ReefSafe Grazing

The project ReefSafe Grazing aimed to work with industry, government, community and graziers to improve grazing land management, increase productivity and profitability and improve water quality in far north Queensland’s reef catchments.

Summary

The project included:

• working with producers to improve management practices relating to water quality, while maintaining productivity and profitability of the beef business, through the delivery of the $avannaPlan Business Management package
• supporting graziers to manage riparian and frontage country, linking with the Reef & Beef Extension project and Reef Rescue grants to assist producers with property planning and grazing land management
• improving stakeholder collaboration and communication to improve information and service delivery across the supply chain
  assisting with collection of samples for the Herbert River Water Quality Monitoring project
• undertaking on-farm trials and demonstrations aimed at improving pasture quality, animal productivity and reducing nutrient and sediment runoff into reef catchments
• increasing the number and availability of extension tools and products such as one-on-one mentoring, workshops, field days, producer groups, on-farm demonstrations, economic tools, case studies and e-extension services
• supporting local producer groups, such as the Beef Plan Group.

These activities formed part of the Reefocus Extension program, which had extension officers working with the grazing, cane, dairy, fruit and vegetable and forestry industries throughout North Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef catchments.

Reefocus Extension aimed to enhance extension service delivery and coordination to increase the uptake of agricultural management systems that support productive and profitable businesses and good environmental outcomes. It formed part of the Reef Water Quality Improvement Plan (Reef Plan), to improve water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef from adjacent catchments.

When: 1 January 2011 to 30 June 2014

Contact: Bernie English

Collaborators: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Department of Environment and Science

More information

To learn more about this project please read the final report (PDF, 7 MB).