Queensland Farmer Today November 2021

November, 2021

Corey tops state

Ag land boom

PAGE 12

PAGES 8-9

Right on track Charli’s Triple treat

Cattle logistics in Queensland will welcome a fresh start on 1 January 2022 when Watco East West starts operating on the state’s central west rail line.

Following a competitive bidding process, the rail freight provider won the State Government contract in September after last year securing the south west rail line service. The latest contract runs from 2022 to 2028, with a three-year additional option.

Watco East West director Chris Hood said his business was keen to bring innovative thoughts to the cattle logistics’ table.

STORY PAGE 5

A top gun and a young gun have clinched major victories in the esteemed Condamine Bell Campdraft, sparking a thrilling start to the 2021 Triple Crown series. From a field of 440 riders, champion Ben Hall of Muttaburra won the open draft and Charli Curr of Julia Creek secured the Joyce Campbell Memorial ladies’ draft.

STORY PAGE 24

Big grain leap Big grain size is what croppers seek to achieve higher yields, better grading, fewer screenings and enhanced milling efficiency.

Well, in some good news, Queensland researchers have discovered genes in sorghum Queensland’s most prolific summer crop - that could increase grain size without penalty.

Led by Professor David Jordan and Dr Emma Mace, the work has been done at the Hermitage Research Facility in Warwick by the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) - a research institute of University of Queensland.

STORY PAGE 6

Charli Curr, Arizona Station, Julia Creek won the ladies’ draft at the Condamine Bell Campdraft, riding Spook.

Picture: HARRY CLARKE, COUNTRYCALLER.COM.AU

Record bull price A horned bull sold on 9 September at Andrew Bassingthwaighte’s Yarrawonga Santa Gertrudis stud at Wallumbilla has reset the breed’s bull record.

Yarrawonga Katmandu R236, the second of 158 lots into the ring, went for $150,000 to Scott and Wendy Ferguson, Glenn Oaks stud,

Nobby, incidentally breaking their record of $126,000 set last year.

Katmandu is the son of Yarrawonga H Bomb (P) - the 2018 Brisbane Royal junior champion and grand champion bull - and the first of H Bomb’s calves sold.

Mr Bassingthwaighte said the bull, which topped the scales at 914kg at 23 months and had an eye muscle measurement of 137 square centimetres, was the “all round perfect package”.

“Katmandu is a standout,” he said. “He is very correct, there is plenty of meat in him and

THE HON

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MP

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57 Cunningham Street | PO Box 641 Dalby Qld 4405 E: david.littleproud.mp@aph.gov.au P: (07) 4662 2715 Authorised by the Hon David Littleproud MP, Liberal National Party, Dalby Qld

Getting Maranoa’s fair share

www.davidlittleproud.com.au

his body is thick and soft.”

The sale marked a milestone for Mr Bassingthwaighte and his wife, Fiona with the catalogue filled solely with Yarrawonga bulls for the first time.

STORY PAGE 4

INSIDE

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

LOGISTICS BOOST ........................ page 5 INNOVATION .................................. page 6

WRITING FOR US...

AG LAND BOOM ........................... page 9 VAX LEADERS ............................. page 10 YOUNG AUCTIONEER ................... page 12 CLIMATE CHAMPS ...................... page 13 COLUMNS ...........................pages 15-17 CAMPDRAFT ............................... page 24 Agri-business lawyer Tom Marland.

DAM LEVELS Beardmore................................... 64.26%

Bjelke Petersen ............................... 6.5%

Borumba ....................................... 74.5%

Boondoomba ................................ 24.5% Rural health expert Toby Ford.

Cedar Pocket ................................ 70.8% MLA managing director Jason Strong.

See pages 15-17

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud.

Chinchilla Weir ............................... 86.9%

Cunnamulla (Alan Tannock) ............. 69.8%

Leslie ............................................ 56.7%

Paradise ........................................ 30.5%

Somerset ......................................... 64%

Today Print director Bruce Ellen, left, discusses the opening of the Today Print plant members of the team in Rockhampton, from left Wayne Layt, Mark Crager and Wes Tomlinson.

Wivenhoe....................................... 40.3%

CONTACT US The editor’s desk Address: 154-156 Haly Street Kingaroy 4610 Telephone: 07 4182 0450 Website: QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au CONTACT US Editorial: Email: newsdesk@QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au Advertising: Email: advertising@QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au Classifieds: Phone: 07 4182 0450 or 1300 666 808 Email: sales@networkclassifieds.com.au ADVERTISING Annette Weatherstone Account Manager E: annette.weatherstone@QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au Queensland Farmer Today is published monthly and part of the Today News Group. Published by South Burnett Today Pty Ltd ACN 641 796 349.

Publisher: Damian Morgan Managing Director: Daniel Pelcl.

All material is copyright to South Burnett Today Pty Ltd. All significant errors will be corrected as soon as possible. For our terms and conditions please visit QueenslanFarmerToday.com.au/terms-and-conditions/

Welcome to the first edition of Queensland Farmer Today.

The agricultural sector in Queensland has never been more important to our state, nor has it ever been more vibrant and innovative - so it is our privilege to launch this new publication to serve the proud, progressive and hard-working people of the Queensland farming community.

Our mission at Queensland Farmer Today is to help connect farmers by sharing their stories in traditional newsprint, and online, while helping to bring a louder voice to the agricultural sector.

This publication is a creation of the passionate team at Today News Group who are proudly leading the revival of independent journalism in regional Queensland with new publications in Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Gympie, Burnett, Noosa, Warwick, Stanthorpe and Ipswich.

Queensland Farmer Today will initially be a monthly publication distributed for free through Today News Group newspapers and via strategic drop-off points, making it the largest circulation agricultural newspaper in Queensland.

Like the farming community we serve, we’re committed to regional Queensland and we’re proud to have created more than 70 jobs in regional publishing in the past eighteen months.

We hope you enjoy this first edition, and like all farmers we look forward to what we can grow from here.

- Damian Morgan, Director Today News Group

Qld regional news revival A revival of independent newspapers that started a year ago in Queensland continues to go from strength to strength.

Since NewsCorp announced the closure of most of its regional newspapers in 2020, a record number of new independent newspaper titles have emerged across the state.

The Today News Group (publishers of Queensland Farmer Today) is leading the revival with new publications in Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Gympie, Cooloola Coast, Burnett, Noosa, Warwick and Stanthorpe as well as in Ipswich and Greater Springfield – creating more than 70 jobs in the process.

Due to popular demand, last week Rockhampton-based local independent newspaper CQ Today marked its first full year of publishing by commencing printing two editions per week – on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“Today News Group is not a corporation, we’re a group of independent publishers with different shareholders but a common vision and approach to publishing in the modern era”, said a director of the organisation, Damian Morgan.

“We have proven there is a still a strong demand for a printed newspaper in regional

With a fleet of 11 trucks, trailers and 15 drivers Westlink has earned the reputation of reliability and professionalism in the fuel industry.

Westlink prides itself on personal services from ordering through to delivery.

Supplying fuel to Southern & Western Queensland for rural on farm deliveries and commercial bulk fuel deliveries. Our range of oil products can also be delivered with your fuel order.

For on-farm deliveries call the FUEL MAN Lindsay Renaud: 0488 481 010 for all other enquiries please call (07) 4162 3344 12518514-CG44-21

2 TODAY November 2021

areas if the product is local, independent and well produced. We’re a modern news business and all of our content is published online, but we’re also committed to printing ‘journal of record’ type weekly newspapers filled with local news, local opinions and important community information”, he said.

“A local newspaper should hold the powerful to account while also providing a voice for the local communities we are a part of to advocate on important issues for our regions.

In this era where false news spreads faster on social media than the truth does, it has never been more important to have a trusted and regulated source of news for local communities, and we’re proud to be providing that service’, said Mr Morgan.

Today News Group has also acquired the former News Corp printing facility in Rockhampton and is now printing many regional newspapers from throughout Queensland on the Today Print presses.

“This print site is an important piece of infrastructure for the industry and by restarting the press in Rockhampton we’ve been able to provide some surety to independent publishers across the state”, he said.

7056452ab

Coolmiunda ................................... 96.3%

QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

NEWS

A record-breaking year The agricultural sector is looking at another record-breaking year, with the gross value of production (GVP) forecast to reach $73 billion in 2021-22.

ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said if the forecast in the Agricultural Commodities: September Quarter report proves to be accurate, then it will be the first time the agriculture sector has been valued at over $70 billion.

“The forecast for next year is due to a combination of factors, all tumbling neatly into place,” Dr Greenville explained.

“The value of crop production is set to rise by 7 per cent to $39.5 billion because of another near-record winter crop harvest, combined with strong global prices for grain, sugar and cotton.

“While there are risks related to mice, labour availability and continued uncertainties due to Covid-19, we are expecting national production to remain robust.

“The value of livestock production is also tipped to rise to $33.5 billion, an increase of 8 per cent.

“We’ve had a solid cropping year across the

wheat-sheep belt, so we’re looking at another robust harvest.

“The international market is also tipped in our favour, as poor harvests in North America and Europe are pushing up the price of grain.

“Strong domestic production and a favourable global market are set to see exports also hit a record of close to $55 billion in 2021-22.

“The biggest contribution to growth in exports will be crops, which are set to rise by 17 per cent to $30 billion.

“A good year means optimism at the saleyards, and many of our farmers are enjoying their second good year in a row. This has trans-

lated to record prices for young cattle as farmers look to restock.

“Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Australian farmers operate in one of the world’s most variable climates so we cannot expect the good seasons to keep coming. The same can be said for high world prices.

“That said, the last two years have placed our farmers in a good position to take on any challenges ahead.”

The Agricultural Commodities: September Quarter report can be read on the ABARES website agriculture.gov.au/abares

Aussie farmers are ‘simply nuts’ for peanuts A power ballad about peanuts for the nation is set to be the latest craze as Australian farmers sing about how they are ‘simply nuts’... for Aussie peanuts.

The song and music video was released

by Bega Cheese Limited brand Simply Nuts and peanut farming families on Thursday, 21 October.

The light-hearted and catchy tune aims to raise awareness of Aussie peanuts and to celebrate the hard work of peanut farmers.

‘We’re Simply Nuts (For Aussie Peanuts)’ stars real peanut farmers from across Queensland who have a message for the nation -they’re nuts about Aussie peanuts.

Mark Rackemann, a third-generation Coalstoun Lakes peanut farmer, explained that recording the song was unlike anything that he, or the group of farmers who joined him, have ever done before. Mark, his son Cam and his nephew Ben, along with their families joined in the fun.

“I’ve been growing peanuts my entire life and, along with my family, couldn’t be happier to be involved in recording We’re Simply Nuts (For Aussie Peanuts). This song is just what the Australian peanut industry needs to promote Australian farmers. We need this now more than ever,” said Mark Rackemann.

“That’s why being involved today means so much to us,” added Cam Rackemann and partner, Michelle van der Meulen.

Simply Nuts was proud to see so many hard-working Aussie peanut farmers throw their Akubra into the ring to get involved.

Jacqui Roth, Simply Nuts Marketing Manager, explained how peanut farmers who supply their delicious Australian peanuts to Bega Cheese Limited (Bega) responded to the callout to see a nutty power ballad for the nation.

“This idea all started because we wanted to shine a spotlight on Aussie peanut farmers – they’re the stars of the show, and what better way is there to showcase the passion for Australian peanuts and industry, than to feature those who make it all possible?” said Jacqui Roth.

“Believe it or not, the farmers that you see in We’re Simply Nuts (For Aussie Peanuts)

Australian peanut farmers, including the Rackemann family from Coalstoun Lakes, were keen to get involved in the ‘Simply Nuts’ music video.

Picture: BEGA aren’t actors – they’re real, hard-working Aussie peanut farmers, who generously gave up their time to record what we consider a gift to the nation’s eyes and ears.”

The Australian peanut industry has faced many trying times and some very challenging growing conditions, but peanut farmers couldn’t be happier to grow peanuts.

“We love growing peanuts and we’re feeling really positive about the future of the industry, so much so that we were willing to

do something that we’ve never done before to share this passion with the nation,” said Mark Rackemann.

Australians might be surprised to learn that, currently, two thirds of the peanuts that are consumed in Australia are imported.

Bega is working with Aussie peanut farmers to grow the size of the Aussie peanut industry – and is why Bega is proud to offer the nation Simply Nuts. Simply Nuts is proudly made using 100 per cent Australian peanuts.

Ben and Steph Rackemann think all Australians should go absolutely nuts for Aussie peanuts.

“Supporting Simply Nuts is amazing because Australian product is amazing – Simply Nuts is made from 100 per cent Australian peanuts and that is really special. We’ve put our heart and soul into We’re Simply Nuts (For Aussie Peanuts), and we really hope you love it,“ the Coalstoun Lakes couple said.

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November 2021 TODAY 3

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

Bull sells at record price

By Fiona Gowers A horned bull sold on 9 September at Andrew Bassingthwaighte’s Yarrawonga Santa Gertrudis stud at Wallumbilla has reset the breed’s bull record.

Yarrawonga Katmandu R236, the second of 158 lots into the ring, went for $150,000 to Scott and Wendy Ferguson, Glenn Oaks stud, Nobby, incidentally breaking their record of $126,000 set last year.

Katmandu is the son of Yarrawonga H Bomb (P) - the 2018 Brisbane Royal junior champion and grand champion bull - and the first of H Bomb’s calves sold.

Mr Bassingthwaighte said the bull, which topped the scales at 914kg at 23 months and had an eye muscle measurement of 137 square centimetres, was the “all round perfect package”.

“Katmandu is a standout,” he said. “He is very correct, there is plenty of meat in him and his body is thick and soft.”

