a system that can be replicated anywhere, regardless of the location, land size, or soil type. It results in improved soil quality while also facilitating significant reductions in water and nutrient inputs. The five key principles of this method are:
Ground Cover – no bare dirt ever. If earth is not covered by a living plant it must be covered with mulch.
Maximise Photosynthesis – maximising the amount of photosynthesising foliage sequesters carbon, improves soil quality and produces abundant supplies of food.
Natural Succession – as a rainforest has a natural succession where there is always new life to replace old, so does a Syntropic Farming system.
Stratification – using plants with differing light requirements creates a multi-layered system of great diversity, creating resilience.
Management – managing a Syntropic system involves harvesting, pruning and monitoring to maintain groundcover.
What Syntropic Farming does is reproduce the interdependent relationships within a rainforest. If planned correctly a Syntropic system can produce an almost continual harvest of vegetable, fruits, herbs, flowers or forestry timber over a 20-40 year span. A key characteristic is that a wide variety of plants with all different lifespans and light requirements are planted at a very high density, just as you would see within a rainforest.
View the YouTube video, ‘Life in Syntropy’ below for more information.
Eungella has the beginnings of a food bowl, with a number of producers gaining momentum. We have multiple garlic growers, beef producers and a dairy. We anticipate in 2019, finger limes will be available commercially.
Eungella Finger Limes is located on Bee Creek at an altitude of 650m. Grower Jock Hansen, says there is untapped potential in Eungella.
“With a subtropical climate we can grow produce that is usually grown in South East Queensland and northern New South Wales. We can harvest and deliver this produce fresh to supplement the tropical produce available in the Pioneer Valley,” he said.
Jock is enthusiastic about farming in Eungella for many reasons. With high and consistent rainfall, there is little need for regular irrigation of crops. The surrounding rainforests ensure clean air and the soils are free-draining, nutritious and high in minerals.
Jock and his wife purchased the lantana infested bush block in 2014 and transformed it into an orchard. They place a strong emphasis on producing food with sound ecological practices. They chose not to use synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, and instead make mild manure-based fertilisers and compost teas to maintain soil nutrition.
In 2017, Reef Catchments assisted Jock with riparian tree planting to stabilise the creek banks to stop erosion, with the planting of wetland species along the bank of a high-flow system.
Jock has become a member of the Horticulture Working Group which discusses important changes in best practice.
Reef Catchments is a proud sponsor of the annual Greater Whitsunday Food Network (GWFN) Farm to Plate Dinner and Bus Tour thanks to the National Landcare Programme.
Held over two days, the dinner and bus tour saw more than 220 people turn out to support and celebrate our local farmers and fare. It was the fourth annual milestone for the Farm to Plate events.
Reef Catchments General Manager, Katrina Dent, teamed up with Mackay Regional Council CEO Craig Doyle to MC the dinner, which was attended by 155 people.
“Reef Catchments partnership with the Greater Whitsunday Food Network aligns closely with our organisations’ values and objectives of our funding partners in the Australian Government National Landcare Program,” Ms Dent said.
“Reef Catchments have a very proactive sustainable agriculture team working with farmers across the region, and we are proud to support landholders through diverse programs.
“As an example, we have just finalised five years of Queensland Government support for sustainable agriculture to support farmers to improve soil health and water quality.”
The Dinner
Matt Golinski and local chefs surprised guests with their creativity. The outstanding dishes featured local seasonal produce paired with interesting and lesser known ingredients including the betel leaf, used to wrap Cloudbreak Eungella beef, seasoned with fresh ginger and garlic from Eungella’s Holistic Pantry.
Reef Catchments Regional Landcare Facilitator Juliane Kasiske, said it was fantastic to see all the planning pay off.
“A lot goes into these events, and it is great to see everyone in the food and agricultural space get together and finally relax and just enjoy the delicious produce our region has to offer,” she said.
“Everything just tastes extra good when you know the food you are having is fresh off the farm. What really excited me was to learn about the achievements our farmers have made.”
The farm tour
The day after the dinner, the farm-to-plate bus tour headed up the range to Eungella providing a unique opportunity for people to see first-hand how local food is produced and processed.
Two buses, carrying 73 people, visited Eungelladale Dairy and Cloudbreak cattle farm.
“Most of us would know of the produce coming from the coast including the obvious items such as fish, sugar, lychees, pineapples, strawberries, corn and tomatoes,” Juliane said.
“However, it was a new experience to explore some of the produce coming from the sub-tropical rainforest of Eungella.”
At Eungelladale Dairy, Dale Fortescue explained the many steps it takes before milk arrives in the shops – starting with healthy soils and controlled grazing to ensure lush pasture, healthy cows, and nutritious milk.
Dale shared his dream of adding cheese production to his output.
“Dairy farming takes a lot of commitment,” said Juliane.
“I would love to see more people support our local food producers. Eungelladale is unique, it carries historic value being the only local milk processing plant left in our region, and we need to keep it alive.”
At Cloudbreak, Kel and Mandy Tennent invited the group onto their farm (a former dairy), where guests took part in feeding the Lowline cattle and enjoyed a hearty Ploughman’s overlooking the beautiful hilly countryside of Eungella.
Attendees were able to purchase fresh Eungella beef and other produce, including turmeric, garlic, and ginger, all grown in Eungella by the Holistic Pantry.
The bus tour included a picnic at Broken River, where participants heard from Jock Hansen about his exciting journey growing organic produce, including gourmet finger limes.
The bus tour introduced members of the local community to low mileage food, food diversity, and sustainable food production, and gave them a chance to experience the lifestyle of a farmer.
Reef Catchments would like to thank the Greater Whitsunday Food Network for their ongoing passion and drive in fostering our region’s local food culture.
The 2018 Farm to Plate Dinner and Bus Tour was made possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of members of the Greater Whitsunday Food Network, and to the sponsors – including Reef Catchments (through the Australian Government Landcare Program), Mackay Regional Council, Star 101.9, and 4MK.
Reef Catchments Regional Landcare Facilitator, Juliane Kasiske, and NQ Dry Tropics’ Lisa Hutchinson, collaborated to bring a local ‘Beef Day’ to those that could not make it to ‘Beef Week’.
Presentations on biosecurity, drones, soil health, and strengthening the local grazing community attracted 24 farmers, community group members, and industry representatives.
They day was held at the Nyoola grazing property near Bowen.
What would life be like as a bacteria?
The event started with informative shed talks and, just for something different a role play facilitated by agricultural ecologist, David Hardwick. This activity asked the interested participants to imagine what life would be like if you were a plant, or maybe a bacteria. Imagine soil, its inhabitants and what their relationships would be like and have been for millions of years. For a plant to live it needs water, sunlight, C02 and nutrients and through natural processes it has been able to harness the essential elements to life. David’s role play highlighted that a plant can not just be fed (i.e. application of nutrients) but rather its environment and relationships with soil organisms is crucial to allow the plant to take up nutrients that have undergone natural processes to become available (i.e. soluble).
Drone excitement
Whitsunday Regional Council excited attendees with a drone demonstration, and Whitsunday Landcare contributed their vast plant knowledge during the paddock walk. The functions of UAV/drones were explored, including how drones can assist in mapping and treating weeds and how this technology can add value to your farming business.
