Fencing

Improving water quality through watering points

Posted on March 3, 2013
Pictured (L to R): Bruce Cosh, Charisse Edwards, Andrea Beard.

Farmers in the Fitzroy Basin, the largest catchment draining to the Great Barrier Reef, have been working to construct fences and watering points to keep cattle away from streams and creeks.

Central Queensland’s leading natural resource management group, Fitzroy Basin Association Inc. (FBA) CEO Paul Birch said these measures reduce the erosion of creek beds and improves the quality of water that flows from our basin to the reef.

“In the past year FBA has worked with farmers, landholders and community groups to fence over 400 kilometres of streams and creeks,” Mr Birch said.

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Dairy Farmers improving practices for productivity and the reef environment

Posted on December 18, 2012

See how dairy farmers are working to enhance water quality flowing to the Great Barrier Reef thanks to the Australian Government’s Reef Rescue Program.

Gully Management with the Burns family

Posted on December 12, 2012
The landslip

Reef Catchments Mackay Whitsunday Isaac is assisting Rob Burns and his family to stabilise a major gully slip through revegetation and riparian fencing.

With help from Reef Rescue funding, the Burns family will be permanently fencing a gullyslip on their property and the adjoining creek which will help to control stock access. They will also plant out the landslip area with local native plants to stabilise the soil and reduce any further slips.

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Eleven creeks protected in CQ’s best coastal project

Posted on December 12, 2012
The Mace family

Trudy and Lachlan Mace’s property near Stanage Bay in central Queensland encompasses more than ten thousand hectares of magnificent marine plains, estuarine wetland and freshwater creeks.

Fencing erected this year on Toorilla Station is giving greater protection to 11 freshwater creeks, which supply 285 ha of wetland, from the effects of erosion from cattle grazing on the property.

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If you fence it, they will eat it

Posted on December 12, 2012
The Reids on their property

Making cattle eat the right grass in the right place is a lot like forcing a child to eat their vegetables – it’s difficult. When cattle find a more desirable grass species in a level, shady spot, they stick around.

This was the problem that faced Phil and Deborah Reid, the owners of Limestone, a cattle property located at the base of the Peak Downs Ranges near Emerald, with spectacular open downs and mountain coolibah woodland country.

Reef Rescue funding helped the Reids make simple changes to their farm infrastructure that allow them to better control cattle movement to achieve even grazing pressure and reduce erosion. Continue Reading…

If you fence it, they will eat it

Posted on October 4, 2012
NQ graziers

Making cattle eat the right grass in the right place is a lot like forcing a child to eat their vegetables – it’s difficult. When cattle find a more desirable grass species in a level, shady spot, they stick around.

This was the problem that faced Phil and Deborah Reid, the owners of Limestone, a cattle property located at the base of the Peak Downs Ranges near Emerald, with spectacular Open Downs and Mountain Coolibah Woodland country. Continue Reading…

The Sustainable Agriculture program – working together to improve and protect the land

Posted on April 15, 2012
7. CA - GowrieCreek

The Condamine Alliance Sustainable Agriculture program is dedicated to improving and protecting agricultural land in the Condamine catchment.

It does this by helping farmers obtain and apply new skills, knowledge and practices to better manage soil carbon and groundcover.

Groundcover is one of the best ways to guard against erosion and keep soil safe.

Over the past year, the Sustainable Agriculture program has helped 150 cropping and grazing farmers apply improved practices across more than 20,000 hectares to manage soil carbon and reduce erosion risk.

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QMDC delivers on-ground results

Posted on December 5, 2011
Landholders contribute 60% of project costs when establishing deep-rooted permanent pastures

Landholders across the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin have contributed more than $350,000 to on-ground works as part of the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee’s sub-catchment planning process in recent years.

QMDC Chief Executive Officer Geoff Penton said sub-catchment planning (SCP) encouraged landholders to address land, water, vegetation and other natural resource management (NRM) issues at a landscape scale.

“SCP is a local community process whereby we can leverage funding, for example from the Queensland Government’s Q2 Coasts and Country program, into significant on-ground outcomes,” he said. Continue Reading…

Reef Rescue grants secure water for the long term

Posted on September 17, 2010
Collinsville grazier Brett Stagg is one step closer to achieving his 10-year property plan through Reef Rescue.

Collinsville grazier Brett Stagg knows the value of water.

While the past season has been good, Brett’s number one priority is to secure water for the long-term.

While acknowledging it as no small task to organise water for his 6620 hectare property, Mr Stagg said he has been greatly assisted by the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country Reef Rescue initiative and encouraged other graziers to investigate on-ground grants this new financial year.

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Mystery Park’s success a mix of hard work and a little bit of luck

Posted on September 15, 2010
Rob McArthur and his two-year-old son Hamish enjoy the banks of Stoney Creek.

Rob McArthur believes life, like luck, is what you make it.

Despite his grandfather’s good fortune when first purchasing Mystery Park, today the property’s success has resulted from smart management decisions made by Rob and his wife Ainsley, as well as a lot of hard work on and off farm.

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