The sale marked a milestone for Mr Bassingthwaighte and his wife, Fiona with the catalogue filled solely with Yarrawonga bulls for the first time.

Nutrien divisional livestock sales coordinator - Southern Q, Colby Ede. Mr Bassingthwaighte said the huge support received from both studs and commercial clients had been “gratifying”.

“Our aim is to supply a consistent product, which is reflected in the many grand champions the stud has won,” he said.

“To achieve this, we have injected the best

genetics from other producers - as well as our own - with about 2000 stud cows in the breeding program.

“We also run a large AI program.”

Beef producers from Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, NSW and the NT bought bulls at the Yarrawonga stud sale, while in

Queensland, buyers came from Cloncurry to Esk. “Our client base has become a bit more diverse due to drought because these poor breeders haven’t been able to buy bulls for 10 years,” Mr Bassingthwaighte said.

“It has been dry for so long.”

According to Mr Bassingthwaighte, “many domestic variables” are driving the market and he predicts it will continue to rise.

“Everyone is trying to buy back in (to the beef industry) because cattle prices are so high,” he said. “And there is confidence in the industry moving forward.

“Farmers have money in their pockets and the great thing about farmers is that money doesn’t stay in their pockets for too long. They love spending it on stock and machinery.

“People want quality and are willing to pay for it. Everyone wants better EBVs (estimated breeding values), better temperament, better fertility. Everything better.”

“It’s just a bit of a challenge for us poor bull breeders as we have to keep lifting the bar and producing better bulls. The pressure is next level!”

Record breakers Senepol

· The bull: 5 Star 201019 (PP). · The price: $40,000, up $10,000. seller: Geoff and Alison Maynard · The and family, 5 Star stud, Jambin Q. buyer: Chris Simpson, CAP Ge· The nomics, Harlin. sale: Central Queensland Live· The stock Exchange (CQLX), Gracemere on 20 September.

Ultrablack The bull: Palgrove Quantum The price: $35,000, up by $3000 The seller: Palgrove stud, Dalveen, Q. The buyer: Robert and Anna Hick, Julia Creek, Q. The sale: On-site at Palgrove stud, Dalveen, Q, on 10 September.

Braford The bull: Carinya Yenda.

The price: $50,000.

The seller: John and Jacquie Amor, Carinya Brafords, Dulacca Q. The buyer: Russell and Donna Kenny, Harriett Valley, Gayndah.

The sale: Central Queensland Livestock Exchange (CQLX), Gracemere on 10 September.

Braford The bull: Double C P124 Playboy.

The price: $50,000.

The seller: The Chad family, Double C stud, Dubbo, NSW. The buyer: Daniel and Arlie Treloar, Treloar Grazing Co, Rockhampton.

The sale: Central Queensland Livestock Exchange (CQLX), Gracemere on 10 September.

Santa Gertrudis The bull: Yarrawonga Katmandu R236.

The price: $150,000, up by $24,000.

The seller: Andrew Bassingthwaighte and family, Yarrawonga Santa Gertrudis stud, Wallumbilla, Q. The buyer: Scott Ferguson, Glenn Oaks Santa Gertrudis stud, Nobby, Q. The sale: On-site at Yarrawonga Santa Gertrudis stud, Wallumbilla, Q on 9 September.

Angus The bull: Millah Murrah Paratrooper.

The price: $280,000.

The seller: Ross Thompson, Millah Murrah Angus stud, Bathurst.

The buyer: Rodger Pryce, Brooklana Angus stud, Brooklana via Dorrigo.

The sale: On-site at Millah Murrah Angus stud, Thursday, 2 September.

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

4 TODAY November 2021

Scott Ferguson, Glenn Oaks stud, Nobby, the buyer of the top-priced bull, Yarrawonga Katmandu R236, with Yarrawonga stud principal, Andrew Bassingthwaighte.

Katmandu reaches new heights

By Fiona Gowers A horned bull sold on September 9 at Andrew Bassingthwaighte’s Yarrawonga Santa Gertrudis stud at Wallumbilla has reset the breed’s bull record.

Yarrawonga Katmandu R236, the second of 158 lots into the ring, went for $150,000 to Scott and Wendy Ferguson, Glenn Oaks stud, Nobby, incidentally breaking their record of $126,000 set last year.

Katmandu is the son of Yarrawonga H Bomb (P) - the 2018 Brisbane Royal junior champion and grand champion bull - and the first of H Bomb’s calves sold.

Mr Bassingthwaighte said the bull, which topped the scales at 914kg at 23 months and had an eye muscle measurement of 137 square centimetres, was the “all round perfect package”.

“Katmandu is a standout,” he said. “He is very correct, there is plenty of meat in him and his body is thick and soft.”

The sale marked a milestone for Mr Bassingthwaighte and his wife, Fiona with the catalogue filled solely with Yarrawonga bulls for the first time.

Mr Bassingthwaighte said the huge support received from both studs and commercial clients had been “gratifying”.

“Our aim is to supply a consistent product, which is reflected in the many grand champions the stud has won,” he said.

“To achieve this, we have injected the best genetics from other producers - as well as our own - with about 2000 stud cows in the breeding program.

“We also run a large AI program.”

Beef producers from Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, NSW and the NT bought bulls at the Yarrawonga stud sale, while in Queensland, buyers came from Cloncurry to Esk. “Our client base has become a bit more diverse due to drought because these poor

breeders haven’t been able to buy bulls for 10 years,” Mr Bassingthwaighte said.

“It has been dry for so long.”

According to Mr Bassingthwaighte, “many domestic variables” are driving the market and he predicts it will continue to rise.

“Everyone is trying to buy back in (to the beef industry) because cattle prices are so high,” he said. “And there is confidence in the industry moving forward.

“Farmers have money in their pockets and the great thing about farmers is that money doesn’t stay in their pockets for too long. They love spending it on stock and machinery.

“People want quality and are willing to pay for it. Everyone wants better EBVs (estimated breeding values), better temperament, better fertility. Everything better.”

“It’s just a bit of a challenge for us poor bull breeders as we have to keep lifting the bar and producing better bulls. The pressure is next level!”

QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

On the right track

By Fiona Gowers Cattle logistics in Queensland will welcome a fresh start on 1 January 2022 when Watco East West starts operating on the state’s central west rail line.

Following a competitive bidding process, the rail freight provider won the State Government contract in September after last year securing the south west rail line service.

The latest contract runs from 2022 to 2028, with a three-year additional option.

Watco East West director Chris Hood said his business was keen to bring innovative thoughts to the cattle logistics’ table.

He said the exponential growth of Australia’s agricultural industry - and insatiable demand for its products domestically and internationally - had placed enormous pressures on freight.

Ideally, a strategic balance needed to be struck between using rail and road to ensure optimum outcomes for clients.

“In Australia, we have become really good at advances on-farm around gene technology, machinery and artificial intelligence,” Mr Hood said.

“But the actual business of getting products from farm to market has not been a bed of roses. I think it can be done a lot better.

“We are determined to make this operation a success and ultimately deliver better outcomes for both processors and cattle producers by integrating the two services with road use.

“Ultimately, we will be concentrating on improved communications and better coordination between road and rail livestock transport.”

Watco East West already operates services into Oakey and Brisbane through the Morven Rail Freight hub, whose significance will only grow with the addition of the central west line.

The aim, Mr Hood said, would be to attract

Southern Downs deputy mayor Ross Bartley, Agriculture Minister Mark Furner, Watco East West director Chris Hood and Southern Downs mayor Vic Pennisi at the announcement of the new contract in Warwick.

Picture: SUPPLIED cattle into loading points as far north as Winton and Clermont, as well as building greater volumes from north to west and into the Morven hub.

He said one train could carry 1000 cows, equivalent to about 15 B-doubles.

“It is well known, and the feedback we get from large pastoral companies and meat works, is that cattle travel better on trains,” Mr Hood said.

“Physically, it’s single level so not as much sway with the travel. It’s a slower trip and they’re not ruffled around so much.”

Mr Hood is adamant that the oft-criticised Queensland rail network is more than capable of handling a vast increase in volume.

“We have this vital infrastructure that, in many cases, is sitting idle and Watco East West

is excited to be reinvigorating its usage to support Queensland’s beef industry.”

Mr Hood sees potential in the movement of store and feeder cattle, as well as the company’s “bread and butter” slaughter cattle.

He thanked the Queensland Government, singling our ministers Mark Bailey and Mark Furner for listening to regional communities about what they wanted to see improved in cattle freight service delivery.

“The communities where we will be operating will benefit from this government decision and we will work collaboratively with the cattle industry and the road freight industry to ensure system Coordination.”

The tender process for cattle rail services on the state’s north west line was ongoing, the government said.

NEWS

Their view...

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey “Supporting cattle producers and Queensland’s beef industry is an integral part of our Covid economic recovery plan. “ Tr a n s p o r t i n g cattle on rail reduces wear-and-tear on our roads and reduces traffic congestion, so a key aim of this contract is to increase the amount of cattle transported by rail services.

“Queensland has the largest and some of the best beef herds in Australia and the beef industry is a significant contributor to the state’s economy.

“It’s why the government invested $5 million to repair the disused Yeppoon branch line so cattle trains could travel directly into Rockhampton’s JBS abattoir.

“More than 10,000 Queenslanders work in the beef industry and cattle transport is a critical part of its successful operation in a state as large as ours.

“By supporting businesses like Watco to help manage the freight task, we’re sharing the load between road and rail.”

Agriculture Minister Mark Furner “The new contract will help to ensure efficient logistical arrangements to support the cattle supply chain.

Partnerships like this one are a key strategic strength of the agricultural industry in Australia, supporting thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in exports.”

The red meat and livestock industry proudly produces healthy, nutritious, natural protein, is a world leader in sustainable farming practices and is increasingly part of the climate solution.

Know your facts.

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November 2021 TODAY 5

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

QAAFI researcher Dr Yongfu Tao displays grain size variation in sorghum.

Sorghum grain size variation.

Big breakthrough in grain

By Fiona Gowers Big grain size is what croppers seek to achieve higher yields, better grading, fewer screenings and enhanced milling efficiency.

Well, in some good news, Queensland researchers have discovered genes in sorghum Queensland’s most prolific summer crop - that could increase grain size without penalty.

Led by Professor David Jordan and Dr Emma Mace, the work has been done at the Hermitage Research Facility in Warwick by the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) - a research institute of University of Queensland.

Professor Jordan said he was optimistic the value and versatility of Queensland’s primary cereal crop would improve following the discovery of genes that could increase the grain size of sorghum.

He said the production of small grains by droughted sorghum crops commonly resulted in losses to growers due to small seed but now, that may change.

“Sorghum is popular among Australian growers, particularly in the northern grain belt, due to its reliability and resilience,” Professor Jordan said.

“This research will help breeders to expand the crop’s potential.”

Sorghum is Australia’s third-largest grain crop, providing vital feed to animals, but is increasingly being used in cereals and other foods for human consumption.

“Sorghum has been an important dietary source of starch in Africa for thousands of years, but it is valued in western diets as a low-GI, gluten-free and nutritious grain,”

Professor Jordan said.

“Larger grains improve processing efficiency making the crop more cost effective for use in animal feed and human foods.”

“One of the challenges for plant breeders trying to increase grain size in cereals such as sorghum is that larger grains are generally associated with reduced grain number and yield” To address this problem, QAAFI research fellow Dr Yongfu Tao conducted one of the largest studies of cereal grain size globally, mapping the sorghum genome to identify genes associated with grain size.

In collaboration with Dr Emma Mace, he narrowed the search with existing genetic information from the genomes of rice and maize.

Dr Tao said 125 regions in the sorghum genome had been identified where variation in the DNA sequence was associated with grain size and response to environmental conditions such as drought.

He said he was able to demonstrate huge diversity existed in the sorghum gene pool for grain size.

“Genetic makeup largely determined an individual sorghum plant’s grain size, however environmental conditions also had an effect,“ Dr Tao said.

“This study has enabled us to identify genes that increase grain size but do not reduce grain number and provide tools to plant breeders to develop new sorghum hybrids with bigger grains.”

The project, in which the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries DAF was a partner, also delivered important information to help croppers improve sorghum cultivars.

Professor David Jordan led the research into sorghum grain size.

Pictures: MEGAN POPE, UQ

The way of the future

By Fiona Gowers

Darling Downs grain grower Glenn Milne of Baldovan in Dalby said he was keen to try the new sorghum variants, which could improve reliability for many Queensland farmers.

Picture: SUPPLIED

6 TODAY November 2021

As an agricultural science graduate, it is little surprise Darling Downs grain grower Glenn Milne enthusiastically embraces cropping trials “as it is the only way the industry will advance”.

Mr Milne, who farms at Baldovan, Dalby said he was keen to try the new sorghum variants, which could improve reliability for many Queensland farmers.

“In our sorghum varieties, we look for standability, weathering resistance, yield and quality,” he said. “A bigger grain size would help to deliver those things.

“They would also be easier to mill and reduce screenings.”

While Mr Milne said he was willing to chop and change sorghum varieties to match the seasonal conditions, A66, a Pioneer hybrid seed, remained a firm favourite this year.

“During last year’s wet weather when the variety was mature, it resisted the mould, held its quality and yielded well,” he said.

Mr Milne’s moisture profile currently sits at 50 per cent, the best early planting opportunity for eight years.

He has begun sowing sorghum, introducing this year the high-yielding, A-75, another Pioneer hybrid seed.

Depending on the rotation, which could be chickpeas, mung beans or barley, Mr Milne sows between 200ha and 600ha of sorghum. “I try to keep it very flexible, depending on the weather.”

He plans to cover 120ha with A66 and 80ha to A75 into land long-fallowed from last year’s chickpea crop.