Reef Catchments’ Juliane Kasiske said allowing graziers the time to network, collaborate and view new ideas was essential.
“This fosters connections, and helps drive innovation. It’s a chance to come together and connect around information that can be used in property management and change.”
She said the event was also beneficial to community groups.
“The get-together enabled members of community networks to raise awareness about their activities, and potentially expand their membership – for example Simon Mattsson, cane farmer and Chairman of the farmer-driven soil health group, Central Queensland Soil Health Systems.”
If you are a landholder or member of a community group and would like to receive invitation to future Reef Catchments events, please contact media@reefcatchments.com
Here is a drone demonstration of the upcoming Freckle Farm Tour. Click here for details and to RSVP.
This event was proudly supported by Reef Catchments through funding from the Australian Government National Landcare Programme, and with support from event partners NQ Dry Tropics.
Thanks to support from local businesses, participants in the Mackay Innovative Grazing Forum 2018 who provided valuable feedback and insight, were in the running to win some great prizes.
Reef Catchments is delighted to announce the lucky 2018 winners are:
Taskforce Weed Management pack – Travis Parry
Valued at $820, with thanks to Farm HQ and Reef Catchments
Ruminant Nutrition Information Pack – Sharna Paton
Valued at $550, with thanks to Resource Consulting Services (RCS)
Granular Products – Tanya Baillie
Valued at $400, with thanks to Granular Products
Akubra – Robyn Brown
Valued at $180, with thanks to McKays Solicitors
PCL Nursery (20 trees) – Rodney Wright
Valued at $60, with thanks to Pioneer Catchment Landcare
Weed Books – Trevor Post
Valued at $35, with thanks to Mackay Regional Pest Management Group/ Pioneer Catchment Landcare
Freckle Farm shop voucher – Rod Steindl
Valued at $20, with thanks to Freckle Farm shop
Winners will be contacted directly.
120 graziers, mixed operators and beef industry representatives headed to Mackay for the annual Mackay Innovative Grazing Forum in March.
Reef Catchments has hosted the grazing event for the past six years.
This year, simple science to make grazing enterprises more resilient, sustainable, and efficient was the focus.
Graziers responded with many already actioning what they’ve learnt.
“More than 80% of our graziers said they felt inspired by what they have learned, and will be adopting the newly learned principles and practices on their own farm,” said Juliane Kasiske, event coordinator and Reef Catchments Regional Landcare Facilitator.
“This is fantastic news for us. A key purpose of this event is to provide information that is relevant to graziers looking to improve their practices, and think a bit more about the sustainability and resilience of their land and water systems.
“The forum is also a chance for graziers to let us know what they are interested in learning more about.
“This year we discovered they are keen to know more about the nutritional value of pastures, livestock diseases and how to manage them, online management tools and weed management.
“Reef Catchments will incorporate this feedback and cover these topics moving forward, so watch out for our future events!”
Juliane said she was also encouraged by the diversity of this year’s crowd.
“We had a good proportion of female graziers and younger graziers attending, which is fantastic to see,” she said.
The day was followed by a grazing field day with Dr Terry McCosker at a Mount Ossa property with high soil carbon. Terry led the group through a soil health assessment, helping them to figure out which weeds indicate acidity and or high nitrates and to understand what your weeds can tell you.
Grazier’s responses and learnings from the day included:
“I’ll be moving my herd around more frequently now I chose my purely on data genetics.” – Chris Smythe
“I will be paying more attention to growing phases of grass and grazing accordingly. Also looking at weeds differently eg. weeds are plants and may have a viable function so look at how and where they grow to gain a better understanding of soil health.” – Elizabeth West
(Practices / principles I’d consider) “Monitoring grasses more closely when deciding when to rotate paddocks. Looking into having cattle in larger mobs to allow better rotation/use of country.” – Shanara Paton
(Planning to) “Apply some of Terry McCosker’s grazing principles, and tighten up calving spread and think more about bull selection after John Bertram’s presentation. Will look at gully erosion. The forum is informative, always good events.” – Jane Lindner
(Enjoyed) “Terry McCosker’s presentation especially explaining grazing pastures and controlled mating cattle, he explained it all very well. I will be trying to graze my paddocks better for the desirables and not worry so much about the undesirables, and also I can see the advantages of a 60 day mating period.” – Bruce Oxenbridge
“We have already since the forum implemented a change to our grazing rotation guided by the information about adapting to what the pasture is doing. We have also put together a plan for managing our creek banks in some high steam flow flooding areas to better prepare for high rainfall events.” – Travis Parry
The forum and field day are Reef Catchments events, funded through the Australian Government National Landcare Program (forum) and the Queensland Government Natural Resource Management Investment Program (field day).
If you’d like to receive future invitations to landholder events, please email media@reefcatchments.com
Thanks to funding from the Queensland Government, Reef Catchments will work with cane farmers, graziers, and harvesting contractors to deliver an exciting new project in the Janes Creek Catchment that improves both rural and urban areas.
Janes Creek is located in the Pioneer River Basin and flows on into the Mackay urban area (Mackay Gooseponds).
The project will engage all cane farmers, graziers and harvesting contractors in the Janes Creek catchment to improve practices, conduct system repair and install treatment solutions.
The project will improve water quality in the catchment via a whole-of-system project integrating management practice adoption, system repair and treatment solutions.
Water quality improvements will then be evaluated and monitored.
The Mackay Whitsunday Isaac region has been identified as requiring a 70% reduction in dissolved organic nitrogen (DIN) for all catchments, and is a priority region for reducing pesticide run-off.
Sediment has also been identified as a priority pollutant requiring reduction in the Pioneer Catchment (Draft Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017-2022).
The Janes Creek catchment is approximately 1700 ha, consisting of approximately 60% sugarcane production and 30% grazing.
While the catchment covers 1700 ha, the number of agricultural landholders within the catchment is small with ten sugarcane growers and five graziers. This enhances the manageability, effectiveness and opportunity for improved agricultural management practice change of the project.
The Janes Creek project provides significant opportunities to positively influence local agriculture communities towards improved water quality management practices and activities.
Funding
Funding for this collaborative project has been provided by the Queensland Government – Department of Environment and Science.
Reef Catchments has been involved with trial sites in plantation forestry throughout our region, as part of the five year Queensland Government Natural Resource Management Investment Program funding for sustainable forestry.
Plantation forestry has risks and we have seen less than ideal results due to the nature of growing in a cyclone prone region.
Our Forestry Working group met recently to discuss the outcomes of the program to date and discuss ongoing opportunities.
The consensus was that native forests tend to withstand these conditions better than plantations in our trials and suggested we focus more attention on native forestry. Harvesting native timbers can be an additional income stream for landholders currently operating grazing, horticulture or sugarcane operations. However, landholders should be aware, there are a number of legislative requirements. With the right advice and planning, you can make use of native vegetation as an asset to your property. Native timber provide ecosystem services and a potential dual income from well managed selective native forestry. There are three operational mills in our region and local silviculture experts to assist you in deciding when and which trees to maintain and harvest.
Ecosystem services
Best practice and legislation
For more information on the legislation and best practice, you can access a number of resources online including “Managing Native Forest Practice: A self-assessable vegetation clearing code” and the relevant legislation for forestry operations including:
Oaky Creek erosion project is the first in a line of land remediation works.
