Regional Profile The Burnett Mary region covers 53,000 square kilometres and encompasses the southern extent of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Great Sandy straits World Heritage Area. The region has a moderate subtropical climate. The main agricultural land uses are grazing and sugarcane with some horticulture. Region Priorities The targeted areas for the programme were prioritised by considering the following: Proximity to Reef. Location in reference to major impoundments. Land use type and risk of pollutants being mobilised into waterways. Sediment modelling and other recommendations from the Water Quality Improvement Plans for the Burrum, Burnett, Baffle and Mary Catchments. Industries that are considered to have a higher impact on the GBR lagoon in the Burnett Mary area are sugarcane (41per cent), grazing (28 per cent), horticulture (25 per cent) and dairy (6 per cent). Burnett Mary region
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Regional ProfileThe Burnett Mary region covers 53,000 square kilometres and encompasses the southern extent of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Great Sandy straits World Heritage Area. The region has a moderate subtropical climate. The main agricultural land uses are grazing and sugarcane with some horticulture.
Region PrioritiesThe targeted areas for the programme were prioritised by considering the following:
Proximity to Reef.
Location in reference to major impoundments.
Land use type and risk of pollutants being mobilised into waterways.
Sediment modelling and other recommendations from the Water Quality Improvement Plans for the Burrum, Burnett, Baffle and Mary Catchments.
Industries that are considered to have a higher impact on the GBR lagoon in the Burnett Mary area are sugarcane (41per cent), grazing (28 per
cent), horticulture (25 per cent) and dairy (6 per cent).
Burnett Mary region
Information resulting from the Paddock to Reef programme and Programme evaluations, identified locations for priority as:
Priority area one - major focus of the programme and covers 1,288,081 ha with predominately sugar, grazing and horticultural land uses.
Priority area two - includes most of the Mary River catchment and is 1,007,090 ha. Target industries in this area were grazing, sugar, horticulture and dairy.
Priority area three –opened up in the later years of the programme and investment only placed there if there was a significant water quality benefit. It covers 1,363,510 ha and targeted industries for priority area three were horticulture and dairy.
Progress against contracted targetsFor the 2009 to 2013 period BMRG was contracted to:
1. Increase by 385 the number of farmers who have adopted land management practices that will improve the quality of water reaching the Reef lagoon by 2013.
2. Increase by 244 the number of pastoralists over an area of 30,269 hectares, who have improved ground cover monitoring and management in areas where run-off from grazing is contributing significantly to sediment loads and a decline in the quality of water reaching the Reef lagoon by 2013.
1,014 landholders (586 new and 428 repeat) received $11,492,517 (71 per cent of total funding) to improve management practices within the region. The seven industry partners and BMRG received a total of $4,623,555 to implement the programme and increase skills and knowledge of landholders.
A total of 689 projects were undertaken by farmers in the sugarcane and horticulture industries and 325 projects by pastoralists in the grazing and dairy industries.
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Due to a staged implementation, achievements which occurred during 2008-09 were not aggregated in the reported totals. The engagement over the first year was:
94 sugarcane growers over 28,329 ha were engaged.
27 horticulturalists over 1,702 ha were engaged.
3 dairy farmers over 171 ha were engaged.
46 graziers over 12,413 ha were engaged.
Proportion and area of industry engagedFindings of the Reef Plan Report Card 2012 and 2013 for industry adopting improved practices in the region between 2009 to 2013:
19% of graziers.
55% of sugar cane growers.
50% of horticulture producers. Land management improvements occurred over a total of 126,991 ha, approximately 6%* of the priority area one and two.
*Please note the total hectare of priority one and two includes non-agricultural land.
Key pollutants Nutrient and chemicals from the horticulture
and sugar industries.
Sediment and particulate nutrients from grazing.
Soluble nutrient reductions from dairy.
Nutrient and sediment pollutants from dairy due to tendency to graze cattle on creeks and wetlands in areas of high erosion in the Mary catchment.
Regional Funding
The Australian Government provided a total of $16,030,915 of funding from 2008 to 2013.