Mr Milne fertilises and plants on stored moisture in October, using a John Deere MaxEmerge planter at a seeding rate of 70,000 seeds/ha.

When harvest starts in February, he hopes to yield between 7t/ha to 10t/ha.

“Dry seasons have not always allowed this in the past few years,” Mr Milne said. “But these are the yields I am aiming for.”

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November 2021 TODAY 7

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Packhorse founder Tom Strachan.

A beacon for investors Australian agricultural land has become one of the most attractive asset classes for corporate investors in Australia, with farm property sale prices booming alongside strong commodity prices and good seasons in a low interest rate environment.

The interest in agricultural investment has been building over recent decades and for the last 20 years agricultural land has capitalised at a healthy compound rate of 7.6 per cent per annum.

The biggest disincentive for corporate investment in rural land has always been the operating risk in agricultural ventures, with these risks magnified by unreliable weather and commodity prices.

The rise of corporate investment has coincided with the ability to reduce the impact of these variables.

“Agricultural land is an outstanding asset class that a lot of people haven’t thought about because of its historical links to droughts and impacted farmers,” says Tim Samway, the chair of new agricultural fund, Packhorse Pastoral Australia.

“But what people don’t realise is that many farmers have been capital constrained with limited funds in the bank to actually droughtproof their properties and prepare for minimal rainfall,” he said.

Packhorse Pastoral Company is an Australian investment company managing agricultural assets using land restoration practices.

Tom Strachan, Packhorse founder said: “Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity above and below ground, enriches soils, improves water infiltration and enhances ecosystems. This involves planting multiple species of grasses and legumes and adopting time-controlled grazing, where livestock impact plays a significant role in rejuvenating the soil”.

“The implementation of regenerative agriculture enhances cattle growing performance, resilience to climate instability, and higher health and vitality for farming and pastoral communities.

8 TODAY November 2021

Packhorse staff at Lighthouse. Top row Tom Barnes – Manager, Oakwood; Jennifer Cameron - Investor Relations and Marketing Director; Andrew Turvey – Manager, Juandah Aggregation; Benam Underwood – Overseer, Lighthouse. Bottom row: Josh Townsend – Overseer, Oakwood; Callum Rayne – Manager, Lighthouse; Geoff Murrell - CEO Pastoral, Packhorse Investments Australia; Harry Scott – Overseer, Juandah Aggregation.

“In addition, soil and vegetation improvement actively removes and stores greenhouse gases currently in the atmosphere. Capturing and storing carbon will play a fundamental role in reducing the impact of climate change,” said Strachan.

The Packhorse plan is to improve the quality of the land they invest in, by improving ground cover and soil microbiology, with the potential to store more water and sequester carbon.

Packhorse has put ‘regenerative agriculture’ at the core of their investment and land management strategy.

“Packhorse is a cattle agistment business, with a difference. Our prime focus is the land

- the quality of the grass, the soil and overall health of the pastures - which is the key to deploying our long-term vision for Packhorse to be the largest land holder and carbon capture business in the country,” said Tom Strachan.

The successful launch of Packhorse Pastoral Company earlier this year and subsequent first raise, saw the purchase of Stuart’s Creek, a 8360-hectare property in Queensland, the first in a five-year plan to acquire $1bn worth of cattle property.

Stuart’s Creek currently runs 3000 head of cattle and with careful investment over the next three years the carrying capacity is expected to increase to 5,000 having a material impact on the property value.

In August 2021, Packhorse engaged market leader Carbon Link to measure a carbon baseline for the Stuart’s Creek property, which may lead to sequestration of up to 2800 tonnes of carbon per annum across an estimated 4000 hectares of land.

Packhorse will work with Carbon Link to deploy sizeable programs to sequester carbon in the soil of all the properties acquired by the company, with an ultimate ambition to have one million hectares of land in carbon related projects. In doing this, Packhorse hopes to achieve carbon neutral status by 2028 and generate lucrative carbon credits to on-sell to those companies striving to meet net-zero emission obligations.

QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

NEWS

Dedicated quarantine opens seasonal work

Not only the cattle are curious... agricultural land is becoming hot property.

Agricultural land hike Australian agricultural land prices are set to continue to climb for at least the next five years – with the sharpest growth to 2023 – Rabobank says in its newly-released annual Agricultural Land Price Outlook.

In its 2021 report, supported by Digital Agriculture Services (DAS), the agribusiness banking specialist outlines a “base-case forecast” for Australia’s heated agricultural land market to continue on a growth trajectory, fuelled by a booming agricultural economy and limited available land for purchase.

“Not in the last 30 years have the macro settings been so supportive” of agricultural land price growth, the report says, with prices of most major agricultural commodities either at, or near, record levels.

This – together with favourable seasonal conditions in the majority of Australia seeing widespread rainfall supporting production – has driven farm revenues to record levels, says report author, Rabobank senior analyst Wes Lefroy.

“Strong production years and high commodity prices, alongside record low interest rates, have boosted farmers’ purchasing power,” he said. “Nationally, our research is showing that farmer purchasing intentions are at the highest point in at least the past five years, with nine per cent of Australian farmers reporting that they intend to buy land within 12 months.”

Lack of supply is also playing a role in squeezing agricultural land prices higher, the report says, with 45 per cent fewer sales recorded in 2020 compared with 2019.

Median price growth Agricultural land prices across the country accelerated again in 2020, the report says, with double digit growth recorded in median prices in four out of six states.

The median price of agricultural land in Tasmania grew by a whopping 28.3 per cent between 2019 to 2020, in Victoria by 15.8 per cent, Queensland by 15 per cent and Western Australia by 14.1 per cent.

Growth in New South Wales and South Australia was lower, with these states recording year-on-year median price growth of 6.1 per cent and one per cent respectively.

Nationally, the median price for agricultural land in Australia grew by six per cent in the year to 2020.

Fundamentals to remain supportive Mr Lefroy said the factors which had supported robust growth in Australian agricultural land prices were forecast to continue.

“We think it’s likely that commodity prices will remain supportive for the next 24 months, while we expect interest rates will stay at record lows until at least 2024,” he said.

While, the report says, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) expects the value

of farm production to reach A$73 billion in 2021/22, an impressive eight per cent above last year’s A$68 billion record and 17 per cent above the five-year average.

“For land price growth to reduce, or even for a downward correction to occur, we would need to see a multi-year interruption to a combination of commodity prices, production or interest rates,” Mr Lefroy said.

FOMO among farmers The report says a shortage of available agricultural land for purchase has been contributing to ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO) among farmers and adding upward price pressure to the market.

“After sales of agricultural land peaked in 2019, the number of properties on the market decreased in 2020 and even further in 2021 so far,” Mr Lefroy said. “Across the country the pipeline of sales coming on to the market is historically very low, which presents a distinct lack of buying opportunities.

“We have observed the ‘fear of missing out’ factor prompting buyers to enter the market earlier than they had planned.”

In some cases, Mr Lefroy said, “FOMO” was prompting buyers to enter an EOI (expression of interest) for a purchase at much higher than the productive value in order to secure the property, not knowing when another opportunity may arise.

Opportunities exist The report says the “difficulty of the challenge facing buyers competing in a deep pool of demand, but low supply” should not be underestimated. However, there are still purchasing opportunities “for those who do their homework”.

“Markets have got tight, but not all are equally tight,” Mr Lefroy said. “Not all regions have seen prices rise at the same pace and while demand continues to outweigh the number of properties on the market, the demand/supply balance is not the same in all regions.”

For the first time, this year’s report includes an assessment of land price against annual rainfall, revealing that the relationship between price and annual rainfall is not consistent in some regions.

Seeking out purchases in regions where land price values more closely reflect annual rainfall – and therefore productive capacity – rather than inflated by other factors can provide farmers with more value, Mr Lefroy said.

“For those buyers who do their homework and have the flexibility within their business to seek inter-regional purchases, there may be greater productive value to be had for their capital investment,” he said.

“We expect to see an increasing number of farmers broaden their expansion horizons in coming years, prompted by limited opportunities, and variations in the price per unit of rainfall and productive capacity.”

Dedicated quarantine facilities will allow more Pacific Labour Scheme and Seasonal Workers Program (PLS/SWP) workers into Queensland.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said the Queensland Chief Health Officer’s approval of the Seasonal Workers International Quarantine Plans and Checklist Direction has enabled use of industry-led regional quarantine facilities for the PLS/SWP workers.

“Queensland has led the nation in securing PLS/SWP workers and the establishment of these industry-led regional quarantine facilities at Grantham, Dimbulah, and Claredale builds our capacity to support the State’s agriculture industry,” Mr Furner said.

“Agriculture is an essential industry in Queensland and a vital part of Queensland’s Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan.

“With capacities ranging from 80 to 240, these facilities will help our producers to fill seasonal jobs that help to supply high quality food for Australians, especially at peak times such as harvest and planting.

“The introduction of industry-led regional quarantine facilities is welcome news, providing another option in to bring in essential agricultural workers to Queensland, while helping to alleviate pressure on hotel quarantine.”

Mr Furner said workers at the industryled regional quarantine facilities would undergo stringent quarantine arrangements in accordance with the current requirements set by Queensland’s Chief Health Officer.

“Mandatory quarantine is undertaken for 14 days and Covid-19 testing is undertaken in accordance with the Chief Health Officer’s requirements,” Mr Furner said.

Agriculture Minister Mark Furner.

“Workers in these facilities will undertake a range of induction and training courses while in quarantine and will not attend work until after their 14 days quarantine is completed.

“These arrangements ensure there is a high level of protection afforded to the workers but also to the community.”

Mr Furner said Queensland had brought in more than 3800 workers from Pacific nations to assist our agricultural sectors.

“Only those countries with no or very low-level Covid-19 status and are approved by the Queensland Chief Health Officer are allowed entry into Queensland under the program,” Mr Furner said.

“The Claredale site is due to receive its first cohort of workers in October, while several cohorts are scheduled to quarantine at Grantham prior to December 2021, primarily for workers in the animal and horticultural industries.

“The Palaszczuk government will continue to look at all options to help our farmers get the workforce they need to maintain our food supply.”

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November 2021 TODAY 9

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

New Hendra variant

The Covid-19 vaccine.

Picture: TORSTENSIMON FROM PIXABAY

Ag sets vax pace Queensland’s agriculture sector has set a strong example for all Queenslanders by urging its workforce to get vaccinated for Covid-19.

Agriculture Minister Mark Furner visited meat processor JBS west of Toowoomba to congratulate the company on its efforts to keep its workers and the wider community safe.

“Businesses like JBS understand how vital a strong health response is to keeping the agricultural industry strong, so they have been encouraging all of their workers to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” Mr Furner said.

“Agriculture is an essential industry in Queensland and a vital part of Queensland’s Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan, so it was really important that the sector stood up when

it comes to vaccinations.

“By doing this they make sure that fantastic Queensland produce still gets on plates domestically and around the world, protecting Queensland jobs and keeping more Queenslanders safe.

“Now we need unvaccinated Queenslanders to follow their example so we can once again welcome people from interstate and overseas to enjoy what we love about our state.”

JBS Plant Manager Justin McCormick said “we understand that our industry coincides with the safety of our employees, customers, partners, and communities, and we have made vaccinating our people a top priority“.

“As Australia’s largest protein producer and manufacturer, we pride ourselves as leaders in people safety within the agriculture industry.

“We have implemented companywide procedures, consistent with the advice of both National and State Health authorities, to ensure we limit the potential spread of Coronavirus.

“We urge our team members and their families get vaccinated to help protect themselves and ensure a safe work environment for all JBS employees at sites and plants across Australia.”

Yesterday Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk released Queensland’s Covid Vaccination Plan to unite families, protect Queenslanders and chart a course through the next stages of the pandemic.

Key features include greater freedoms for those who are fully vaccinated including being able to cross the border from interstate hotspots in time for Christmas.

RACGP drive to boost specialist GPs The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is working to boost specialist GP numbers in rural Australia.

The RACGP is urging doctors who don’t yet have specialist qualifications to join its Practice Experience Program (PEP), as an alternative to Australian General Practice Training (AGPT), and develop a career in rural Australia.

The call is timely – from January 2022, policy changes will make it compulsory for any doctor wanting to sit the exams to become a specialist GP to be on an approved training pathway, such as PEP. The change will bring general practice in line with other medical specialties. A newsGP poll of over 1000 GPs found the majority are supportive of the policy change at 54 per cent.

PEP is a flexible online and work-based education program available to all doctors working in rural and remote communities. Activities are largely practice-based and enable doctors to remain working in their practice and community, while expanding their skills in specialist general practice.

RACGP Rural Chair Dr Michael Clements said the drive to boost specialist GPs in rural Australia was needed more than ever.

“The shortage of specialist GPs in rural and remote Australia is dire, and the pandemic and restrictions on travel have made matters worse,” he said.

“As the peak body for GPs in every corner of 10 TODAY November 2021

the country, increasing the number of highly trained GPs in rural Australia is the RACGP’s top priority.

“This is a great opportunity for doctors who want to achieve Fellowship as a specialist GP in Australia, including overseas trained doctors.

“We know overseas trained doctors are attracted to PEP – a survey of participants in June found the most common location of a primary medical degree among participants was India at 11 per cent, followed by Australia at 9.1 per cent and Sri Lanka at 8.7 per cent.

“Joining PEP will put these doctors on the path to Fellowship, building their skills and knowledge, and furthering their career in rural and remote Australia, while accessing A1 Medicare rebates.

“It’s also great for rural and remote communities. The research shows that doctors who train in rural Australia are more likely to remain working and living there because they get the opportunity to see the benefits for themselves.

“A survey of our PEP participants in June this year found the overwhelming majority, 88 per cent, want to remain working in rural or remote Australia.