Nearly one year ago Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie crossed the coast bringing with it destructive winds up to 260km/hr and record rainfall along the Central coast.
There was widespread damage throughout the region to infrastructure, water courses and crops. Across Queensland, the estimated damage to cane and other crops was $270 million.
Locally, significant rainfall in the region resulted in substantial erosion along the creeks and rivers, the loss of many hectares of productive land, and tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment washing out to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
Seeing the need to support landholders, CANEGROWERS Mackay partnered with Reef Catchments and the Whitsunday Rivers Improvement Trust to fund an assessment of the impact caused by the cyclone to the regions waterways.
The assessment (undertaken by Alluvium Consulting) included a week of in-field surveys and site inspections. It identified a number of significantly impacted sites and creek lines throughout the Mackay Whitsunday region. This helped Reef Catchments secure funding under Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) Category D, jointly funded by both State and Federal Governments. The application was successful for both Stage 1 ‘urgent’ and Stage 2 activities.
Now, Reef Catchments is working with landholders to undertake a number of much needed remediation projects.
One creek significantly impacted was Oaky Creek, a tributary of Sandy Creek 20 kilometres south-west of Mackay. The creek experienced extremely high rates of channel migration, which threaten assets including farmland, roads, the irrigation scheme and electricity poles. Significant volumes of cobbles were deposited within the channel and through the floodplains. Left unaddressed there is the potential of a meander cut off, which will cut straight through a cane paddock.
To remediate the creek, Reef Catchments has again engaged Alluvium Consulting to develop a creek stability assessment and implementation plan. The stability assessment is broken into three stages:
1) Project Inception – learn the history of Oaky Creek / identify major issues of the stakeholders / identify management objectives
2) System Understanding – assess changes to channel / assess bed and bank stability and flood characteristics / predict future changes to the creek
3) Waterway restoration plan – Develop a range of management options / discuss options with stakeholders / develop a program of works
Early February (Tuesday 6th ) saw the first of three community consultation meetings organised by Reef Catchments to assist in developing the stability assessment. Stakeholders attending the meeting included: landholders from the creek, CANEGROWERS Mackay, Mackay Regional Council, Ergon, Sunwater, and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The assessment is expected to be completed by the middle of April and will outline a plan to remediate and stabilise the creek, including prioritisation of sites.
Alluvium Consulting will be using the latest technologies and skills to develop the plan including the creating a Digital Elevation Model of Difference and 2-dimensional Hydraulic modelling. However, involved landholders are key to understanding the systems and how events impact on the creek.
Works to be undertaken are expected to be completed by the end of 2018 and will include a range of stabilisation options such as rock toes and revegetation.
Traditional Owners in the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac (MWI) region are taking an active regional role with the development of their new Strategic Plan 2017-2027.
The strategic plan will be used by the MWI Traditional Owner Reference Group (TORG) to seek support from its partners to deliver cultural heritage environmental management programs, as well as community communication and education programs.
The group are an established not-for-profit entity, and aspire to make our region a leader in proactive cultural heritage and environmental management.
The MWI TORG are representatives of the seven tribal groups of Country bound by the MWI Natural Resource Management boundary. Collectively they consist of members of the Juru, Gia, Ngaro, Yuwibara, Koinmerburra, Barada and Wiri people.
They are committed to managing, maintaining and protecting their peoples’ tribal lands and sea.
Together, they discuss, develop and deliver opportunities to build capacity within the group and share cultural heritage and environmental values.
The MWI TORG Strategic Plan 2017 – 2027 presents a high-level document for the direction, aims and goals of the MWI TORG as they develop from an advisory body to a more active agency in the region.
The annual HEALTHY SOILS SYMPOSIUM, held in Mackay on 30th November 2017, focused on recognition of soil as a living medium. Our expert presenters discussed how to maintain and enhance microbial activity in soils to ensure productive yields on a long-term basis. The presentations slides from our expert national and local presenters is available below.
Dr Neil Wilson | Sydney University | Microbiologist
Soils and the importance of microbiology
Dr Terry McCosker | Resource Consulting Services
Overarching Sustainable Agriculture Examples
Agriculture and Climate
Soil Assessment Chart
Simon Mattsson | Nuffield Scholar & Cane Farmer
Plant Diversity in Cane Farming
Mandy Tennent | Eungella Beef & Cloudbreak Lowlines
Lime Application Trial in Grazing
Dave Hunter | Banana Farmer & Pioneer Catchment Landcare
Nutrient Pathways in a natural system
Jaime Jurgens | VeeJay’s Kalfresh
Comparison trial of conventional vs biodynamic farming in Horticulture
This event is supported by Reef Catchments, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.
Reliance Creek National Park, home to the rufous owl and 23 listed threatened species, is a palm-dominated lowland rainforest considered an area of national environmental significance.
Pioneer Catchment Landcare, Reef Catchments and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service hosted a walking tour on Friday, 27 October to showcase efforts to protect this significant habitat and slow the invasive weed, cat’s claw creeper.
The beautiful and beneficial jewel beetle was released as a bio-control for this weed infestation.
Many organisations have worked in the Reliance Creek National Park over the last 25 years, but people don’t often get the opportunity to see what has been done and learn about the threats.
Guests heard first hand from those managing the site about the successes and challenges in managing the site and why the park is special.
The event was funded by the Australian Government National Landcare Program.
Fourteen landholders at the recent Reef Catchments Forestry Field day were treated to a tour of the Nebo Sawmill and a full demonstration of tree felling and milling, from start to finish. Attendees were also given information on the sustainable harvesting practices for native forests on privately-owned land.
Reef Catchments Sustainable Agriculture Project Officer, Sophie Glasser said, “There are opportunities for landholders to selectively and sustainably participate in the forestry industry without planting and waiting for 20 years.”
Presenter Ken McFadzen has found success in developing relationships with local landholders who already have the commodity within their native forests, working collaboratively and selecting species that are fit for purpose that is already growing on their property. There are also benefits to the landholder for both economic and environmental reasons, with weed management and ground cover improvement enabling productive grazing practices.
The event was funded under the Queensland Government Natural Resource Management Investment Program.
See the flyer.
Interest in bull genetics has been gaining momentum in our region, with grazers asking for a ‘Bull Selection Workshop’. Last month our Regional Landcare Facilitator, Juliane Kasiske delivered the High Steaks II – Bull Selection Workshop on behalf for the Australian Government National Landcare Programme, in the second get together between Reef Catchments and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Regional Landcare Facilitator, Juliane Kasiske said, “The intention was to enable graziers to make confident decisions in choosing the right bull. Productivity in a grazing system starts with the right genetics of your bull as it sets the potential for upper or lower production limits that your herd can achieve. Your bull determines the performance of your herd and influences weaning rates, survival rates, sale weight and can indirectly complement your grazing management.”
Local Vet and Grazier, Roxanne Morgan explained to local producers why the benefits of using objective data to make informed decisions about the bulls they buy.
23 landholders farming a combined area of more than 500acres across the Mackay, Whitsunday, and Isaac region where determined to attended the Bull Selection workshop in Mackay despite the severe rainfall on the day. Juliane Kasiske said “That alone shows how needed this information is, for graziers to make informed decisions when it comes to buying and or breeding bulls.”
