SUNSHINE Coast hinterland dairy farmers Ray and Catherine DeVere have directly improved the productivity and profitability of their farm by improving the quality of water flowing off their farm.
The DeVeres have worked closely with urban water supplier SEQWater during the past four years to address key areas on River Ridge Dairies at Kureelpa near Nambour which were allowing sentiment and in particular cow manure to flow into the nearby Poona Dam.
The River Ridge Dairies farm-walk was one of the highlights of the Reef Range and Red Dust Conference at Caloundra this week. The project is part of the Maroochy FarmFlow Program which is administered by the Maroochy Landcare Group.
Poona Dam is a key gravity-fed reservoir for the Image Flat water treatment plant which provides treated water to the Sunshine Coast.
Much of Poona's catchment is located on the 100-hectare farm and had been identified as a high priority area.
In return for the DeVere's cooperation, SEQWater through the Maroochy FarmFlow Program has helped build hard-crossing in previously mud-prone gullies, fence out problem gullies, installed new water troughs and pipelines, create concrete cattle tracks, and construct a kilometre-long hillside track enabling cattle to be moved anywhere on the farm in wet weather.
#QCLNEWS Jersey cows at Ray & Catherine DeVere's River Ridge Dairies @Kureelpa near Nambour. 176 cows in production pic.twitter.com/8vsELV8Rwg
More impressively Mr DeVere said working with SEQWater had also directly improved the health of the cow herd and cut veterinary costs by a staggering 75 per cent.
"The cows are healthier and they are producing more milk because they are not walking through mud anymore," Mr DeVere said.
"We're in a sub-tropical environment here and can get some very wet weather.
"When cows have to walk through mud mastitis can become a really big problem."
SEQWaters project definition officer Tim Odgers and Maroochy FarmFlow Program extension officer Dave Clark with Catherine and Ray DeVere, River Ridge Dairies, Kureelpa.
Mr DeVere said both breeding and electricity consumption had also been reduced through the reorganisation of the farm.
The construction of the hillside track also provided SEQWater with the quarry material needed to increase the height of the Poona Dam wall.
"The hillside track has made a real difference," Mr DeVere said.
"We can now use all of the farm when there is wet weather. Before we just couldn't cross the gullies to get to the cows and that was costing a lot of money.
"We were also able to supply SEQWater with the clay they need for the dam wall work."
The DeVeres currently milk 176 Jerseys in a 16 cow swing-over dairy.
The herd was averaging 20.3 litres with an annual production of about 1.1 million litres.
The DeVeres have also recently begun mixing grain rations on-farm and also use brewers grain from the XXXX Brewery in Brisbane.