“As a rural GP myself, I know the rich rewards of a rural career and lifestyle. Rural and remote communities often rely on their local GP because there are no other local health ser-

vices, so there’s great variety to our work and practice,” Dr Clements said.

“Rural GPs also tend to have stronger and longer relationships with our patients. And this is what tends to attract medical students to general practice in the first place – it’s the only medical speciality where you get to provide holistic care to someone throughout their life, not only helping them when they’re sick, but providing preventative care to keep them well.”

“My message to doctors who want to achieve Fellowship as a specialist GP and haven’t yet joined a training program is simple: don’t wait, PEP is a great option and if you join now, you’ll be ahead of the changes coming in January.”

Participants in the RACGP’s PEP enjoy access to full A1 Medicare rebates, support and mentoring from an experienced network of medical educators, and an optional exam preparation course delivered by experienced RACGP examiners in the last term.

Applications for the next intake of the RACGP’s PEP-Standard program close on 25 October.

More information is available on the RACGP website racgp.org.au/education/imgs/ fellowship-pathways/fellowship-programsfor-imgs/practice-experience-program/practice-experience-program-standard-stream

Scientists at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have uncovered a new type of Hendra virus in flying foxes, confirming the virus can be found across a broad region of the country.

A paper detailing the findings has been published just days after the new genetic type (HeV-g2) was detected in a horse near Newcastle in New South Wales, the most southern case of Hendra yet recorded.

Hendra virus can be transmitted from flying foxes to horses, and from horses to people. Previous studies had found the virus in flying foxes in Queensland and parts of New South Wales. After monitoring flying fox samples from 2013-2021, researchers at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) found the new genetic type in flying foxes in Victoria, South Australia, and West Australia. ACDP is a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reference laboratory for Hendra and Nipah virus diseases.

Reference expert and CSIRO scientist Dr Kim Halpin said spillover of the disease from flying foxes to horses has still only been reported in Queensland and New South Wales.

“However, because Hendra Virus Genotype 2 is so genetically similar to the original Hendra virus, there is a potential risk to horses wherever flying foxes are found in Australia,” Dr Halpin said.

“It’s important to note that Hendra has never been reported to spread directly from flying foxes to humans – it’s always been transmitted from infected horses to humans. We expect this new genetic type would behave the same way.

“And given the similarities, while more research is needed, we expect the existing Hendra virus vaccine for horses should work against this new type too.

“This finding really underscores the importance of research into flying foxes – it’s crucial to helping us understand and protect Australians against the viruses they can carry.”

Another project, called “Horses as Sentinels”, led by the University of Sydney and CSIRO and funded by a Biosecurity Innovation Program grant from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, detected the same genetic type earlier this year in samples collected from a horse from Queensland in 2015. Results of this research are available in preprint.

Dr Steve Dennis, President of Equine Veterinarians Australia, said the findings are a reminder there’s a risk of Hendra virus wherever there are flying foxes and horses. “Owners and any people who interact with horses can reduce the risk of infection from Hendra virus and other zoonotic viruses through vaccination of horses or humans where available, wearing appropriate PPE, and seeking veterinary attention for sick horses,” Dr Dennis said.

CSIRO and the “Horses as Sentinels” project team have been working closely with vets and laboratories around Australia to implement improved tests for horses with signs of Hendra virus disease. More information for horse owners is available at outbreak.gov.au/for-vetsand-scientists/hendra-virus Peer-reviewed results of CSIRO’s flying fox study have just been published in Virology Journal.

The Covid-19 vaccine.

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November 2021 TODAY 11

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

Corey wins state crown

By Jessica McGrath Kingaroy’s Corey Evans was lost for words when it was announced he was the 2021 ALPA Queensland Young Auctioneer winner at Roma last week.

The 23-year-old auctioneer representing Aussie Land and Livestock competed at the Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association Ltd state finals event at the Roma Saleyards on Tuesday, 12 October.

“It’s pretty surreal - it’s something I‘ve been working towards for a long time; it’s very good to finally get the win,” he said.

He was named the first place winner in front of his mate and runner-up Simon Kinbacher.

Mr Kinbacher, a 22-year-old auctioneer who grew up in Biggenden, represented Elders Rural Services Rockhampton.

The pair had met in Maryborough and showed a few cattle with their family studs and caught up at various school cattle competitions over the years.

“We’re good mates, it was great to win next to him,” Mr Evans said.

Mr Kinbacher, who was very excited to receive his ribbon, has lived in Rockhampton since he had left school and took an opportunity to take up auctioneering with an agency business.

“I’ve always grown up with cattle all my life... mum and dad own a cattle property in Biggenden,“ he said.

Both Mr Evans and Mr Kinbacher will now prepare to represent Queensland at the national finals in Sydney next year.

ALPA member, auctioneer coach and Murgon’s Pratt Agencies owner, Paul Pratt, was present at the state finals.

“Even though you’ve got a lot of livestock agents in the Burnett, the tendency is for [the winner to come from] bigger places like Dalby and Roma,” he said.

“To have someone from our local area is excellent, he will make us proud at nationals.”

Mr Pratt said Mr Evans had sold very well at the state finals.

“He was very natural about it, just relaxed and sold very well,” he said.

“The tendency is for these young fellas to sell fast, [but] you can sell fast and still be clear. “[Corey] sold at a good pace, [he was] very clear and everyone could hear what he was saying.”

His personality stood out too, Mr Pratt remarked.

“I think he’s a really nice guy - he’s the whole package, a clean-cut fella with a great personality,” he said.

Mr Pratt has watched Mr Evans’ journey over the last couple of years at South Burnett cattle sales and at the auctioneering schools.

“He’s always been tentative and listened to speech therapists - he’s listened and tried to do his absolute best right through the whole thing, it was great to see that result,” he said.

The group of ten young auctioneers all did well, making for a close final.

ALPA Queensland Young Auctioneer runner-up Simon Kinbacher and winner Corey Evansa at the Roma Saleyards.

Picture: KATRINA AYERS PHOTOGRAPHY “This year especially, with the ten fellas we had, there was very little room between the top and bottom,” Mr Pratt said.

ALPA CEO Peter Baldwin agreed it was a very close state final.

“Those who have watched the competitions over the years all agree this was the best year - it’s the closest and best competition they’ve seen,” he said.

“It’s no mean feat to make the top ten.”

Mr Baldwin said the Roma Saleyards proved to be an outstanding venue after the event deferred from the Brisbane Exhibition when the Ekka was cancelled.

This change in location meant many of the young auctioneers were selling in a new town.

“The great thing for Corey was the selling ring was full of people, real industry people,

who form part of the agriculture fabric,” Mr Baldwin said.

ALPA’s CEO said a good auctioneer has natural talent and recognises it is an artform.

“You can’t make an auctioneer, you can only mould an auctioneer,” Mr Baldwin said.

“It’s perfected with lots and lots of practice and numbers.

“It’s a real track record thing too - you’re as good as your last auction.”

An auctioneer also has an intrinsic knowledge of the marketplace, the buyers and the animals themselves, Mr Baldwin explained.

However, he said, the talent must extend to the auctioneer’s calibre as a person.

“The whole thesis of the competition is to develop the talents of individuals in the industry and rounding them off to be better

people,” he said.

“Being a good, decent and communityminded person - that’s important.”

Second-placed Simon Kinbacher regularly sells at the Rockhampton sales.

“He’s a young gentleman who has worked very hard in just perfecting his talent,” Mr Baldwin said.

“His success is purely and simply down to his hard work and humility.”

Mr Baldwin said the industry was very proud of both Mr Evans and runner-up Mr Kinbacher who were also recognised for their genuine personalities.

“It’s a testament to their hard work and very mature attitude,” Mr Baldwin said.

“They are best mates - the fact is, this is a huge win for the Burnett.”

Corey’s passion from a young age

By Jessica McGrath Corey Evans has fond memories of joining his granddad at the cattle sales and helping out with his family’s beef cattle farm north of Kingaroy.

The 23-year-old cattle auctioneer with Aussie Land and Livestock now holds the title of ‘2021 Australian Livestock Property Agents Association’s Queensland Young Auctioneer’.

“From a young age, (cattle auctioneering) is something I’d wanted to do,” he said.

“I couldn’t see myself doing anything different.”

Mr Evans made the decision to be more relaxed, calm and collected in what was his fourth year in the top 10 at the state finals on 12 October.

This was the first year he had won the top spot.

“I went in there a bit more relaxed than if I was in a normal sale,” Mr Evans explained.

When it comes to mastering his call, Mr 12 TODAY November 2021

Evans said he tried to be as quick as he could and as clear as possible with the values something the judges noticed.

ALPA made the decision to host the challenge at the Roma Saleyards, which was more relaxed for the young entrants.

“Obviously being in a different venue at Roma, we were in an actual saleyard environment. I actually enjoyed it,” he said.

“It would’ve been good to have it in Brisbane, but it was good that ALPA had a second option.”

After the auction competition, the entrants went to a presentation dinner to celebrate and Mr Evans, along with 2021 runner-up Simon Kinbacher and the 2020 Queensland winner Brodie Hurley, assisted with a charity auction.

His preparations for the national competition in Sydney next year will be similar to his state outing.

“It’ll be a new place to sell, somewhere

we’ve never been before, but all of the fundamentals are the same - I’ll just go and do what I do day-to-day,” Mr Evans said.

Corey has been in the auctioneering industry for five years and is responsible for selling cattle fortnightly at Murgon and Coolabunia.

He says the best part of his job is auctioneering and drafting cattle for feedlots.

“I want to thank the guys at Aussie Land and Livestock for mentoring me and building me into the agent I am today, as well as the team of coaches at the auctioneering school - Paul Pratt is one of those,” he said.

Mr Evans said when he goes to sales, he watches the techniques of those around him and then takes them home and implements them into his auctioneering.

He plans to continue to better himself as an agent and person and has a special interest in breeding and showing limousin cattle and led steers.

2021 ALPA Queensland Young Auctioneer winner Corey Evans has always been at home at the saleyards.

Picture: KATRINA AYERS PHOTOGRAPHY

QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

NEWS

True champion on climate

By Georgie Somerset, Agforce General President Science is a powerful weapon.

Governments, corporations, even environmental groups have all twisted it to their advantage, taking from it only the parts that satisfy their position, while sometimes misrepresenting the facts completely.

In the 1950s, American nutritionist Ancel Keys undertook a study to investigate the cause of the sharp rise in heart disease after World War II. The answer, we know now, was smoking rates, but Ancel Keys surmised diet was the cause and focused his attention on saturated fat and cholesterol – the rest, as they say, is history.

Eating fat makes you fat made sense to many (and still does) and gave rise to the abundance of highly processed food many of us now include in unhealthy quantities in our diets.

Ancel Keys’s incorrect position on fat – established via the use of cherry-picked science in his ‘Seven Countries Study’, and unable to be confirmed despite repeated follow-up studies – stuck.

Just like the ‘scientific’ arguments brought to bear on agriculture often seem to – especially when it comes to climate and the environment.

Despite doing ALL the heavy lifting to reduce our nation’s carbon emissions, there are still plenty of critics willing to point the finger and suggest industry – particularly the livestock sector – is the root cause of all our climate problems, ignoring the massive strides made to reduce methane production.

This outdated thinking – based on outdated science – also ignores the huge investment made by farming operations, many of them small family run businesses, to not only sequester carbon, but to improve the land in its entirety.

Methane from cattle emissions is part of the natural cycle and breaks down quickly, while

carbon dioxide is taken up in crops, pastures, and native vegetation on farms throughout the nation.

A recent report from the Gratton Institute even acknowledges that agriculture uses more carbon dioxide than it emits, while current environmental science demonstrates that Agriculture – at less than 15 per cent of total emissions in Australia (down from 16.5 per cent prior to Kyoto) – is far less impactful than some critics would suggest.

Much less than the dominant energy sector, with more than 53 per cent total emissions, or transport, at more than 17 per cent – both industries increasing their emissions since Kyoto was ratified in 1997.

It’s why as an industry we believe it’s well past time we were given our due recognition – to change the rhetoric, to ensure we avoid a repeat of what took place when Ancel Keys and his cherry-picked science was allowed to set the path for the obesity epidemic that has followed.

If agriculture alone is forced to continue to carry the burden of reducing Australia’s share of emissions, it will also drive some producers from the industry – at a time when Covid has put the issue of food security in the brightest of spotlights.

Instead, as the figures above show, it is time for other industries to pick up the baton of carbon emissions reduction so that they can take their place alongside agriculture as true champions of action on climate.

Join AgForce in spreading the word about the fantastic work being done by agriculture on climate as we count down to COP26 in Glasgow. Use #standwithregqld.

Pictured right: AgForce general president Georgie Somerset, who says the agricultural industry is doing great work on climate.

Cyclones, flooding risk highlighted in weather outlook Australians can expect an average, or slightly above average, cyclone season with an increased risk of widespread flooding over the east and north, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Severe Weather Outlook, released Monday 11 October.

The outlook, which also outlines the risk of severe thunderstorms, heatwaves and bushfires, is released in early October every year and looks ahead to the end of April, when the high risk weather season in Australia officially ends.

Bureau Senior Climatologist Greg Browning said while severe weather could occur at any time of the year, we are now entering Australia’s peak high risk weather season.

“Many climate drivers are indicating that

“And with an already wet landscape and above average rainfall likely, there is an increased risk of widespread flooding for eastern and northern Australia.

“This summer, with above average rain, more cloud and higher humidity, the number of individual extreme heat days are likely to be lower than we’ve seen in recent years.

“But the potential for bushfires and severe storms remains near average.”

Mr Browning said Australians could not afford to be complacent this severe weather season.

“Severe weather can disrupt and endanger lives in many ways, that is why the Bureau is asking the community to ‘know your weather, know your risk’,” he said.