“The graziers that attended the workshop were already very committed when it comes to managing their properties in an environmentally respectful manner while maintaining productive herds. It was inspiring to see their willingness to take their business management approach to the next level.”
Overall, attendee feedback said the workshop as very informative and they appreciated the depth of knowledge shared by Jim Fletcher (DAF) and Roxanne Morgan.
The positive outcome of this workshop was discussed at our regional Grazing Working Group meeting. The group is exploring ways to cater for graziers interested in this topic and deliver further information about genetics when choosing the right bull.
We can grow a wide range of produce here in the sweet spot on the edge of the tropical and sub-tropical growing zones. Farmers and business owners in the Greater Whitsunday Region are taking advantage of this opportunity by sourcing seasonal produce to cater for a niche and local market. 24 growers took a bus tour to the farm of Goanna Brewery, a stellar example of a business in our region utilising their own farm produce, as well as other local produce, to create a unique product of locally sourced and seasonal cider.
A compost tea brewing demonstration prompted an enthusiastic response from attendees who were eager to trial this simple and effective method of increasing microbial activity in their soils. The post event survey revealed 83% of attendees said they would adopt new practices learnt on the day to their own property. This reinforces the benefit of attending the practical workshops held by Reef Catchments.
An innovative, pesticide-free, insect control device, the Vortex Control System, demonstrated ways to target non-beneficial insects with physical methods while the system is in the transition phase from conventional to biological and beyond if necessary.
Chief Bottle Washer (co-owner) at Goanna Brewery, Linda Palmer said, “Our seasonal, local produce ciders were born of our passion for food and a rural way of life. We integrated the fresh produce available on our farm, and within the community to create ciders that outsell our beers. It also makes sense to take the waste product back to the farm for composting and animal feed. It’s important to concentrate on what you do best and keep it simple. Don’t be scared to share your passion for things, it’s infectious.”
The Palmer’s farm and Goanna Brewery is a showcase operation embracing closed loop farming, and reusable bottles, as well as composting the hops from the brewery to fertilise their farm crops, which they use in their seasonal ciders. They also support other local farmers by sourcing seasonal produce that may not have had the shelf life to sell to the everyday shopper.
Reef Catchments Project Officer, Sophie Glasser said, “the tour inspired everyone to think outside of the box when it comes to both their business ventures as well as farming practices. The Palmer’s are a wonderful example of a successful business that has identified a niche market opportunity that fully integrates a brewery business with a farming operation.”
“The cider tasting was an enjoyable end to the day where participants could relax and discuss their own product innovation ideas with the group.”
Our understanding of soil health in the region is growing through the demonstration of local businesses and farmers who are using sustainable or holistic farming practices to create both environmental and economic benefits. Local businesses, like the Palmers’, have found a way to market local and seasonal produce in a different way, keeping resources local and strengthening our regional economy. These field days also showcase that we’re able to grow profitable produce while reducing reliance on synthetic fertilisers and fewer pesticides.
With funding from Rio Tinto, Reef Catchments organised and ran a Marine Classrooms trip in the Whitsundays for the first time! Another first was the collaboration between Conservation Volunteers Australia and Reef Check Australia, who partnered with Reef Catchments to deliver three jam-packed days of conservation and learning activities on South Molle Island for 16 students from Mackay North High School. We collected 2 rubbish bags full of marine debris and roughly 200kg of weeds from the site.
We would also like to thank ZigZag Whitsundays, Coles and Whitsunday Transit for their kindness in offering discounts and/or vouchers. Your generosity allowed us to make this trip as affordable as possible for the students.
We have another trip planned for around March 2018 with another lucky school from our region. The Marine Classrooms program aims to spread knowledge of coastal and island ecosystems and the threats they face. This hands-on learning style keeps students engaged and ensures that they come away with practical skills. We inspire students and teachers so they will share their knowledge about marine life with other students, schools, families and their community.
Choosing the right bull for a profitable livestock enterprise.
Your bull determines the performance of your herd and influences weaning rates, survival rates, and sales weight, and can indirectly complement your grazing management. Join us for the High Steaks II – Bull Selection Field Day.
DATE: Wednesday, 18 October, 2017
TIME: 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
VENUE: 347 McEwens Beach Road, McEwens Beach
RSVP: Monday, 16 October ,2017
Deb Wilkinson on (07) 4968 4200.
Please bring a sun hat, sturdy shoes and a portable chair.
Talk by Jim Fletcher
• What drives genetics?
• What’s important to consider when selecting traits in a bull?
• What traits make you money?
• What tools can we use? (i.e. Breedplan selection and breedplan dataplan database search and Genomics, where are we headed).
Talk and presentation by Roxanne Morgan
• BBSE (Bull breeding soundness examination)
• What has the research told us?
• Demonstration of a full BBSE – Importance of temperament in selection.
• Importance of vaccinations.
• How do we move forward with our own businesses?
This tour is to demonstrate the opportunities in niche markets that are available to horticulturists, strengthening our regional food networks.
Linda Palmer, Chief Bottle Washer at Goanna Brewery and farmer will discuss their philosophy and process for using local produce that may have otherwise gone to waste, as well as home-grown lychees, mangoes, bananas and citrus. They also compost hops from the brewery to fertilise crops.
We will also hear from Luke Hargreaves from Growcom, a Vortex insect control system demonstration by Penny and Charlie Curnow and learn how to create a compost tea.
RSVP: Please let us know if you will be attending before the 23 Oct 2017 by contacting Deb Wilkinson on reception@reefcatchments.com or 4968 4200.
TRANSPORT: A bus will take you from Reef Catchments at 7.30am.
BRING: Please bring a hat, water bottle, closed in shoes.
Choosing the right bull for a profitable livestock enterprise.
Your bull determines the performance of your herd and influences weaning rates, survival rates, and sales weight, and can indirectly complement your grazing management. Join us for the High Steaks II – Bull Selection Field Day.
DATE: Wednesday, 18 October, 2017
TIME: 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
VENUE: 347 McEwens Beach Road, McEwens Beach
RSVP: Monday, 16 October ,2017
Deb Wilkinson on (07) 4968 4200.
Please bring a sun hat, sturdy shoes and a portable chair.
Talk by Jim Fletcher
• What drives genetics?
• What’s important to consider when selecting traits in a bull?
• What traits make you money?
• What tools can we use? (i.e. Breedplan selection and breedplan dataplan database search and Genomics, where are we headed).
Talk and presentation by Roxanne Morgan
• BBSE (Bull breeding soundness examination)
• What has the research told us?
• Demonstration of a full BBSE – Importance of temperament in selection.
• Importance of vaccinations.
• How do we move forward with our own businesses?
Support is available for landholders to reduce erosion of riparian areas. Reef Catchments has been awarded funding through the Australian Government Reef Trust IV – Gully and Stream Bank Erosion Control Program to undertake erosion management works within five high priority sub-catchments.
These sub-catchments include
Eligible activities
Interested landholders in eligible sub-catchments are encouraged to contact us to lodge an expression of interest and check their eligibility. Please email chris.dench@reefcatchments.com or phone 4968 4200.
A Project Officer will contact you to discuss Reef Trust IV requirements and expectations, then a Reef Catchments staff member will visit the site to develop a technical site plan including monitoring and evaluation of the project over time. Successful projects will be contracted to undertake approved works.
