A PROGRAM developed to help graziers farm alongside the Great Barrier Reef is expanding into Western Queensland to help drought affected producers build their resilience.
AgForce Grazing BMP Manager Steve Lacey said the Grazing Best Management Practices program had been in operation since 2010 and so far more than 1600 businesses covering an area of more than 20 million hectares had engaged in the program.
"To date, the program has been focussed on assisting graziers in reef catchments improve their businesses," Mr Lacey said.
“But it is now expanding to assist graziers in Western Queensland areas thanks to funding from the Drought and Climate Adaption project, which aims to assist producers prepare for, manage and recover from drought.”
Mr Lacey said landholders could use Grazing BMP to benchmark their business against the best industry standards using the best available science.
"It is designed to assist producers to improve their long term productivity, profitability and sustainability in the areas of grazing land management, soil health, animal health and welfare, animal production, and people and business," he said.
"While the Grazing BMP tool is available for use by any grazier online in any part of Australia, DAF is now working with natural resource management groups and industry to deliver workshops in towns throughout Western Queensland.
"This gives producers the opportunity to hear first-hand from experts, and to learn from and work with their peers to examine their overall business outlook and where there is room for improvement."
Upcoming Grazing BMP workshops include: Mt Molloy on November 28, Georgetown on November 29, Hughenden on December 1, and Julia Creek on December 2.
CLICK HERE for more details about the workshops.