“That means understanding the kinds of severe weather that can impact the area you live in and what you should do when it occurs.

“Today’s release of the Severe Weather Outlook is also a timely reminder for all of us to follow the advice of local emergency services before, during and after severe weather.

“Another way Australians can keep themselves safe is by staying up-to-date with the latest forecast and warnings on the Bureau’s website or by downloading the BOM Weather app.”

For the full Severe Weather Outlook 202122 visit Australian tropical cyclone season outlook at bom.gov.au

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it could be an active season across parts of Australia,” Mr Browning said.

“Warm waters to the north of the continent, and the sea surface temperature patterns across the tropical Pacific and Indian oceans, are driving our outlook towards more rainfall for eastern and northern Australia.

“It is also likely that the first rains of the northern wet season will arrive earlier than normal for much of northern Australia.

“On average, Australia gets around 11 tropical cyclones in a season, of which four generally cross our coastline. With warmer than average seas around northern Australia this year, the number of tropical cyclones is likely to be close, or slightly above average.

November 2021 TODAY 13

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

New soil health package

Another spring storm rolls in south of Dalby as grain growers cross their fingers for a calm conclusion to the cropping season.

Picture: ANDREW JOHNSTON

Mixed cropping bag

By Fiona Gowers A mixed bag is the most succinct way senior agronomist Andrew Johnston, Dalby Rural Supplies, can describe the 2021 winter cropping season.

After five tough, dry years on the Darling Downs, grain growers planted wheat and barley into juicy sub-soil moisture “earlier than ever” in mid-April following unseasonal March rain.

Hopes remained high with six weeks of steady falls received through May, June and July but, according to Mr Johnston, dry weather since had tempered predictions on later sown crops.

He said early-planted, long-season varieties that exploited the Autumn rain and dodged flukey storms may yield 5 tonne/ hectare but those sown later that copped weather may return 2t/ha.

“Early crops are yielding well - up to 5t/ha

for wheat and barley - and, overall, I think it should end up ok,” Mr Johnston said. “Average to above average returns.”

Over the past month, GrainCorp regional operations manager, Brad Foster, has watched loads of grain arrive at the Capella receival site.

He said with most of the central highlands harvest done, the quality had been “good” and the company was optimistic about the season ahead in southern Queensland.

“It was a little bit drier up here (in central Queensland) from a yield perspective,” Mr Foster said. “But quality, particularly through the large amount of chickpeas received, has been good.

“In southern Queensland, the Darling Downs has been slower due to storms but the Western Downs, Miles to Roma, Goondiwindi, St George to Dirranbandi, it’s looking fantastic.

“The rain has kept on coming and they’ve had their best season in many years. Crop conditions are looking good.”

Mr Foster said the sorghum crop harvested in central Queensland from May to July was currently being shipped from the Ports of Gladstone and Mackay into Asian markets.

And, he said the Port of Brisbane was preparing to ship wheat, which may go beyond Asia into the Middle East.

“The market has really opened up for Australian growers this year,” Mr Foster said. “It’s starting to get really dry in the northern hemisphere, and that means good prices for Australian growers.

“So good prices, good yields, good quality … if it stays that way, everyone will be happy.“ The total area sown to winter crops this year was a record 23.3 million hectares, which included a record canola planting of about 5m hectares.

The national commodities forecaster, ABARES, is predicting another bumper crop of around 54.8 million tonnes.

Supercharged support for vege growers Vegetable growers across Australia are set to benefit from the next generation of a national extension program aimed to boost productivity and deliver the latest research and development on-farm.

The new $14.1 million VegNET 3.0 program is being delivered through Hort Innovation using vegetable industry levies and funds from the Australian Government, and led by Australia’s peak vegetable industry body AUSVEG. Hort Innovation chief executive Matt Brand said the initiative represents the single largest research and development investment in the vegetable growing sector’s history, and it’s anchored on best-practice and what the industry has identified as priorities.

“This supercharged 5-year extension initiative takes a collaborative, local focus, with Development Officers based in 10 growing regions across the country. Each region will receive tailored support that meets local challenges,” he said.

“This network of experienced professionals will provide evidence-based tools and information in vital areas such as biosecurity, pest and disease management, soil and water management, the supply chain and protected cropping.”

Mr Brand said the VegNET initiative complements Hort Innovation’s dedicated exten14 TODAY November 2021

sion arm which was created in 2019. He said it also builds on the foundation and momentum generated through previous VegNET programs.

AUSVEG CEO Michael Coote said that having a nationally-coordinated VegNET program will help ensure that growers all around Australia will have access to a consistent, industry-focused extension program that will put their needs first in their efforts to be productive, profitable and more competitive in an ever-increasingly global marketplace.

“VegNET is an important program for our industry,” he said. “Australian vegetable growers are world-leaders in the production of high-quality, healthy vegetables and are constantly looking for new ways to innovate and grow more sustainably and develop their businesses”.

“AUSVEG is well-placed to work with well-trained regional development officers, who are strongly supported, to deliver a high-performing, consistent and efficient VegNET program that will meet vegetable growers’ needs.”

Mr Coote said a strong extension network that connects growers with local, regional and international experts will be an important element to the industry’s future success.

“While growers are facing significant is-

sues with labour shortages, rising input costs and an increasingly volatile climate, the industry is well-placed to overcome these challenges and take advantage of the research and services on offer in Australia to improve its productivity and increase its value to help the agriculture sector meet its goal of $100 billion by 2030,” he said.

The VegNET regional development officers will be based in the following locations: Queensland (Bundaberg) through Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Queensland (SEQ including Lockyer Valley, Granite Belt and Darling Downs) through Lockyer Valley Growers Queensland (Bowen-Gumlu and Far North Queensland) through Bowen-Gumlu Growers Association New South Wales through the Local Land Services NSW Northern Territory through NT Farmers South Australia through AUSVEG SA Tasmania through RM Consulting Group Victoria (Gippsland) through Food and Fibre Gippsland Victoria (Northern, Southern and Western) through AUSVEG Western Australia through vegetablesWA For details visit Hort Innovation horticulture.com.au or AUSVEG ausveg.com.au

Australia’s leading soil analysis laboratory, Nutrient Advantage, has launched a new soil health package that will enable farmers to benchmark and improve the health and productivity of their most valuable asset, their soil.

The package provides a snapshot of the key biological, chemical and physical characteristics that determine soil health.

Stephan Titze, president of Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (IPF), which owns the Nutrient Advantage Laboratory, said the company is excited to launch the new test package, which will give farmers a precise objective analysis and the industry leading agronomic advice they need to build healthier soils.

“The package will allow agronomists, farmers and consultants to benchmark their soil and implement practices to create more productive and profitable paddocks that are resilient and perform better, no matter the season,” Mr Titze said.

“Changes to soil health happen gradually and cumulatively, which is why a better understanding of soil health through scientifically verified soil testing is critical to our ability to keep farming well into the future.”

This announcement comes just months after the 2021-22 Federal Budget committed $196.9 million in new funding over four years to implement the National Soil Strategy with the aim of boosting the health and management of Australian soil.

“A key component of the National Soil Strategy is the National Soil Monitoring and Incentives Pilot, designed to ensure farmers have the information they need to manage their soil and improve their productivity and profitability, and this testing package supports that objective,” Mr Titze said.

“Using data to improve soil health and environmental outcomes is a logical and necessary trend that will support a robust agriculture sector well into the future.

“IPF is committed to providing its customers with market leading products and services that improve soil health and lead to better and more sustainable plant nutrition for Australian farmers.”

The soil health package contains four test components: total carbon and nitrogen and C:N ratio; aggregate slaking and dispersion; active (labile) carbon; and microbial respiration (activity estimation).

It is recommended the tests be repeated every two to three years at the same time of year.

For over 50 years, Nutrient Advantage has been widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading nutrient testing laboratories, with the broadest range of National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited nutrient tests in Australia.

To order a soil health package or find out more, visit soilhealthtesting.com.au or call 1800 803 453.

The tests can be ordered as a standalone package using the Health1 code or added to any existing Nutrient Advantage test order.

· · · · · · · · · ·

Incitec Pivot Fertilisers president Stephan Titze.

QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

OPINION

Agri-business lawyer TOM MARLAND, who will be a regular contributor to Queensland Farmer Today, takes a look at what Net Zero 2050 means for agriculture.

Implications of Net Zero John F Kennedy once said: “The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways” Our Federal Government is currently writhing like a crocodile trying to eat a humpback whale about how we can commit to reducing our carbon emissions to zero by 2050.

Much like the crocodile, they feel like they must do it but are not sure how to practically achieve the feat or what the real consequences will be if they succeed.

We are told that “technology” and “abatement” will be the main aim without increasing costs for voters to get to the lofty goals of carbon neutrality by mid-century. There is no doubt that over the last 10 years the costs of solar, wind, battery storage and other renewable energy technologies have decreased significantly in price but there remains an unknown about how we deliver cheap and reliable baseload power which is currently being provided by coal and gas with high carbon emissions.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 197 countries agreed to try to limit temperature rises below 1.5C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Experts say that to achieve this target countries need to reduce CO2 emissions to net zero by 2050.

At the end of this month at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, nations will be asked to set out what steps they are taking to move towards this aspiration.

Our Prime Minister is increasingly starting to look like a schoolboy who hasn’t done his homework as his Government have left it until the night before to work out what their position is prior to the COP26 summit.

While some media commentators and segments of the community are critical that the Nationals held the whip handle on the net zero negotiations, to me they are the party best placed to make the ultimate decision.

This is because they represent areas of the country and segments of the community that are most at risk if Australia signs up to a bad deal on carbon emissions.

One of those segments which covers 95% of the continent but is only populated by 1% of its people - is rural and regional Australia. In these areas are also our main primary production industries, our mining sectors, our manufacturing sector and our industrial sector.

These segments don’t seem to attract a lot of votes, but they produce things which help pay for all the trinkets which seem to always find their way into the areas with the most votes - the cities.

A recent YouGov poll of 2421 Australians has revealed that 58% of the population want to switch to 100 per cent renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydro by 2050.

However, when people were asked how much they were willing to pay to reach the net zero target - 43 per cent said they didn’t not want to pay anything, 28 per cent said they would be willing to only pay $300 per year and

FOOD FOR THOUGHT TOM MARLAND 14% said they would be willing to pay $600 per year.

Asking someone whether we should do more about climate change is like asking a child if they want an ice cream. It’s a no brainer. But if you asked the child to use their own money to pay for the ice cream they will give you the same blank look as asking people if they want to pay for more climate action.

The true cost of reaching climate zero can be clearly illustrated during the Covid-19 pandemic lock downs. While the whole world basically ground to a halt, global carbon dioxide emissions fell by 6.4 per cent, or 2.3 billion tonnes, in 2020.

The cost of this reduction is estimated to top $16 trillion. This is money borrowed by governments and to be repaid by us. The Energy Transitions Commission has estimated that achieving net zero emissions by mid-century would cost an estimated $1 trillion-$2 trillion globally per year of additional investments.

This is where the quote from JFK finds its relevance is that while the large percentage of the population want more done on climate change and the large percentage of these people live in the cities and have more votes but don’t want to have to pay for anything or suffer any inconvenience to their existing standard of living - the can will always be passed down the line.

The end of the line always seems to be agriculture - who will have to carry the additional costs but not have any mechanism to pass those costs onto the consumer.

The last time the climate change hat got passed around - in the late 1990s after the Kyoto Protocol targets were set - Australian farmers had billions of dollars’ worth of capital value stripped from their farms in the guise of vegetation management restrictions which was actually about reducing carbon emissions.

Today, those rights would be worth trillions in carbon credits - but these were effectively gifted to those in our cities so that they could continue with their standard of living but not have to pay for the environmental footprint.

The Nationals are aware of this injustice and will not be fooled twice.

The best way to offset the increased costs associated with climate action on our agricultural sector is to make available to them the carbon credits that they now store and manage for free. But these carbon credits must be paid by the large proportion of our population who have been riding the climate change bandwagon for free for decades.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is increasingly starting to look like a schoolboy who hasn’t done his homework.

We also need to ensure that our action on climate change isn’t just focused on carbon credits and solar panels.

One of the largest carbon emission events and risks we face in this country are avoidable bushfires. In the 2020 bushfires alone, 800 million tonnes of carbon were emitted in three short and horrific months - that’s 1.5 times our total national annual emissions. Some blame these fires on climate change but these fires

were in fact manmade disasters as a result of 50 years of landscape mismanagement and false green ideology.

While we need to make sure we preserve the economic foundations of our industries that underpin this nation in our efforts to fight climate change, we also need to manage the rest of our environment properly to ensure that all our hard-earned money and carbon reductions don’t just go up in smoke.

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November 2021 TODAY 15

OPINION QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

There is much to feel incredibly positive about for Australia’s world-leading red meat and livestock industry, says MLA managing director JASON STRONG.

Beefing up confidence Herd and flock rebuilding, globally strong demand and a shortage of protein due to African Swine Fever are all contributing to record prices. We are now in some of the most prosperous times we have ever seen. Underpinning this success is a strong foundation built on what’s important to consumers across the globe - provenance and traceability, food safety, biosecurity, and nutrition backed up by consistently great eating quality.

Years of determination, innovation and hard work from red meat producers has once again enabled our industry to navigate challenges, including the global pandemic, with relatively minimal disruptions. As an industry, we should be shouting from the roof tops about how hard we have worked to constantly improve what we do! Lifting on-farm performance, displaying unwavering resilience, building relationships and diversifying our red meat markets has meant we have been able to ride out the incredibly challenging circumstances of recent years, with minimal disruptions to export volumes and values, especially relative to other industries.

And while our industry deserves to reap the rewards, we cannot rest on our laurels - at MLA we are already planning for the next 5 years and beyond and how we can support you to ensure sustained success.