This program is delivered by Reef Catchments, through funding and support from the Australian Government.
Farmers, consumers, hospitality and agriculture industry spent the day touring farms in our region on with the Greater Whitsunday Food Network, Farm to Plate Bus Tour on Thursday July 20. Over 100 locals were all aboard buses with special guests celebrity chef Matt Golinski and ABC Landline presenter Pip Courtney.
First stop was the Jurgen’s tomato farm in Bowen, where their focus on soil health through biological methods of feeding soil microorganisms can produce healthier plants and certainly shines through delicious tomatoes. A local produce lunch at the gorgeous Hemmingways Airlie Beach was the perfect backdrop to discuss the opportunities of the Greater Whitsunday Region to grow our agriculture industry through direct sales to consumers and branded produce. Land management was a focus of the final stop at the Trimble’s cattle property in Bloomsbury.
This event was funded by Reef Catchments, through funding from the Australian Governments, National Landcare Programme.
Staff and supporters dressed up as their favourite marine creatures for the annual street parade in Airlie Beach, flying the flag for Reef Catchments to connect with the community through our shared love of the reef. A turtle, shark, Julia’s artists impression of Landcare and Stef’s outfit made entirely of marine debris, entertained the crowds representing the face of Natural Resource Management in a carbon neutral float. We were joined by special guests, Juru Traditional Owners Sue West and Fiona representing the Traditional Owners Reference Group.
Farmers involved in grazing and horticulture were amongst attendees at the recent Climate Workshop run by Reef Catchments at Proserpine.
Landholders were drawn to the workshop by the wide range of topics offered which aimed to explain climate predictions and how to interpret weather patterns particularly with reference to their properties.
A risk assessment exercise, to identify risk to their enterprises with regard to climate variability, proved a hit as it also offered a variety of adaption strategies.
The regional landcare facilitator for Reef Catchments, Juliane Kasiske, said attendees had their eyes opened to the wide variety of resources which were available online.
“There are various free online tools including Vegmachine” she said.
In another segment of the workshop, Green Collar introduced the group to the potentials offered by carbon farming.
Attendees enjoyed the matrix session, the chance to network with other landholders, and the opportunity to discover a variety of resources for future use.
The Department of the Environment and Energy, together with the CSIRO are undertaking an investigation to understand how Australia’s biodiversity has been changing in recent years.
As a part of this investigation we are seeking to understand how the 1°C increase in surface temperature experienced over the past century may have contributed to recent changes in biodiversity across the Australian landscape. To this end we are very interested in hearing about the experiences and observations of people who are familiar with different parts of Australia. We hope that their insights and stories will provide us with a unique view of how things are changing.
To participate, you would need to be able to select a natural area (e.g. your local region or farm, a Nature Reserve, urban bushland) that you have been familiar with for at least the last 10 years. Note that we are interested both in areas where change has been observed and where change has not been observed.
The survey can be found here and is made up of a series of observational questions and an open section for people to tell us their stories. It would take about 30 minutes.
Additional information about the project can be found here”.
5 things you can commit to this Earth Day April 22
1 Sign up to volunteer
Environmental volunteerism is a way meet new people, learn new skills and to give back to the planet that supports you. Conservation Volunteers Australia, Landcare groups and Turtle Watch are just a few in our region. See a list of volunteer activities in our region.
2 Buy local food.
Every Wednesday the Greater Whitsunday Farmer’s Market is on at Bluewater Quay 8am to 1pm. See what food is available and try something new for the health of you and the planet.
3 Walk
Need to pop up to the shop? Ditch the car and go for a walk, it has positive impacts for both your brain and the environment. Alternatively you could ride your bike.
4 Plant a veggie garden
After Easter is the perfect time to plant your winter veggies. Lessen your food miles, need for packaging and get the maximum nutrients from your food by eating it straight away.
5 Buy a coffee reusable cup and commit to using it.
There is enough plastic in about 20 takeaway coffee lids to make one reusable cup. Benefits may include discounts at your fav coffee shop and feeling a little better about your commitment to our planet.
We are on the cusp of an uncertain but exciting time in agriculture. Farmers are at the coalface when it comes to climate variability and carbon. However successful business strategies identify threats and apply problem solving to drive opportunity. Could carbon be both the problem and a solution? The research is confirming carbon held in soil is the key to fertility and water holding capacity. It also provides a buffer in times of variability of climate change.
The destruction from recent Tropical Cyclone Debbie exemplifies predictions of increased significant weather events and increased severity of events. Preparation to handle such events has been underway for some time. The Mackay Whitsunday Isaac Climate Sustainability Plan 2016-2020 was a highly collaborative partnership with CISRO, James Cook University and Reef Catchments, thanks to funding through the National Landcare Program. The Plan identifies some of the main risks associated with projected climatic conditions such as predicted temperatures, rainfall and freshwater availability. As well as regional actions, which cover strengthening ecosystem health and biodiversity, community education, risk management and economic sustainability.
The plan also explores the opportunities for farmers to tackle this global problem through local solutions. Not just though increasing their soil carbon asset but strengthening local markets and economies, biodiversity, crop diversification and potential bio-based industries.
Development of adaption resources can be strengthened through farmers’ localised observations of the effects of climate variability, given their ongoing relationship with the land. Leaders using best management practice and pushing the boundaries of our current knowledge provide a guide for the other adopters of new farming practices.
Improved farming practices are an unintended consequence of meeting the challenge of climate uncertainty. Reef Catchments is supporting farmers in this time of change through Landcare initiatives in our region.
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Catchments Loads Monitoring Program, monitors the annual loads of pollutants (sediments, pesticides and nutrients) generated from terrestrial runoff in the GBR catchments. The monitoring is undertaken at 26 sites across 14 drainage basins. The data is then used to model annual loads across the 35 drainage basins which is used in the development of the annual Paddock to Reef report cards which measure and report on progress towards Reef Plan (2013) targets.
In the Mackay Whitsunday region there has been an increase in the number of sites being monitored in 2016/17. Previous monitoring has been undertaken on the O’Connell and Pioneer Rivers and on Sandy Creek. In 2016/17 this has been increased with three new sites including a new site on the Proserpine River, an additional site on the O’Connell River and a (to be established site) on Plane Creek.
Currently all six sites are monitored with ambient sampling being taken on a weekly basis. The ambient sampling is used to identify the range and concentrations of pollutants within the rivers and creeks on a day-to-day basis. Of these sites, five currently have automated samplers set up with the sixth site to be set up later this year. The automated samplers enable continuous sampling during high flow events providing samples along the hydrograph (rate of flow vs time of event) and are stored until collected.
From all of the collected samples the concentrations are determined, with the volume of water flowing in the river used to determine the load (either Tonnes or kg’s depending on pollutant) of each of the pollutants.
Each year the monitoring program releases a report detailing the results from each of the sites monitored.
Grazing Field Day
45 graziers ventured to the Trimble’s cattle property on the O’Connell River for a day of hands on learning, at the 2017 Grazing Field Day in March. The 114 hectare property is a showcase for what can be achieved through effective management practices.