Load reductions
Modelled load reduction estimates from the Paddock to Reef programme indicate the following load reductions for Burnett Mary:
31% per cent reduction in annual average dissolved inorganic nutrient (DIN) load between 2009 and 2013.
3 per cent reduction in annual average sediment load between 2009 and 2013.
6 per cent reduction in annual average particulate nitrogen load between 2009 and 2013.
12 per cent reduction in annual average particulate phosphorus load between 2009 and 2013.
28 per cent reduction in annual average PSII pesticide load between 2009 and 2013.
Assisting with improving the quality of water exiting the catchments is presence of groundcover.
The late dry season groundcover for grazing lands in the Burnett Mary region was estimated as high (84 per cent) in the Reef Plan Report Card 2012 and 2013.
Key AchievementsThe Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) successfully implemented the Burnett Mary Reef Water Quality Grants and Partnerships programme to improve water quality in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
Since 2009, a total of 1,014 landholders have adopted land management practices to reduce the run-off of nutrients, pesticides and sediments from agricultural land. Overall the programme in the Burnett Mary Region generated significant enthusiasm and interest.
Over the five years, the following outcomes were achieved:
478 growers from the sugar industry implemented improved nutrient, sediment and pesticide management practices over 79,600 ha.
211 horticulturalists improved nutrient, sediment and pesticide management practices over 9,200 ha.
288 graziers improved sediment management practices over 52,700 ha.
37 dairy farmers improved nutrient and sediment management practices over 2,100 ha.
12 landholders (canegrowers and horticulturalists) improved sediment and nutrient farm run-off through utilising constructed wetlands, vegetated swales and sediment ponds.
Partnerships with peak industry bodies and catchment care groups provided extension and training to farmers and graziers to improve management practices. Industry partners included:
Grazing – Burnett Catchment Care Association and Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee.
Horticulture –Growcom.
Dairy – Queensland Dairy Organisation.Associated partners and critical friends include BMRG members, Agforce, Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers, Wetland Care Australia, Department of Employment, Economic
Development and Innovation, private agronomist consultants and individual landholders.
The majority of field officers were involved with delivery of the programme since the beginning of the initiative and has been one of the key elements to the success of landholder engagement and delivery.
Activities undertaken to ensure a change in management practices have included:
Infrastructure management and engineering works.
Creation and management of wetlands.
Water use efficiency practices .
Benchmarking and evaluating farm inputs.
Monitoring soil conditions and modifying practices in response to the condition.
Implementing best practice land management.
Programme implementation was affected by two major flood events in the region, with record floods in 2013. Some of these impacts included:
Financial difficulties for landholders to contribute 50% of the costs of works.
Restricted access to sites to implement on-ground works.
Limited interest from landholders to participate in the programme due to competing priorities.
Low market prices affecting grower cash flow.
Anecdotally this programme has had a great socio-economic impact within the Burnett Mary. The region has historically high unemployment and is considered to be one of Australia’s lowest socio-economic regions. These investments assist landholders to upgrade their practices much sooner than they could have on their own (average of four years sooner) and increase production efficiencies (Source: BMRG Reef Rescue Landholder Survey).
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Case study: Dairy – Burnett Mary (Burnett Mary Regional Group)
Winner of the Dairy Reef Rescue award, Monto dairy farmer Geoff Downie has received two Water Quality grants through the Reef Rescue programme and attended several soils and nutrient management workshops run through the Queensland Dairyfarmer’s Dairying Better ‘N’ Better programme.
The Downies have improved water quality leaving their property by purchasing and converting a planter to minimum till and by constructing a new creek crossing on Three Moon Creek to replace the original one that was damaged in the 2010-11 floods, leaving it unusable by machinery and cattle.
In addition to the Reef Rescue funding received, the Downies have invested a significant amount of capital in these improvements during a time when margins have been tight. The direct benefits of this investment were obvious to the Downies when the new creek crossing held up against higher and more powerful flooding during early 2013.
Animal health and productivity gains have also been noticeable. Cows are now healthier and producing more milk, ground cover has increased and planting is more efficient and creek water quality has noticeably improved.
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Monto dairy farmer, Geoff Downie’s new creek crossing on Three Moon CreekPhotos: Queensland Farmers Federation