We have a fantastic product with a first-rate reputation that consumers are willing to pay top dollar for which puts us in a unique position and allows the industry to strive towards the ambitious goal to double the value of red meat sales by 2030.

Our job therefore is to connect with consumers both here and around the world and make sure they continue to be excited to eat our product - getting people comfortable with the fact that Australian red meat is a high value, premium product should remain our focus.

The combination of both value and consumption volumes contribute to the success of our industry and Australian red meat continues to be regarded and recognised as a high-quality

FROM THE MLA JASON STRONG protein of choice across the globe - and that’s despite the efforts of some groups with vested interests that choose to denigrate our product and farming systems.

It is clear that much of the commentary about consumers declining commitment to red meat is overblown and out of context and we shouldn’t be afraid to call it out.

MLA, on behalf of the industry, has been investing in research and marketing over the past two decades to set the industry up with this firm foundation for future success, and it is no mistake that we are taking advantage of it.

For example, when MLA was first set up 22 years ago, Australia had one free trade agreement with New Zealand. We now have 16 free trade agreements that cover most of the Asian Pacific region - notably: the 10 Association of South-east Asian Nations member countries, Korea, Japan and China. By comparison, the US has just two comprehensive FTAs with countries in that region.

Twenty years ago, the Australian red meat and livestock industry did not have a traceability system, but we now have world-leading, individual livestock traceability for cattle. We did not have a way of measuring eating quality and grading carcases based on that measurement - we now have Meat Standards Australia - a system developed with consumers at the heart of it that’s now the envy of many of our competitors because it enables Australia to produce red meat with a consistently high eating quality while also enabling producers to capture price premiums.

In summary, we need to stop being sur-

Jason Strong, MLA Managing Director. prised by our success. Our industry has decades of commitment to being better.

We now have an opportunity to lock in as much of our progress as possible and take full advantage of the position we are in today. For MLA, this means focusing on fewer, bigger and bolder programs of work that will support our industry for the years to come and drive returns back to the farm gate.

Congratulations to the team at Queensland Farmer Today on this first edition, and I look forward to contributing again next month. In the meantime, I encourage you to join MLA’s Update Webinars taking place in October and November (visit updates.mla.com.au for more information) or please contact me via managing.director@mla.com.au

Getting the Ag Visa over the line has set up the ag industry to continue to lead Australia’s economic recovery, writes DAVID LITTLEPROUD.

Historic Ag Visa adds to bumper year of achievements The Covid-19 pandemic has produced challenges that we have not seen before. Despite setbacks at both the national and international level, our agricultural industries have grown in strength.

The fact that they have been able to respond to such a challenge is a credit to them.

We know it is never easy to be in agriculture and that is without the shadow of a global pandemic. Parts of the country remain affected by drought and our communities continue to be tested by its lingering effects. This is what makes the story of agriculture even more of a remarkable tale of resilience and recovery from our Aussie farmers.

It is a great time to be the federal Agriculture Minister and share this news.

In 2021-2022, Australia is set to smash production value records. We have forecast production to be valued at $73 billion, which is even more extraordinary given back in 201112 it sat at $47.8 billion. We are looking at a 2021-22 winter crop harvest of 54.8 million tonnes (32 per cent above the 10-year average) and exports are projected to be a record $54.7 billion (up 12 per cent from previous year). Livestock production is also expected to be worth $33.5 billion, an increase of eight per cent.

As we build towards the future our focus and our support for Australian ag is set firmly on innovation. Our approach is to set up the tools industry needs and to get out of their way to enable producers to grow.

Our eight Drought Resilience and Innovation Hubs have been asked and funded to expand their remit towards what they can do to help communities and farmers to grow 16 TODAY November 2021

FROM THE MINISTER AGRICULTURE MINISTER DAVID LITTLEPROUD and make a profit. We have committed $147 million alone to agricultural innovation since July 2020 and established four long-term priorities to develop Australia’s world-class agricultural innovation system by 2030. These priorities are export, climate resilience, biosecurity and digital agriculture.

It is a particular achievement this year that is set to have both immediate and long-term benefits for our communities-the establishment of the Australian Agricultural Visa.

The Ag Visa runs for three years meaning farmers will get a return on the investment they make in these workers but it will also for the first time provide a pathway to permanent residency.

We have designed the visa to have portability so that workers can work between farms allowing flexibility to workers and farmers. It is also broad in the sense that it will consider unskilled, skilled and semi-skilled work and will apply for the meat processing, fisheries and forestry industry as well.

In the Ag Visa, we have created history and regional Australia is now a step closer to welcoming the next generation of migrants to secure its future. This is not just a good thing for regional Australia but all Australia.

QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

OPINION

Challenges of rural health What an exciting time to be on the front end of a great deal of change in our world.

In many places across the nation, we have seen the calamities of markets rising and falling, bushfires, floods, droughts, pest plagues and in the last short while, the pandemic Covid.

Why individuals deal with such things differently is largely due to our genetic makeup and our own experience, along with influences by those with who we have lived and worked with. These come together to form our sense of how we perform in life.

Having grown up in western Queensland, then gone away to study to get a qualification in Medicine, I feel a theme that has always fascinated me, is why some people in the bush elevate the worthiness of looking after their health and why others seemingly not care and almost destroy it, because they can?

If you belong to either camp you might be dismayed to think that in our advanced country, we would be the healthiest nation on the planet. After all, we have plenty of food, plenty of clean air, sunlight and, in most parts of the country, we have a supply of water, albeit some might question if it’s reliable.

What you might be even more astonished to hear is that the health of bush peoples lags their city equivalents by a margin that needs to be addressed.

Did you know for example that the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing (AIHW) says the more remotely you live, the shorter lifespan you can expect to have. That is preposterous, but then again it’s not that everyone who lives remotely is affected the same way.

Some very isolated people are “fit as fiddles” and make sure they look after themselves.

I like to study these examples to understand why so we can encourage others to do the same by following their example.

I’ve been working with working-aged people for many years. The first person I con-

FARMERS’ HEALTH WITH DR TOBY FORD vinced to give up smoking was my father, Bud Ford, the dentist in Miles, in 1972, almost 50 years ago this year!

Prevention of common disease, screening and early diagnosis of conditions that are treatable if picked up quickly is my favourite subject. But the investigation, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care of diseases, according to AIHW, costs about $8600 per year per adult Australian, which is $129 billion. In comparison, only $86 per adult per year is spent on prevention ($1.29 billion). This is a pretty big difference. Are we putting the cart before the horse?

So are we ready to explore as a rural community, wellbeing and how resilience impact our quality of lifestyle? Are we ready to do our bit to be well and to therefore feel we can be the most effective we can be at work and in life? Would we like to enjoy our later years in a way where we might become fit and healthy grandparents? Could we seek to have seamless succession planning where the ill health of some or many family members forces some unexpected, unpleasant and unhappy transfer of property, wealth or IP in the bush?

My feeling is that we are. Young people are seeking a new way of interacting with their land, new solutions for old agricultural dilemmas, new markets for products yet to be defined.

We are at the start of the future and I’d like to explore in this column each run, some aspect of you and your family or community becoming healthier so it is possible to have a full

quality and quantity of life in the bush.

I hope you will join me and maybe we can use this forum to answer some questions you might have. I might need to ask some of my colleagues that know a bit more than me to join us in this new way of being well to perform well and be happy in the bush.

· Dr Toby Ford is CEO of Ford Health, a nation-

al company that provides wellbeing, resilience and performance services to individuals and organisations. He has been involved with bringing preventative health services to rural enterprises through the newly founded Farmers Health Promotion Collaborative which is a not-for-profit venture, whose collaborators are seeking to enhance rural lifestyles for our future generations.

Pilot paying farmers for biodiversity management Farmers in the Burnett-Mary region are now eligible for a brand-new native vegetation program.

The Burnett-Mary region, which includes the North, South and Cherbourg council regions, will be where the Australian Government will first roll out its $22.3 million Enhancing Remnant Vegetation Pilot program.

This will be an opportunity for farmers to build drought resilience by diversifying their on-farm income.

The Burnett-Mary region is the only one in Queensland to participate in the pilot program and will be joined by five other regions across Australia included Central West (NSW), North Central (Victoria), North Tasmania, Eyre Peninsula (South Australia) and south-west (Western Australia).

Wide Bay federal member Llew O’Brien said the pilot would support farmers in protecting, managing and improving remnant native vegetation on their land.

“Farmers in Wide Bay and throughout the Burnett-Mary region know the land, they love it, and they look after it – and this pilot scheme is a way of recognising their efforts in caring for our natural environment,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Supported projects will vary from farm to farm depending on their needs – it may be as simple as fencing off parts of the property that are already home to native vegetation, or it might involve ongoing pest and weed management.”

“We’re putting a value on farm native vegetation that farmers have cared for through generations. It’s good for the environment, and farmers can make a buck out of it.”

Flynn federal member Ken O’Dowd said the pilot scheme would give farmers and primary producers the opportunity to diversify their income stream.

“Many farmers have remnant vegetation on their properties, and this pilot means they can get a cash return on looking after

Federal members Ken O’Dowd, Llew O’Brien and David Littleproud are all looking forward to seeing how the Enhancing Remnant Vegetation Pilot program goes in the Burnett Mary region.

Pictures: FILE the land they already care for as part of their property maintenance,” Mr O’Dowd said.

“This is not about locking up land so that it can’t be used, instead it is having an integrated system that still enables production to occur on productive land while protecting biodiversity.”

Maranoa member and minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud said this pilot program would be a key component of the $66.1 million Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Package designed to help farmers get paid for improving biodiversity on their farms.

“Alongside the Carbon plus Biodiversity Pilot, the Enhancing Remnant Vegetation Pilot is trialling a market-based system that will see farmers being paid for their biodiversity management,” Minister Littleproud said.

“Over time, the aim is to roll these pilots out to more farmers, making them widely available and fuelled by private sector investment.“ Interested farmers can learn more or apply to take part in the Enhancing Remnant Vegetation pilot by visiting www.agriculture. gov.au/agriculturestewardship

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November 2021 TODAY 17

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

ANZ ditches branch

By Julian Lehnert Kingaroy customers of the Australian banking giant ANZ will soon have to make the transition to online-only services or face a two-hour commute to Toowoomba to visit a brick-andmortar location, after a spokesperson for the bank announced that the Kingaroy branch is set to close early next year.

ANZ District Manager Steven Straub explained that the bank’s Kingaroy location will close less than six months from now, on 23 March 2022, citing a growing lack of need for physical, in-person banking among Australians.

“In recent years we have seen a significant shift to online and digital options for a wide range of things, including grocery shopping, watching sport and banking, which is convenient and secure,” Mr Straub said.

“Across ANZ last year 70 per cent of our customers preferred digital banking options and our few remaining passbook-only customers have been choosing to use debit cards for the first time.

“This follows a longer term trend that saw in-branch transactions drop on average about 50 per cent over the past four years. Customers are not using branches like they used to,” he added.

The closure of Kingaroy’s ANZ branch comes just months after the local Bank of Queensland branch shut its doors to customers - a development that has drawn ire from South Burnett residents and even the region’s politicians.

Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington, spoke out against the practice of closing down rural and remote banking branches on 6 October, calling the news “disappointing.”

“The South Burnett continues to be hit with bank closures and this time it’s ANZ Kingaroy who will abandon their regional customers, (...) leaving behind thousands of business, community group and individual customers,” Mrs Frecklington said.

“This will be the third ANZ branch to leave my Nanango Electorate, with Kilcoy and Toogoolawah also closed over recent years.

“I am hugely disappointed with the ANZ Bank and their decision to strip services from the South Burnett,” Mrs Frecklington said.

“Unfortunately, this is now the common theme for the big banks, who believe they can service their customers just as well online.

“However, it will also be necessary for community groups, businesses and many individual customers to have access to face-to-face banking services. And we all know that many people in regional areas have poor internet connection, or no computer access at all, so internet banking isn’t always the answer,” she said.

ANZ’s Steven Straub agreed on this point, saying that the transition to online-only service may prove difficult at first for some.

“Many of our customers have clearly changed their banking habits, however we understand the transition will be more challenging for some customers, particularly in certain rural or remote locations,” he said.

“Whenever we decide to close any of our branches, we notify customers personally and let them know about all the alternatives they have available, including specialist teams on the ground in their region that can help them.

“We are personally writing to our Kingaroy customers to let them know we have provided a closure period of about six months to allow time for us to work with them on alternative banking methods, including online banking, mobile lenders and mobile banking. They can also visit our Toowoomba branch,” he explained.

Staff at the Kingaroy branch will be supported by their employer as the location prepares for its closure, with the company reportedly offering relocations and other forms of compensation.

“We announced the closure to staff this week and we are making every effort to find redeployment opportunities within ANZ, particularly with increased demands on other areas of the bank that could benefit from their skills and experience,” Mr Straub said.

“To help them succeed in their new roles, we will provide our employees access to the right tools, training and networks.

“For all employees who leave, we will provide access to unlimited career coaching and outplacement support as well as access to our career training fund, which we have doubled,” he said.

“Where people face financial hardship after leaving ANZ, we will provide access to our Past Employee Care Fund to support them.”

Students can land a career High school students are encouraged to log on and find out more about the many and varied jobs in agriculture with the NFF’s AgVenture Careers Expo.

The AgVenture Careers Expo is part of the celebrations for this year’s National Agriculture Day, 19 November. From 25 October, Years 10, 11 and 12 students and other young people can learn of the jobs on offer on farm, in an office and even in the air.

“The great part about agriculture is that there is a career to suit almost every interest, skill, education level and location,” NFF president Fiona Simson said.

