ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 | 21
resilience in grazing
QUICK STATS
THIS year 23 new grazing enterprises
completed all 5 grazing BMP
modules.
There were 43 grazing enterprises
reassessed in all 5 grazing BMP
modules.
There were 5 new grazing enterprises
that completed third party ISO19001
auditing to achieve accreditation.
Across the region, 7 major events
involving 106 participants were held
to support grazing BMP.
Saving our Soils
THE Saving our Soils project is
also delivered in partnership
with FBA, through funding from
the Australian Government
Reef Trust and the Queensland
Government.
The three-year initiative
supports 10 graziers in the
lower and upper Burdekin
to benchmark their business
against industry standards, and
implement improved grazing
systems to increase productivity
and profitability, while reducing
sediment runoff.
QUICK STATS
DELIVERED tailored training
to 10 participating grazing
properties.
Provided extension and
training to 62 individual
properties managing more
than 800,000ha.
Achieved 11,237ha of
practice change through on
ground projects.
BMP the foundation of their dream
GRAZIERS Ross and Tracy Tapiolas
(pictured), along with sons Damien,
Justin and Liam, are striving to develop
a sustainable, profitable business using
industry best practice.
They purchased Six Mile Creek Station at Home Hill in
2015, and less than 18 months later they passed their
Grazing BMP audit to join a select group of accredited
producers.
Along the way they took advantage of a range of
extension and training opportunities covering subjects
such as low stress stock handling, breeder management
and pregnancy testing, soil health, and grader
techniques.
They completed Grazing for Profit and ProfitProbe with
Resource Consulting Services, and MLA’s Business EDGE
and Breeding EDGE with Department of Agriculture and
Fisheries. They also joined the Saving our Soils project
to further increase their knowledge, and this year hosted
a Landscape Rehydration workshop on their property as
part of the project.
“We realised we needed to grab any and every bit of
support out there to make a go of this business,” Ross
Tapiolas said.
“We care deeply for our stock and even more for our
land, but there was no point loving them if it was only
going to send us broke.
“The extension services offered to us by NQ Dry Tropics
have been invaluable in teaching us how to improve
productivity, and showing us how to translate our new
knowledge into practice change that relates directly to
our business.
“It’s important to us to show consumers that we’re good
custodians of our land and are looking after the welfare
of our animals because we want this business to
operate sustainably and profitably for
generations to come.”