Bullo River field day

The stunning landscapes of Bullo River Station were a treat for all that attended the field day on 20 August 2025.

Bullo River has been a producer demonstration site for the Meat Livestock Australia (MLA) funded EasyP project for the last 3 years.

The NT Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) has led the NT part of this project, and partnership with Bullo River Station and MLA, recently hosted a field day for industry to invite industry along to see what’s happening at Bullo.

NT DAF Director Livestock Industries Tim Schatz presented EasyP project findings throughout the day, with the take home message that the EasyP method of supplementing phosphorus can give the same production returns as traditional methods but also provides labour savings and it is a good method for locations that are inaccessible during the wet season.

To read more about the EasyP project in the NT visit: Easy P trial update – FutureBeef

The field day included a station tour, but before jumping in vehicles, we were shown around the Bullo homestead complex, including the impressive veggie garden, solar set-up and domestic water infrastructure.

A stop at the cattle yards saw Peter Letchford, well-known Kununurra based cattle vet, give a talk on bull selection, bull breeding soundness evaluations and the importance of testing bulls for fertility, genetic information such EBV’s, and also for reproductive diseases.

Reproductive diseases in cattle such as Vibriosis, Trichomoniasis and Pestivirus are quite common and can go unnoticed when animals are not tested, becoming invisible causes of low fertility.

Then it was back into the cars, and with a stop for a pasture walk along the way, we were treated to lunch on the escarpment with a spectacular view overlooking a billabong.

The drive back to the homestead featured many scenic creeks and waterholes, followed by stunning views across regenerated paddocks. Managers Joe and Catherine Atkins showcased some of the mechanical equipment and methods they are using to control woody weeds and restore these paddocks back to their natural condition.

The day wrapped up under the boabs, overlooking the Bullo River at sunset, with updates from the NT DAF on some of their other research, including the virtual fencing trial currently underway.

If we hadn’t been spoilt enough by the scenery, Bullo staff had the BBQ going as presentations finished with homegrown Waygu steaks for everyone to enjoy.

A massive thankyou goes out to Bullo River Station for hosting this event, to the presenters and attendees, and to MLA for supporting NT DAF to run this event through the EasyP project.