Weed control, especially of sicklepod, itch grass and Giant Rat’s Tail grass, has been a major focus of their management and continues to be so. Extensive seeding of paddocks to V8 stylo, seca stylo, Mekong, Rhodes grass, signal grass and Humidicola has been undertaken, resulting in further weed control through competition.
The clear messages of the day was that effective weed control required a whole-of-property management approach and that monitoring and improving soil health can lead to productivity gains in grazing land.
Participants appreciated the practical take home lessons on how to test soil pH, and a demonstration that evaluated the effects that operating pressure, nozzle choice and weather conditions have on droplet size and spray drift.
The ability to see pasture and legume species growing in the paddock allowed landholders to assess the performance and make decisions on whether the species could be useful additions to their own grazing operations.
Our thanks to Darryl and Hannah Trimble for hosting the day and presenters:
Allan Blair, Dept of Agriculture and Fisheries
Bill Thompson, Land Resource Assessment and Management
Gerry Dogao, Sales Agronomist with PGG Wrightson Seeds
This event was supported by Reef Catchments, through funding by the Queensland Government under the Queensland Regional Resource Management Investment Program: Sustainable Agriculture.
Reports of an unwelcome avian invader have increased across the Whitsundays over the past six months. Sightings of Indian Mynas (Acridotheres tristis) have been reported in Cannonvale, Bredalbane, Blacks Beach, and at other sites around Mackay and the Pioneer Valley. Large flocks of more than 20 birds have also been reported flying over Proserpine.
In 2000, the Invasive Species Specialist Group and International Union of Conservation in Nature (IUCN) named Indian Mynas as one of the world’s worst invasive species (Lowe et al. 2000). The species has established in many cities around Australia, including just North of the Whitsundays in Townsville. Indian Myna populations have the capacity to increase rapidly, laying between two and seven eggs per clutch. One breeding pair can explode to a population of 13,000 birds within 5 years.
Sometimes confused with native species, including the mostly grey Noisy Myna, the Indian Myna can be distinguished by it’s distinct chocolate brown body, black head and neck, yellow eye patches, yellow feet and legs. A distinct white patch is also exposed on each wing when the bird is in flight. Indian Mynas are not fussy eaters and will opportunistically forage for food, competing with native species for fruit, flower nectar, insects and seeds.
There are concerns about the impact these birds may have on native species in the Mackay Whitsunday region. While research shows that competition between Indian mynas and native birds in urban areas remains contested (Lowe et al. 2011 and Grarock et al. 2012), a study by Grarock (et al. 2012) observed that Indian mynas do have a significant negative impact on native species nesting in hollows and cavities. Grarock’s research also demonstrated that the invaders threaten bird species smaller is size than the myna.
The arrival of Indian mynas to the region is also bad news for some mammal species. Aggressive nesting Indian Mynas have been known to evict nesting possums and gliders from tree hollows.
Dale Mengel, a resident of Proserpine, who reported a sighting of more than 20 birds flying over Proserpine in February, has again witnessed more than 30 birds in Proserpine in March. Mr Mengel shared concerns that this indicated the birds are beginning to colonise the area and hoped that something could be done to prevent their impact on native species.
Daryl Barnes, President of Bird Life Mackay describes Indian Mynas as ‘aggressive, pompous, domineering, adaptable, unafraid, smart and noisy’. Bird Life Mackay have joined the Mackay Regional Pest Management Group in seeking to collate reports of sightings across the Mackay and Whitsunday Region.
This video shows fantastic drone footage of a large scale treatment train on a sugarcane property.
The treatment train approach to improving water quality enables water to pass through multiple chambers to reduce nutrient, sediment and pesticides before exiting to the waterways.
The Bakers Creek treatment train project is on a sugarcane property adjacent to a cane farm. The project also provides additional benefits to the grower by providing additional water which can be utilised for production.
Further information from Carlos Bueno
This project is proudly supported by Reef Catchments, through significant co-contribution from the landholder and with funding provided through the Australian Government Reef Programme.
The first driverless tractor trial for the Australian sugar industry was demonstrated today (Thursday 15 December 2016) at the property of local Mackay cane farmer, Steve Young.
The trial puts Mackay at the cutting edge of 21st century farming, a true display of the labour-saving possibilities of the future.
The project is being conducted by Japanese firm Hitachi and coordinated by local Mackay agricultural group Farmacist, one of Reef Catchments major contracted provider of agricultural precision planning services to the region. It sees the trial of an autonomous robotic tractor at a Homebush cane farm.
This tractor will be guided using a new method of real-time positioning that does not rely on a local base station. High precision machine control is achieved utilising a real-time correction message transmitted by a Japanese satellite without the need for a local radio or access to the mobile network.
The technology can be applied to any tractor and is a potential game changer for our farming future. It is built into a software program that enables a farmer to instruct their tractor to plough, sow, or spray crops automatically.
The technology is being jointly designed by Japan’s Hokkaido University and Japanese firm Hitachi.
It relies upon satellite and GPS signals built into a software program that enables a farmer to instruct a tractor to plough, sow, or spray crops automatically.
Tony Crowley, Farmacist Director said one method being trialled for the autonomous tractor utilised a new satellite system established by the Japanese Space Agency.
“They’ve integrated that with the GPS technology, so we put the run lines in that we use normally and then the tractor operates autonomously, linking with the GPS system as it’s running. This is the next stage — take the driver out of the seat.”
Derrick Thompson, Australian project manager with Hitachi, said driverless tractors were no longer a figment of the future.
“It proves the point that you can actually do this — it’s not science fiction anymore,” he said.
Commercial availability of automated tractors is expected around 2020. The cost is unknown as yet.
From left Jacob Betros Reef Catchments, Kym Kruse RegenAG and Ken Ede, local grower from Longmile Mangoes.
HEALTHY SOILS SYMPOSIUM | Wednesday 7th December
More than 60 growers gathered in Walkerston recently to find out more about how to make soil health work in their favour.
Participants heard from local farmers who are using and trialling soil health techniques on-farm, as well as from soil experts, to learn more on what can work.
Guest presenter, Kym Kruse, from RegenAG held a hands-on soil workshop the following day, allowing growers the chance to get their hands dirty.
Jacob Betros, event coordinator and Reef Catchments Regional Landcare Facilitator, said the two days were designed to help growers and industry share ideas and outcomes.
“There is a real groundswell of interest in soil health. This is one of our most popular events, because it gives growers a chance to talk to each other and to hear from soil experts on how they can benefit by making soil health a priority,” he said.
“Currently farmers are facing a lot of challenges including declining yields, poor soil health, and the desire to reduce nitrogen inputs. Margins are getting tighter. It’s not about throwing out chemical fertilisers altogether, but it’s about getting a balance that leads to both economic and sustainability benefits.
The Healthy Soils Symposium is proudly supported by Reef Catchments, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.
Mango producers Ken and Mary Ede (of Longmile Mangoes) spent years observing the rural sector for ideas on how to improve soil health.
“We looked at all these different kinds of farming systems, but I didn’t want to jump in until we found something that could be commercially viable,” said the locally based Seaforth farmer.
Looking at what goes on underground was a game-changer for them.
“We’ve reduced our fertiliser use by 85 % and that’s with a slight rise in productivity most years,” said Ken.
“Our mangoes had one of the highest Brix (sugar) levels at the Melbourne markets last year, which is an excellent result in terms of flavour and the quality of fruit from our region.”
