GRAZING SERVICES
White Kangaroo grazier John Skinner.
Boosting beef production and resilience to dry spells
John and Bree Skinner are on a mission to make White Kangaroo Station, near Bowen, more resilient for their cattle and the land. They’ re working to regenerate their 5,500ha property to boost sustainable beef production and better handle dry spells and unpredictable seasons.
Thanks to support from the BBB Water Quality Program, the Skinners have been able to fast-track their plans with new infrastructure, expert advice, and funding to install fencing and water systems. That’ s allowed them to switch to rotational grazing, a big shift from their old approach.
“ Changing our grazing system has probably been the biggest step forward we’ ve made,” John said.
“ We used to run continuous grazing, which put a lot of pressure on the good pasture. Now we can rest areas properly and give the 3P grasses a chance to bounce back.”
A key part of the change was splitting a 2000ha paddock in two, introducing wet season spelling and giving their land time to recover. This has improved pasture quality, helped with mustering, and reduced pressure on favoured areas like the fertile flats.
Water access was another hurdle. When the Skinners arrived in 2017, there was just one working bore and two dams. Now there are three dams, five bores, and a solarpowered reticulation system that supplies water across the north end of the property, all helping to keep cattle moving and pastures resting.
“ Getting that bore equipped with a solar pump made a big difference,” John said.
“ It gives us more flexibility and peace of mind during the dry.”
Looking ahead, the Skinners are focused on landscape health. They plan to increase paddock numbers, rotate larger mobs through smaller areas, and use spelling to improve ground cover and pasture composition.
“ The better the pastures, the better the cattle, and the more resilient our operation becomes,” John said.
Splitting a 2000ha paddock in two, introducing wet season spelling, and giving land time to recover has improved pasture quality, helped with mustering, and reduced pressure on favoured areas like the fertile flats. Grazier John Skinner is pictured walking the new fenceline with NQ Dry Tropics Senior Grazing Field Officer Brad Martin.
A solar-powered reticulation system supplies water across the north end of the property, helping keep cattle moving and pastures resting.
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