Grazing Forum Highlights Opportunities and Threats
MEDIA RELEASE
28 March 2011
GRAZING FORUM HIGHLIGHTS OPPORTUNITES AND THREATS
Weather it is mining exploration on grazing lands, managing total grazing pressure, carbon farming, sustainability or future opportunities, landholders across the Desert Channels region will have access to the expertise and experiences of a number of speakers addressing these topics and more at the Mitchell Grass Downs Sustainable Grazing Forum on Wednesday 13th and the Pastoral Properties Field Tour on Thursday 14th April in Longreach.
A number of graziers will be speaking about what they have been doing to better manage their properties, including Adam & Renae Bradshaw from Tomoo Station near Mitchell who are managing the total grazing pressure that was coming from kangaroos and feral goats with an extensive fencing program that started with the whole boundary being replaced with hinge joint designed to slow down the pressure put on pastures in the hope that their country could get true rest.
“Our focus is on financial and ecological health and our ultimate dream is to romance grazing properties to the next generation, and encourage our children and our future to further their education and then come back to the bush,” said Adam.
Graham & Cathy Finlayson from Bokhara Plains in the western NSW Mitchell Grass Downs experienced one high rainfall year before one of the driest periods in the districts history when purchasing their place.
Graham said, “Taking our focus off livestock and shifting it to the land has seen major improvements in carrying capacity and diversification into tourism drives their goal of creating synergistic enterprises that allow smaller family farms to be profitable.”
David Marsh has been farming in the South West Slopes of NSW at Boorowa and will speak about how landscape change begins with changing ourselves.
“Matching stocking rate to carrying capacity and managing to allow the biotic community to complicate and regenerate itself are cornerstones of farm decision-making,” said David. “This approach includes planned grazing with large mobs of animals and maximises the capture of solar energy by the plant community, strengthening resilience over time. Improving landscape function has led to a very low cost farming operation at Allendale.”
Macropods play a big role in western Queensland and Acting Regional Service Director for the Department of Environment and Resource Management, Chris Hill will be speaking about how the annual population estimates are calculated from an aerial helicopter and where the surveys were taken across a number of sample blocks throughout Queensland. Roma based Wildlife Ranger Trent Forge will be talking about damage mitigation permits and outlining the procedure for application and the considerations that are made when assessing permit applications for the culling of macropods for property protection.
“Recent and unprecedented demand for natural resources means that no matter where you might reside in Queensland you are likely to be approached by an exploration, mining, gas, oil, rail, power or similar companies wanting to enter your land,” said Glen Martin, who is a solicitor in the Farm and Rural Legal Service section of Legal Aid Queensland exclusively assisting rural landholders affected by mining and related activity.
“The occurrence of it can often be overwhelming and to be forewarned is to be forearmed. I will provide an overview of your rights and obligations and insight into how things might unfold and answer any legal questions you might have on the topic,” said Glen.
Other presentations highlight the opportunities available to graziers through the Climate Change & Carbon Farming Initiative and the Australian Land Management Group.
Registrations are essential and must be received before 4pm on Wednesday 6th April, contact the Desert Channels Group on 07 4652 7826 or email colleen.james@dcq.org.au to register. Information is available at www.dcq.org.au.
The workshop is an initiative of the Desert Channels Landholder Support Service Project and is funded by the Queensland Government’s Blueprint for the Bush Program and the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program. Partners are The Department of Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM), The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and The Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI).
ENDS