Like many farmers Ken wasn’t convinced until he saw soil health in action.
“We went on a farm tour and saw it all in operation – biofertilisers, microbes and pasture health. I thought, this is working alright,” he said.
“So we started implementing it here about two years ago. We make biofertilisers on-farm and really focus on our inputs and using soil health as a foundation for a more productive operation.”
Ken says while the results speak for themselves, it was also important they were measured.
“We work with Reef Catchments, who monitor, measure and research the changes in the soil – things like microbe levels and activity, soil carbon and water holding capacity.”
Ken said soil health was not just a ‘feel good’ concept.
“We’re actually doing it here and it’s actually working.
“We take a holistic approach, and we also run cattle. So after we had such good results on our fruit trees, we started applying the same concept to our grazing pastures. We’ve been using the treatment now for several months and we’re starting to see changes. Our dung beetle population has gone crazy and that’s without any help on our part.
“Soil health is about small improvements that add up to something much bigger.”
For more information contact Jacob Betros jacob.betros@reefcatchments.com
REEF CATCHMENTS HORTICULTURE FIELD DAY | Tuesday 29th November.
When Trader Pete suggested growing coffee in the Whitsundays more than 15 years ago, he copped a few laughs.
“I suppose in an area that was predominantly sugarcane, they just couldn’t get their head round the idea of a coffee plantation!” says current manager of Whitsunday Gold Coffee, Graham Simpson.
“Luckily Trader Pete always had that bigger vision.”
Today, there are few people passing through the region that don’t hear about Whitsunday Gold, an iconic plantation with around 100,000 Arabica coffee trees located just 1 minute north of Proserpine.
The unique and much-loved plantation is home to the ‘Great Barrier Bean’. It has grown to encompass a welcoming café and invites tourists and locals alike to learn more about where their coffee comes from.
“We offer tours of the plantation, which really helps people get an understanding of how the product is grown, what’s put into it and the story behind Whitsunday Gold,” Graham says.
“Because we do everything here – we grow, process, roast and bag our coffee – we can tell the tale from start to finish.”
And it’s not just locals interested in a Whitsunday cuppa.
“We have visitors from all over the world,” says Graham.
“They come off cruise ships from America, we’ve had wheat and other farmers up from various parts of Australia – and this year has been one of our best for grey nomads. They hear about us on the road and pop in and buy a bag of coffee for their travels.”
As a result, Whitsunday Gold has seen a progressive spike in its online sales and now sends coffee to all parts of Australia.
The business has also set the bar high for a term that’s starting to find its feet in the Mackay Whitsunday region, despite being a relatively new concept – agritourism.
“As far as the crop goes, like any horticulture producers, we have our good years and our bad years, and this year is looking a lot more promising than last,” says Graham.
“But we’re very involved in agritourism. From the good old days of a cane farm, we’ve come a long way and our focus now is really on that agritourist market.”
That’s not to say Graham and his wife Ali, who have managed the plantation since 2011, aren’t open to learning from other industries.
“We’ve actually taken lessons we learned in cane and can apply that to coffee production. For example, we use something like a stool splitter for fertiliser application and vary fertiliser at the drip line as part of our irrigation,” Graham says.
“You might need to adjust some concepts to suit, but you can definitely apply ideas from other crops and industries as long as you have an open mind.”
Those kind of cross-promoted learnings were a focus at the Reef Catchments Horticulture Field Day.
Horticulturalists and interested participants gathered to learn more from a range of horticulture producers in the region, and to take a tour of Whitsunday Gold.
Reef Catchments sustainable agriculture officer, Juliane Kasiske, said the event alowed those with an interest in horticulture to network and share insights.
“Obviously our area is very cane focused so it can be more difficult for our horticulture producers to find a learning platform,” she said. “The Field Day and other similar activities aim to form a strong horticulture network, promote best management practice, and encourage shared learning.
“The day included speakers and representatives from Growcom to talk about wider issues that are topical to our horticulture industries.
“It aimed to really connect horticulture producers in the Mackay Whitsunday Region through food networking and the promotion of best land management practice, for example hort360 by Growcom.
“We discussed crop diversification in our region as well as niche potential markets – for example, agritourism, gourmet food and bush tucker food.
For more information contact Juliane Kasiske 0488 730 021 or email juliane.kasiske@reefcatchments.com
This event was hosted by Reef Catchments, through support and funding from the Queensland Government.
Rubber Vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora)
Restricted invasive plant under the Queensland’s Biosecurity Act 2014
Weed of National Significance
More than 78 lucky senior students from Mackay and the Whitsundays have participated in a marine conservation expedition like no other…
Students from St Catherines College, Sarina, Mackay North, Pioneer, Mackay State High Schools took part in an outdoor education adventure through the Marine Classroom Program, spending four days on Brampton Island, exploring the island ecosystem and the reef.
The Marine Classrooms Program was developed and continues to be delivered through a strong partnership between Reef Catchments and Wild Mob.
Over the past three years, 195 students have participated in this incredible program – with at least two trips planned for early next year.
The program allows students in the region with a passion for the marine environment to learn about marine science and conservation, getting their hands dirty conducting research and undertaking conservation activities with qualified scientists.
“The program focuses on education through practical conservation activities,” said Reef Catchments Coasts and Biodiversity Officer, Jess Berryman.
“Students learn about the real issues affecting their region like – catchment runoff, marine debris, nutrification, cultural heritage and the impacts of a changing climate. The program is an unmatched opportunity for young people to connect with their islands, coast and marine environment.”
Pioneer State High School Marine Science Teacher, Peter Hungerford, said the students got a lot of value from the program.
“There is nothing like visiting local beaches and islands with such enthusiastic and knowledgeable scientists. The experience is invaluable to our students and we are grateful for the ongoing support of Reef Catchments and Wild Mob,” Peter said.
Over the life of the program, students have helped restore over 2 ha of the endangered beach scrub ecosystem and removed over 200 kg of marine debris from critical turtle nesting beaches.
During the last trip of 2016, St Catherines College students were lucky to see two sets of turtle nesting tracks on a beach, reinforcing the need for ongoing management and action on the mainland to protect these high value sites.
Sarina State High students Piper and Jessie had little knowledge of the “many” issues facing our islands, beaches and marine systems until participating in the Marine Classrooms Program.
“By visiting local islands with Reef Catchments and Wild Mob, we were provided with a valuable insight into the far reaching effects of mainland activities that can cause various problems to our water quality, ecosystems and wildlife.”
Sarina State High students worked with Reef Catchments on the mainland to review and report the health of their local beach and provide recommendations for improved management. Sarina High student Dakota highlighted the importance of community stewardship as a solution.
“I would love to see more local involvement to protect our beaches. We can either positively influence change in the community by taking action ourselves, or we can do nothing and eventually regret our negligence.”
Experiences like this are important to educate the youth say Beau and Michel from Sarina State High.
“In the past perhaps residents of Mackay and the Whitsundays haven’t been as considerate of environmental values as we needed to be, but through education and experience, now we know better, we can do better.”