“Through the #AgVenture Careers Expo, the NFF is looking forward to providing young Australians potential pathways for fulfilling and rewarding jobs in agriculture.”

The webinars will provide a-day-in-the-life, no holds barred insights into jobs like cattle vet, stock and station agent and farmer.

Through the first-hand accounts of webinar guests, students will be taken - virtually to the saleyards, shearing shed and a high-rise city office and have the opportunity to ask the tough questions like ’how much do you get paid?’ or ’did you have to do a lot of study?’.

Guests will also provide guidance on the training and education needed for the featured jobs.

Food writer, farmer and 2016 Rural Woman of the Year, Sophie Hansen, and Humans of Agriculture podcast creator Oli Le Livere will host the webinars, sharing their own ag career journeys. Over four weeks students can tune in to hear from Australians like Top End pilot Bobby Nicholl.

As a teenager Bobby thought his life-long dream of becoming a pilot was out of reach due to a minor vision impairment.

Today, he flies the length and breadth of a remote Queensland cattle station checking stock and infrastructure and is an integral part of a tight-knit station team of ringers, mechanics, cooks and overseers.

Barley breeder Dr Hannah Robinson is excited to share her career story, which has her at the forefront of Australia’s development of new barley varieties, work critical to farmers’ ability to better manage drought into the future.

First-generation farmers Jacynta and Adam Coffey will explain how they realised their dream of owning a cattle property and their goal to continue producing high-quality beef while increasing their land’s biodiversity and ecological value. To find out more and to register for the AgVenture Careers Expo, visit the AgDay website.

Recycling workshops The Kingaroy branch of ANZ will close its doors in March next year 253435

Picture: JULIAN LEHNERT

Historic sandstone finds a new home Work kicks off this month to replace a historic single-lane bridge over Rocky Creek on Murphys Creek Road.

Assistant Minister for Regional Roads Bruce Saunders said the $11 million project would involve the relocation of historic sandstone.

“As an important link between the Warrego and New England Highways, improving the road conditions for locals and regional businesses is a priority,” Mr Saunders said.

“Earlier this year we of Murphy’s Creek Road and Brookside Place upgraded, which has cut travel times for drivers through Postmans Ridge.

“Now, the Rocky Creek bridge will be replaced to remove another bottleneck, as the route is often used when the Toowoomba Range is closed.

“During pre-construction, we found historic sandstone kerb and channelling (stone pitching) next to the old bridge, which has 18 TODAY November 2021

remained intact throughout several upgrades and repairs.

“The community expressed support to conserve the historic sandstone, so we are relocating it to the Postmans Ridge Pioneer Memorial Hall just down the road - a great outcome for all!”

Mr Saunders said the new bridge would have two lanes, removing the need for traffic to stop and give way.

“Traffic flow is often stopped as cars on the single-lane bridge give way, which can be a nightmare for locals and tourists,” he said.

“With two lanes, we’ll be getting people to where they need to be quicker and safer than before.

“The upgrade will also improve safety over the creek and increase flood resilience.

“Locals will see the new bridge built before their eyes when construction on the structure kicks off next to the existing bridge.”

Advance Archaeology company director

Sher Mitchell, who helped excavate the artefacts, said the sandstone kerb and channelling was part of the original Rocky Creek Bridge built by Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in 1928.

“The sandstone was arranged to help minimise erosion and direct water from Murphy’s Creek Road into Rocky Creek,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Advanced Archaeology will arrange the sandstone to reflect the original shape of the kerb and channelling.”

Postmans Ridge Pioneer Memorial Hall president Michelle McKenzie said the group was delighted to be able to help conserve a piece of local history.

Works to replace the bridge will be carried out Monday to Friday, between 6am and 6pm, with Saturday works only as required.

There will be minimal disruption to motorists during construction as the new bridge will be built beside the old bridge before it is decommissioned.

The Australian Organics Recycling Association will run a series of worshops across regional Queensland focussing on the use of recycled organics in agriculture.

Workshops are scheduled for Stanthorpe, Beerwah and Gatton in the first weeks of November.

The workshops will help producers understand the benefits and effective use of compost and mulches produced from recycled organic inputs, according to the association.

This will help the Organics Recycling Industry better understand and respond to the needs of the current and emerging agriculturalists.

The workshops are presented by David Hall, a leading agronomist, who will explain the commercial and environmental benefits derived from the use of compost in the Queensland Agricultural Industry.

Workshops will be held at: Stanthorpe, Wednesday 3 November.

Beerwah, Wednesday 10 November.

Gatton, Wednesday 17 November.

Times are between 9am and 2.30pm.

Bookings can be made online at aora.org.au/ events/queensland-compost-workshops The workshops are sponsored by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.

· · ·

QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

NEWS

Strong on the global front The Australian red meat and livestock industry’s ability to adapt and respond to significant challenges over the past 12 months has positioned the sector strongly in the global market, according to the State of the Industry Report 2021, produced by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and released today.

The report provides an overview of Australia’s red meat and livestock industry, including figures on production, consumption, exports, the economic significance of the industry, attitudes to red meat and key issue snapshots.

Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said the red meat and livestock industry is of great importance to Australia.

“The industry has demonstrated resilience over the past few years dealing with drought, floods, bushfires and now COVID.” “And this report is a great reflection of the beef, sheep and goat industry’s sheer determination of continuing to get on with the job of producing the world’s best livestock.

“The entire red meat industry is critical to regional Australia with 90 per cent of the 445,000 employees living in regional locations.

“The Australian Government continues to stand by the industry, providing matching research and development funding to Meat and Livestock Australia and working closely with the industry on market access and development opportunities.”

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Managing Director Jason Strong said overall Australia’s red meat and livestock industry was in fantastic shape with minimal disruptions through the global pandemic thanks to years of innovation and hard work from red meat producers.

“Over many years we have worked on improving what we do, building relationships and diversifying our red meat markets which meant as the impact of the global pandemic arose, we were able to ride it out with minimal

Cattle grazing on a rural property. disruptions to export volumes and values, especially relative to other industries,” Mr Strong said.

“Much of the commentary about consumers declining commitment to red meat is overblown and out of context. Australian red meat continues to be recognised as a high-quality protein of choice across the globe.

“We have a premium product with a first-

rate reputation that consumers are willing to pay top dollar for which puts us in a unique position and allows the industry to strive towards the ambitious goal to double the value of red meat sales by 2030.

“Our job is to find the most discerning consumers both here and around the world and make sure they continue to be excited to eat our product - getting people comfortable with the fact that Australian red meat is a high

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“It is crucial that the red meat and livestock industry continues to unite right across the supply chain to further improve the productivity and profitability of the entire sector. We have a very exciting future ahead.”

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Novermber 2021 TODAY 19

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

Gayndah-bred bull Ahern Brock sold for $140,000.

The Brownson family, who operate Burdekin Brahmans, are Brock’s new owners - Charlie, Kira, Henry and Nick Brownson.

Stars of Brahman Week

By Julian Lehnert and Neesha Sinnya Gayndah bulls were the top earners at Rockhampton’s annual Brahman Week sale, with North Burnett-bred cattle earning the two top seller spots for their superb genetics and appeal.

Carinya Sugarcrata from Gayndah sold for an event-leading $150,000, with the runner-up, two-year-old Ahern Brock, following closely behind at $140,000.

Brock sold to the Charters Towers-based Brownson family at Burdekin Brahmans, who made the purchase after an intense bidding war.

“To be honest, that’s the most money we’ve ever paid for a bull - but that’s just the way it’s been going, with prices going up,” Burdekin Brahman’s Nick Brownson said.

“We used to pay around $60,000 to $80,000 for a bull, but we went to Brahman Week this year expecting to pay at least $100,000.

“I thought Dad and I were going to have a little conversation when we reached that $100,000 mark to see how much more we

were going to be able to offer, but Dad wanted him right or wrong - he didn’t bat an eyelid.”

Mr Brownson cited Brock’s stunning weight-for-age and measurements as reasons for his popularity, adding that his impressive pedigree - with his sire being American superstar bull Mr V8 Noble - will make for an excellent addition to his stud farm’s stock.

Brian Wedemeyer, the auctioneer for Elders at Brahman Week, said that Brock’s statistics made him an immediate show-stopper, with the Gayndah bull weighing in at 906 kilograms, measuring 39 centimetres in scrotal circumference and testing 80 per cent for sperm motility.

“A beautiful bull, no doubt about it,” Mr Wedemeyer said.

“He was sired by Mr V8 Noble - that bull has extremely popular genetics. [Brock is] over 900kg and only two years old - [he is] beautifully natured and nice to look at.”

Ahern Brahmans owner Paul Ahern, who has sold his stock at Brahman Week for more than 20 years, was surprised with Brock’s per-

formance at the Rockhampton event. “[Brock] was probably one of the best bulls we’ve ever sold,” he said.

“His weight for age is great, his scans like eye muscle area and scrotal measurements were very good, he’s very correct in his structure and walks really well, and he has an extremely docile temperament.”

Mr Brownson said: “The bull stood out to us pretty quickly for what he is - his bones and skin are great and the eye appeal he has is just outstanding.”

“We bought a bull from the Aherns in Gayndah once before, several years ago, but he died on us; when we went back on the pedigree, we found out this new bull actually came from our old one’s mother.

“It really showed us the strength in that family line, that this sort of animal could be produced all over again.”

Mr Brownson said Brock was now on his way to Burdekin Brahmans at Charters Towers, where he would be put to great use.

“He’ll go straight to stud duties,” he said.

“He’s just arriving here at Gener8 Reproduction in Charters Towers where he’ll be processed.

We’re actually already going to be putting some semen packages together for sale in the near future - we’ve already had a few people chasing some as he was a very well-liked bull.

“We’re very happy that we get to bring him back up here.”

Rockhampton’s Brahman Week is the biggest sale of its kind in the world, attracting bulls and buyers from all over Australia.

When asked about the reason behind the popularity of Gayndah-bred bulls at this year’s event, Ahern Brahmans owner Paul Ahern, who has over a dozen more calves lined up for sale in the near future, explained that it was not location that mattered, but knowledge.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with the location, just with the dedication to breeding better cattle all the time,” he said.

“We’ll just continue to strive to breed better and better, and we’re always on the lookout for new genetics.”

Stud on cloud nine after sensational sale

By Rose Astley It was an outstanding week away at the Rockhampton Brahman Week 2021 for stud owners Steve and Sharon Turner who were left feeling “on cloud nine” after record sales for their cattle.

The Turner’s took six bulls from their stud’s Y3K and Wilarandy and averaged over $52,000 for their quality Brahman sires.

Y3K Galaxy was their best seller of the week who went to a buyer from Tieri for $100,000 who also snavelled up a second bull, Sir Gregor, for $55,000.

The second best price came from a buyer from Biloela who splashed $90,000 on Wilarandy Django.

Ms Turner said after a few hard years and recent tough conditions it was a dream come true to see their bulls do so well in the largest Brahman sale in the Southern Hemisphere.

“It’s really rewarding that someone else has thought so much of your product and business to invest that much money, it’s really like being on cloud nine.

“We don’t have the words to adequately describe how privileged we feel to see these boys going into such wonderful herds. Thank you, thank you, thank you to you all and we look forward to seeing some awesome progeny.”

20 TODAY November 2021

Carly Turner with two of the family’s top selling Brahman bulls.

Carly, Steve, Alex and Sharon Turner.

QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

OBITUARY

A True Gentleman

By Paul Pratt Born in Goomeri on 23 December 1936, Earl David Sealy Pratt was the eldest of five children born to Basil and Desma Pratt. Earl started his schooling in Goomeri.

When Earl was the age of six, his father enlisted into the Army and was posted to New Guinea, returning at the end of the war.

During his father’s absence he was a huge help to his mother and his two siblings Robert and Kay. In 1946 the family moved to Murgon where his sisters Joy and Jan were born, Earl finished his schooling in 1953.

In July 1955, after working with his father in the livestock business for a short period of time, he was called up for National Service.

He completed his training at HMAS Penguin, Middleheads in Sydney.

On his return to Murgon he worked alongside his father and eventually formed BD Pratt & Co in 1962.

Earl meet Rita Smith in 1957 and in May 1960 entered into a partnership that would last some 57 years till her passing in 2017.

Earl’s proudest moments were the birth of his son Paul in 1965 and his daughter Helen in 1970.

The agency conducted regular Livestock Sales in Murgon and Goomeri and saw the opening of the current Live Weight selling complex in Murgon.

BD Pratt & Co was sold to Australian Estates in 1979.

Earl continued on in the industry as a commission buyer for several processors as well as many private clients.

Over the years this job saw Earl travel many thousands of kilometres to various sales in the Burnett and Central Queensland.

In 1986 Earl, Rita and Paul established Pratt Agencies Pty Ltd.

Regular Livestock Sales in Murgon 254288 His involvement in Pratt Agencies ended in 2015 leaving Paul and his wife Stacey to run the business.

Rest assured his advice on business issues never stopped.

He was passionate about the livestock industry and was instrumental in the late 1990s and the early 2000s in bringing state based livestock organisations into a national body now known as the Australian Livestock and Property Agents Associations (ALPA) in 2004.

Earl was made a life member of ALPA in the same year for his tireless contribution and commitment towards the formation of the company.

Aside from the agency industry, Earl was

Earl Pratt. 254288 very community minded and heavily involved in several Murgon organisations and committees.

Elected as a Murgon Shire Councillor in 1985, he served until 1997.

He was also involved with the Murgon Football Club, St Joseph’s Catholic Parish and was on the committee of the Murgon Dairy Museum until he fell ill in 2019.

Earl is survived by his son Paul and his wife Stacey, his daughter Helen and her husband Shaun, grandchildren Mitchell, Candice, Ashleigh, Tyler, Georgia, Justin, Jessica, Madison and great grandson Oliver.

