Next Generation Land Managers
The Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (DITT) has offered free, on-station, Rangeland Management Courses for over 20 years. The aim of these courses is to educate young people working in the pastoral industry about the fundamentals of land and pasture management at the beginning of their career. The course also supports relationship building between the station and DITT Livestock Industries staff.
What is a Rangeland Management Course?
- A 1 day course tailored to your region and your property combining theory and practical activities, in the classroom and in the paddock.
- An introduction to sustainably managing rangelands for long term pasture and cattle productivity, including knowledge and skills that can be applied during day to day work.
- A stepping stone into more advanced courses (e.g. EDGE Network) and management positions.
Topics covered
- Land and pasture condition
- Pasture monitoring
- Species identification
- Ruminant nutrition
- Fire as a management tool
- Weeds and poisonous plants
- Carrying capacity
Different learning styles are stimulated through theory, demonstrations and practical sessions in the paddock.
Participants
The course is aimed mainly at first and second year station hands, but it is beneficial to have managers, head stockman, senior station hands and other station staff in attendance to draw on their local knowledge, including the stations history and preferred practices of the station.
Each course usually has 10-20 participants from one or multiple properties. Currently, the course is available in the Big Rivers, Barkly and Alice Springs regions of the Northern Territory.
The Next Generation Land Managers Project
The Next Generation Land Managers project encompasses the existing Rangeland Management Course in collaboration with the Northern Hub. The project began in 2021 and will conclude in mid-2024. The funding for the project has allowed for re-branding and improvement of the course materials, along with the addition of a Central Australian course for the Alice Springs region. As part of the project several courses will be delivered over the border in Western Australia.
The Next Generation Land Managers project supported two previous participants to attend the 2023 Northern Beef Research Updates Conference in Darwin.
Once the Next Generation Land Managers project concludes, the Rangeland Management Course will continue to be delivered across the Territory by Livestock and Rangelands Staff in DITT.
To book a course
To host a course on your property, all you need is a space for us to deliver the presentations in, access to some paddocks and 10-20 participants. If you don’t have the staff numbers, we can assist to find more participants from neighbouring properties! Alternatively, we can run regional courses for multiple properties in a central location. For more information or to book in a Rangeland Management Course, contact the Livestock Industries extension team at:
- Stacey Holzapfel (Big Rivers and Barkly regions) – stacey.holzapfel@nt.gov.au
- Alison Kain (Central Australia)- alison.kain@nt.gov.au
This project is funded by the Northern Hub until June 2024, then will be internally funded by Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade after project completion.