For more information on the Marine Classrooms Program, contact Jess Berryman (Reef Catchments) on P: (07) 4968 4226 | E: jessica.berryman@reefcatchments.com
Reef Catchments, in collaboration with Catchment Solutions and local cane farmer Shane Cowley have created a ‘Treatment Train’ of wetlands to treat poor water quality runoff from adjacent sugar cane farms reaching the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in the Bakers Creek Catchment, Mackay in central QLD. Funding was provided through the Australian Government Reef Programme for system repair.
Aerial drone footage showing the Treatment Train.
The project took an holistic approach to wetland design, by treating water quality flowing to the GBR while also providing and enhancing habitat for biodiversity.
This was achieved by constructing four water quality treatment chambers – sediment basin, deep water macrophyte zone, detention irrigation re-use chamber and rehabilitating the existing wetland (last chamber). Endemic native vegetation was planted around the wetland, including macrophytes in the deep marsh zone. A rock-ramp fish ladder was also constructed to improve aquatic connectivity between the downstream estuary and the constructed wetland, which provides important habitat for economically important fish species such as barramundi.
The wetland was designed to capture and treat the first flush flow event (30-40 mm) of the wet season (Oct-Dec), prior to discharging into an existing wetland before eventually flowing into Bakers Creek Estuary and the GBR.
The landholder (cane farmer) is able to re-use the water from the third chamber to irrigate his sugar cane crop. Prior to the construction of the upstream treatment chambers, water high in nutrients,herbicides and pesticides flowed straight into the wetland causing fish kills.This water was then pumped right down for irrigation re-use onto adjacent sugar cane. Now, this wetland is managed for biodiversity, with the water treated in upstream chambers and no pumping down of the biodiversity wetland.
Further information from Carlos Bueno
Water quality sampling was undertaken during flow events via auto samplers. The results have been significant, delivering both environmental improvement, as well as allowing the cane farmer access to increased irrigation capacity. Fish ladder monitoring and fish community electrofishing have also occurred.
“This extra water means that I can irrigate nearby cane blocks several more times each year and significantly increase their production, as well as improving the water quality for my wetland and the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.”
– Shane Cowley, Cane Farmer, Bakers Creek.
Results (snap shot)
Event 1 (30-40 mm) Dec 2014
NOx-N – 85% reduction
Phosphorus (total and ortho-P) – 50% reduction
Diuron – 59% reduction
Atrazine – 61% reduction
Hexazinone – 55 % reduction
Between last flow event in Feb 2015 to October 2015
86% reduction of N
90% for P
80% for TSS
Reef Catchments has welcomed the appointment of its new Chair and former Mayor of Mackay, Ms Julie Boyd.
The role is a good fit for Ms Boyd, “I have always had an interest and involvement in the natural resources sector,” she said.
“In my time as Mayor, I was involved in and championed many projects that were linked to the natural resources sector. From the establishment and construction of the effluent reuse scheme, to building new solid waste and recycling facilities, introducing a wildlife/bush land levy, producing a vegetation management plan with extensive mapping, and constructing the botanic gardens to showcase native vegetation, to name a few.”
Reef Catchments is the Natural Resource Management group (NRM Group) responsible for implementing NRM and environmental projects in the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac region. The group allocates resources and funding, including from the Australian and Queensland governments, to drive on-ground change. Reef Catchments works with a wide range of stakeholders in the community, including landholders and farmers, community groups, local council and business.
As the new Chair of the organisation, Ms Boyd is also Reef Catchments first Chairwoman, and is excited to have a hand in protecting our natural environment while supporting the growth aspirations of the regional community.
“Nearly every person wants to protect natural assets but they don’t always know what that means or what they might be able to do. Sustainability is essential to everything that we do. It is not just environmental sustainability but also social and economic sustainability,” she said.
Ms Boyd is confident that through innovative actions and solutions focused thinking it is possible to have a balance locally between people, planet and profit.
“We must be cognizant of our surroundings and the people with whom we interact to ensure that we continue to have a great quality of life without destroying communities and the natural environment.”
Ms Boyd replaces long-standing Chairman of the Board, Mr Royce Bishop.
Mr Bishop has been involved in natural resource management in the area for more than 12 years, including as Chair of Reef Catchments Limited for seven years and involved in the management committee of the former Mackay Whitsunday NRM Group prior to that.
Reef Catchments Limited CEO, Mr Robert Cocco, said, “Royce has been a well-known figure in the sustainability and NRM space for over a decade and in this time has overseen big changes, including in the move from the original Mackay Whitsunday NRM Group to Reef Catchments as it stands today.
“He has been an integral person in the development of NRM and Reef programs both domestically and internationally. We would like to take the opportunity to thank Royce for his efforts and dedication over the years and we bid him all the best with his endeavours ahead.
“We are now thrilled to welcome Ms Julie Boyd to continue the good work being done and to help steer the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac region into the next stage of natural resource management for a more sustainable future.”
ABOUT JULIE BOYD
Julie was elected as the first female Mayor of the City of Mackay and retained that role for 11 years from 1997 to 2008 when she chose not to recontest the election. She was involved in Local Government for 16 years.
She originally trained as a Registered Nurse having completed her studies in Brisbane at the Mater Hospital and undertook Midwifery studies in Scotland. She also studied Politics and History at the University of Queensland.
In 2008 – 2010 Julie became the Qld Government Special Trade Representative to Japan, Republic of Korea and the Philippines and from 2010- 2012 was Special Trade Representative for Qld to Africa.
Julie is an experienced company director and has expertise in strategy, governance and the Not for profit sector. Julie is a Director on several Boards.
She is an accredited coach and provides mentoring services to a Brisbane based company.
She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a Fellow and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
The Whitsunday region attracts visitors from all over the world who expect to see a picture perfect landscape, resembling the travel brochure images.
Managing the variety of landscapes from the ranges to the reef is a role delegated to governments and shared with groups like Whitsunday Catchment Landcare (WCL).
WCL Treasurer Jim Dickens often steps into Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership (HRRP) meetings when the chairman is unavailable. As a community volunteer, WCL was the perfect fit for this retiree after 40 years in land management. Jim brings a wealth of knowledge in both native forests and timber plantations in a number of different roles.
Jim has learnt a lot about non-commercial plants during his three years with WCL.
“The local Landcare group contribute quite a bit to the environmental sustainability of the area in both revegetation, mainly along riparian areas of Whitsunday Council land. We also run an average size nursery at Kelsey Creek that provides plants for a range of projects, as well as to the community,” Jim said.
As a non-profit community group, WCL benefits financially from their connections to government and Reef Catchments in particular who help with funding, which in turn goes back into the environment. “We recycle that money through producing plants at the nursery or other environmental projects, council actually pay us to do feral pig control for example,” Jim said.
With many projects involving weed and pest control through the region, WCL saw the benefits of collaborating with the Partnership.
Although Jim feels it’ll take several years of data collection to eventually get to a point where trends can be identified, he’s confident that will provide a clear vision for future management.
“I’ve always believed if you don’t monitor you can’t tell where you’re going and this group are heavily involved in the monitoring process, so it’s that monitoring that will hopefully identify priority areas for expenditure of funds and improvement.”
Visit www.healthyriverstoreef.org.au to find out more about the partnership and subscribe to latest news.
Healthy Rivers to Reef – a collaboration between 22 partners from community, Traditional Owners, farmers and fishers, industry, science, tourism and government.