Producers on the Cape are developing peer relationships as they work together to cultivate advanced farming methods.
Greater engagement amongst the producers on Cape York has been facilitated by Cape York NRM’s Regional Extension Officer, Oliver McConnachie, under the Queensland Government’s Enhanced Extension Coordination in Reef Catchments project.
‘The guiding principle of the project is that practice change is not to do with land—it’s to do with people. By focusing on the people, positive change in land management is being achieved,’ Oliver said.
Producers have been coming together since the program began in 2018, and have attended a variety of workshops on subjects such as improved watering and fertilising methods, soil health and weed control.
To assist with decision-making, Focus Farms have been established in the Normanby and Endeavour catchments allowing farmers to trial new techniques to see how they work before trying them out at home.
This project, led by Oliver McConnachie, is delivered across two regions of the NQ NRM Alliance, and has seen the establishment of three peer to peer groups. The Sustainable Dairy and Beef Production Network and the Tablelands Young Grazing Network in the Terrain NRM region, and the Endeavour and Normanby Catchments Productivity Network on Cape York.
The groups have enabled producers to share their knowledge, learn about and trial new ideas, and discuss the outcomes.
Oliver said that the next step will be to gather the data from the Focus Farms program and run producer-group meetings to discuss ways of moving forward.
To discuss this project further, contact Oliver McConnachie on 0472 597 854 or oliver.mcconnachie@capeyorknrm.com.au
This program is funded by the Queensland Government Reef Water Quality Program and delivered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries with partner organisations Cape York NRM and Terrain NRM