A True Gentleman.

Earl and Rita Pratt. 254288

If you have any news or exciting new projects or simply want to highlight and achievement Call Fiona Gowers | E: fiona.gowers@queenslandfarmertoday.com.au

To book your advertising space in our next edition of Queensland Farmer Today simply call: Annette Weatherstone | P: 0428 844 937 E: Annette.weatherstone@queenslandfarmertoday .com.au Samantha Wantling | P: 0439 420 289 E: samantha.wantling@warwickstanthorpetoday.com.au Daniel Pelcl | P: 0408 956 830 E: daniel.pelcl@burnetttoday.com.au

Next E d out on ition 25 No the vembe r 2021

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November 2021 TODAY 21

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

A Nguni bull at Eastwell Farms, Kin Kin.254269

Afternoon light on the Kin Kin Valley. 254269

Mushrooms growing at Eastwell Farms.254269

The Ussher family have turned to Africa as part of their plan to revive their Kin Kin property with chemical-free grazing and mushroom farming, as ERLE LEVEY reports.

Out of Africa, a breed apart It was like being in Africa. The lush grass, the treed backdrop, the thunder clouds looming in the north-west over the range.

In front of us were cattle of many colours.

Some looked like zebras with their black and white markings. Others had distinctive red markings.

Then there was the dominant shape of the long-horned bulls.

Strong. Exotic. Revered.

Graceful white birds rose and flew off, silhouetted against the green of the foliage along the creek.

It was almost as if you expected to see Robert Redford and Meryl Streep having a picnic under one of the age-old Moreton Bay fig trees.

A scene from Out of Africa.

It was not hard to picture a Zulu or Masai warrior standing there on one leg, the other balanced against his knee and using a spear as his support.

Standing, watching the herd of cattle grazing.

I was with Bryant and Susie Ussher at their Kin Kin property, Eastwell Farms.

It’s an undulating chemical-free property of 400 acres that has been through a number of incarnations since Kin Kin was first settled in the mid 1800s.

Bryant’s parents Arland and Annette moved to Moran Group Rd from Longreach in 1969, changing the property from dairying to beef cattle.

There was small cropping in the valley as well as plantation timber - tea was even being grown.

Part of the reason for the move was to provide better education for their children, rather than having to rely on the distance learning.

That eventually led to Bryant attending Gatton Agricultural College and gaining two associate diploma courses - in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.

Today, Susie, son Alex, and Bryant each share a passion for preserving the earth and working with nature, not against it.

They understand the necessity for a holistic approach to agriculture and practice with the future in mind.

In doing so they have been the latest to be awarded the Snail of Approval by Slow Food Noosa for ethically-minded produce.

They are doing it by introducing a new breed of cattle to Australia, but one that has been on the African landscape for many years and developed a natural resistance to ticks and disease.

Bryant discovered the South African breed Nguni were better suited to the tick-prone environment of the Sunshine Coast. Highly praised for its fertility, the breed also provides a natural resistance to other diseases.

Nguni were introduced to Eastwell in 2019, and are gradually occupying more of the farm’s herd each year.

Genetic benefits aside, these cattle are an inherently docile breed - something which is valued dearly, Bryant said.

“We want the animals to enjoy their life on the farm while we do the same alongside them, and thus love having cattle which bring calm to the property.’’

22 TODAY November 2021

Alex, Susie and Bryant of Eastwell Farms in Kin Kin. 254269

Want the animals to enjoy their life on the farm while we do the same alongside them, and thus love having cattle which bring calm to the property.’’

The “Eastwell” name has a deep history in the family, originating from Ireland.

There were two dairy farms, Bryant said.

The back farm would bring the cream to the road on a sled. There was no power, no running water.

Arland made great efforts to shifting the property to beef. He adopted a pasture improvement program with the intention of ensuring the land could provide produce for more than the short term. New plant species were introduced to improve biodiversity.

Arland brought Santa Gertrudis in but they didn’t do well.

Instead, he became one of earliest farmers to introduce Brahmans to the area.

It was about the same time as Spring Valley Brahmans were being bred at Gympie.

This had followed the discovery of the susceptibility to ticks of British breeds. The switch to Brahmans eliminated the need to spray the animals with tick-resistant chemicals.

Through maintaining ecological balance and genuine care for the environment, Eastwell has flourished over many decades of farming, and was set to provide a healthy and happy basis for the family’s second generation of farmers.

After graduating from Ag College, Bryant managed properties at Chinchilla.

They were living in Toowoomba where Susie was working in education.

Bryant became a board member of Resources Consulting Services (RCS) - holistically-integrated education, training and advisory services to the agricultural sector, both nationally and internationally.

RCS works with individuals, families, corporates and government groups, helping them to grow productive, profitable agricultural businesses within regenerative landscapes.

“It allows us to work on our business in a board structure,’’ Bryant said.

“We developed the farms into cells for timecontrolled grazing, and I saw the benefits really quickly.

“I was convinced the same approach could be used here.’’

After years of preparation, Bryant and Susie officially took over the family farm in 2018.

Their sights were set on improving soil quality through carbon sequestering, making great sacrifices to achieve such.

Quite simply, they came, saw what was needed to be done, and evaluated.

With these short-, mid-, and long-term gauges of success in place, the journey began with the gradual implementation of infrastructure to support rotational grazing.

“We have put a lot of money into infrastructure in a short space of time,’’ Bryant said, “but the benefits came extremely quickly.

“We set a priority list of things needing to be done. Water, fencing, yards.

“Pastures come from being able to manage the animals.

“We can see some serious movement in pasture health by being able to manage the animals on the grass.

“When you can allow plants to grow to good second stage growth and not be chewed - they look fabulous.’’

This meant the need for the 400-acre property to be divided into more than 40 paddocks, each with access to plumbed troughs.

By installing troughs shared between paddocks, cattle would be less likely to disturb natural water systems. This is of great concern, as the Kin Kin Creek flows through the property.

Ensuring a constant water flow means the cattle would be less stressed. They would not feel the water could run out on them which causes aggressive behaviour.

A system of six-way paddocks meant one trough could serve six paddocks.

All had electrified fencing with aluminium posts and plastic droppers.

A Bos bag fly treatment and detergent back rub were installed near the troughs, along with a supplement trailer.

The idea is for cattle to move paddocks daily, meaning there is no over-grazing and ground cover can flourish.

Developing the infrastructure was initially a steady process, but Bryant managed to wrangle the assistance of younger members of the family to speed things along.

Fencing and yard construction was completed two years in advance of the initial target, allowing for other goals to be pursued.

New yards were started in 2020 with the thought of handling 400 head, Bryant said.

“We started a herd with whatever breeds we could. Most of it was out of necessity.

“The cattle go through the race monthly so we can keep an eye on what they are doing.

“They are weighed for growth rates. Reporting will show if there’s an issue.

“It’s been pretty full-on. The old yards were near the creek to make it easy for the dip.

“We moved them back to higher ground so they would not be as boggy.

“Susie was on board very quickly as to the business value of the investment.

“Dad said he had poured 100 ton of gravel as foundations for the old yards ... but they were still boggy.’’

The Nguni cattle have their heritage in the tribes from Africa.

Their colouring indicates the different tribal background.

They came into Australia from a small gene pool.

At Kin Kin they are mixed with Droughtmaster, Brahman and some Brangus as well.

QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

Mushrooms growing at Eastwell Farms. 254269

NEWS

The watering systems, Bos bags and supplement feeders are at the hub of six paddocks. 254269

Nguni cattle mix with Droughtmaster, Brahman and Brangus at Eastwell Farms, Kin Kin. 254269

The new cattle yards at Eastwell Farms. 254269

Bryant and Susie Usher prepare check on the cattle at Eastwell Farms in Kin Kin. 254269

Looking down on the Kin Kin Creek from a high point at Eastwell Farms. 254269

A Nguni bull at Eastwell Farms, Kin Kin. 254269

The delivery of water at the right flow rate is essential for cattle. 254269

“Crossing only with Nguni bulls we hope to have a high Nguni content cow to cross back to beef breeds if needed.

“They make exceptionally good mothers, - highly fertile, placid, and with a lovely temperament.

“They are very inquisitive … they come up to the buggy and all want to say ’good day.’

“They have good traits, including the reputation of being the most productive beef breed in the world.

“They are highly fertile - up to 20 years come into calf early, mature early and go longer than most.

“Most breeds can be docile if treated right but these are intelligent. They know what’s going on.

“They would have been shepherded everywhere, corralled at night to keep them safe from lions.

“Each have their own personalities.

“They are a bit of a smaller animal. On this sort of coastal and hilly country, big cattle struggle.’’

After years of interest, developments started in late 2020 on the infrastructure to support gourmet mushroom farming. The farm was set to become multi-industry.

The world of fungi had perked Susie’s interest so four shipping containers were set and repurposed on-site.

Two plumbed, wired and lit 20-foot storage containers, as well as two 40-foot containers which house automated temperature control, humidity and oxygen regulation, and routine light-cycling capability.

The layout of these containers was carefully devised following many consultations with cultivation experts.

Early 2021 saw the harvest of the farm’s first oyster mushroom crop. After months of finetuning and process development, Eastwell was ready to host a gourmet mushroom farm with publicly available produce.

August 2021 saw the farm putting product to market.

“We are at about half the production we think we can manage,’’ Bryant said.

They sell at Noosa Farmers Market as well as provide to wholesalers and restaurants in Noosa, Organika in Noosa and Kandanga Farm Shop.

This week sees the start of the beef products also going to the market.

The meat will be processed in Gympie and then the Mary Valley.

Drop-off points will be arranged from the Sunshine Coast to Gympie as well as their stall at Noosa Farmers Market.

“It’s a good-tasting beef,’’ Bryant said. “We think it will make for a better sized cut.

“There has been quite a lot of interest.

“It will be a boxed selection of cuts.

“There is interest from restaurants already because it’s grass fed.

“Noosa has the name … you can have it on a table from Melbourne to Mackay.’’

On the way back from looking at the cattle Bryant told me a bit more about his father.

Along with then neighbour and later Noosa shire councillor Tos Barnett and Chris Chapman, Arland used to own the old Kin Kin Butter Factory that was right in the centre of town.

It was a creative arts centre and incubator of local talent. But it had to be demolished after a mini tornado ripped through the town in the mid 1980s.

I remember following council heavy equipment out that was clearing the road of fallen trees.

The butter factory was badly damaged so the three men donated the land to the people of Kin Kin for community purposes and has been transformed into Central Park.

So, what a day it turned out for me.

Not only reliving those roaring days of Kin Kin but being able to help out in the paddocks, then get a ride back on the tractor to the homestead.

It took me back years.

Looking down on the house and sheds from a high point at Eastwell Farms. 254269

Curious cattle. 254269

An Nguni bull at Eastwell Farms, Kin Kin. 254269 November 2021 TODAY 23

NEWS QueenslandFarmerToday.com.au

Judge Joe Payne (far left) with Coralie Daly of Roma, who won the novice draft on Watch Me, while Matthew Moffat on Christmas Chisum and Brendan Fitzgerald on Seeds Silver Lining placed equal second.

Picture: KATE JONES PHOTOGRAPHY

Guns fire in Triple Crown

By Fiona Gowers

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A top gun and a young gun have clinched major victories in the esteemed Condamine Bell Campdraft, sparking a thrilling start to the 2021 Triple Crown series.

From a field of 440 riders, champion Ben Hall of Muttaburra won the open draft, claiming a $50,000 slice of Condamine’s largest prize pool of $170,000.

Charli Curr of Julia Creek secured the Joyce Campbell Memorial ladies’ draft with 179 points, just beating JJ Lamb on Foster and Rylee Turner on Condalilly, who were equal second on 178 points.

Coralie Daly of Roma won the novice draft.

Mr Hall, 44, said he was thrilled to hold the iconic Condamine Bell trophy for the seventh time.

“I always enjoy coming to Condamine because it’s probably one of the best surfaces we ride on all year,” he said. “They line up quality cattle for us and offer good money.”

Mr Hall rode Jackson, a 12-year-old gelding by the sire Playrio bred at he and wife Jaye Hall’s Bibil Station at Muttaburra. The pair scored 269.5 points.

He also shared second place on Classy Dove with campdrafter Joe Payne on Cole Black, while Charters Towers rider Will Durkin took out fourth, fifth and sixth place.

“At Condamine the competition is always tough the whole way through,” Mr Hall said.

“But Jackson, who we bred and trained and

JUST D SE RELEA

is a family horse, is pretty casual. He does what you want him to do and is pretty consistent.

He turns up every weekend for you.”

The Chinchilla Grandfather Clock Campdraft on 23 October and Warwick Gold Cup on 30 October comprise the Triple Crown series.

No competitor has won the trifecta in one year to claim the $30,000 bonus.

As well as seven Condamine Bells, Mr Hall has won three Grandfather Clocks and three Gold Cups. This year he hopes to win all three events to make campdrafting history.

“It would be good,” he said. “I had a crack another year but couldn’t pull it off.”

For Charli Curr, 20, it was her first time competing at Condamine after success this year on gelding, Spook through the North Queensland campdrafting circuit.

She said it was exciting to win in a category boasting 118 other women and is looking forward to competing at Chinchilla and Warwick.

“I started campdrafting when I was young but have become a lot more interested in it over the past couple of years, since leaving school,” Charli said.

“I heard Condamine was a great draft and it has been amazing. The cattle are really good and there’s such strong competition here. It’s really exciting.” * Queensland Farmer Today will publish reports and photos from the Chinchilla Grandfather Clock Campdraft and Warwick Gold Cup in its next editionk, out on 25 November .

Ben Hall, Bibil Station, Muttaburra won the open draft at the Condamine Bell Campdraft, riding Jackson.

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