BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY OUTLINED TO GRAZIERS
GRAZIERS from the Upper Burdekin region have delved deeper into soil health with one of the best in the business – internationally renowned soil ecologist and founder of Amazing Carbon Dr Christine Jones.
Eighty-five graziers attended the NQ Dry Tropics workshops held recently at Basalt River and Severnvale Stations, Charters Towers, and Lamington Park Station, near Woodstock.
NQ Dry Tropics acting team leader for grazing Josh Nicholls said the aim of the workshops was to increase graziers’ understanding of the benefits of having diverse mixtures of plants in a grazing landscape to enhance soil health, increase plant productivity for drought resilience, and to improve livestock nutrition.
“Producers learned that a diverse plant community that includes grasses, legumes and forbs, activates nutrient cycling and restores water cycling, which can improve environmental and production outcomes,” Mr Nicholls said.
“Strengthening graziers’ capacity to improve pasture production helps increase perennial ground cover at the end of the dry season, helps keep soil on the paddock and reduces run-off of fine sediment to the Great Barrier
Reef lagoon.”
Sam Clarke, of Lamington Park, said increasingly more graziers were raising livestock to improve ecosystem function.
“A healthy landscape produces healthy cattle. For us it has been about learning how cattle and the land can get the best out of each other and how we can improve soil health and diversity in our pastures – all while improving beef quality and production,” Mr Clarke said.
“It therefore makes sense that a species-rich landscape can improve soil that’s full of organic matter rich with bacteria and fungi, which offers livestock a healthy diet higher in minerals and amino acids.
“The trick is to know how to promote species while maintaining production, and having access to
Christine Jones’s knowledge and experience helps ensure we’re heading in the right direction.
“She explains the science behind the interconnectedness between plants, soil and animals, and when managed properly, it’s possible to regenerate land, promote diversity of plants while achieving business economic results.”
Fran Lyons, of Basalt River, said the workshops provided graziers with information on how to improve their understanding of their pasture, and to fine-tune management for better outcomes.
“It helps you focus attention on what plants you wish to encourage in your pasture, and to then implement a grazing plan where you rotationally move cattle to ensure plants receive stimulation from grazing but are still present and healthy in the pasture,” Ms Lyons said.
“The workshops are also helping to build a network for graziers to be able to share knowledge and ideas.
“Mixing with like-minded people provides support and motivation, and can only strengthen the industry in the long-term.”
The workshops combined theory with practical, where participants walked the landscape with a shovel to take a closer look at soil.
NQ Dry Tropics soil conservation officer Bernie Claussen provided an overview of the Rapid Assessment of Soil Health approach to soil health that assesses ground cover, water infiltration, soil texture, and soil aggregate, soil organism and soil ph testing.
She demonstrated a number of the tests to show graziers how to conduct a quick assessment of the condition of soil on different land types across their properties.
The workshops were supported through the Herding Change Through Grassroots Recovery project, funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
They were also supported through the Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions program, funded by the state’s Reef Water Quality Program.