Beef Australia – Property Visit Insight

Posted on April 28th, 2021

Belmont is a 3260ha property 37km north of Rockhampton on the Fitzroy River and is owned by CQUniversity. It provides an ideal environment for research into livestock production in the tropics and sub-tropics of northern Australia.

FBA has worked with Belmont on management practice programs aimed to improve the environmental management of agricultural waterways, reducing the loads of sediment, nutrients and pesticides entering the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon.

Environmental improvements resulting from riparian restoration have not been well studied in the Fitzroy Basin. The collaboration between FBA and CQUniversity provides a unique opportunity for long term monitoring and research into the success of riparian fencing, with passive regeneration and best management practice within the region.

This project was set up as a long-term site development to investigate the environmental benefits of riparian fencing on grazing properties in the Fitzroy region. 

Catchment runoff has been implicated as the primary cause of deteriorating water quality in the GBR lagoon (Scientific Consensus Statement for the Great Barrier Reef, 2017). Recommendations for reducing runoff from agricultural enterprises focus on producers’ adoption of recognised best management practices.

For beef cattle grazing, such practices focus on improving riparian condition including fencing vegetated riparian areas adjacent to rivers and streams, providing off-stream water sources for cattle, maintaining high ground cover in paddocks, and addressing issues such as gullying and streambank erosion.

During the 2021 Beef Australia Westpac Property Tours, FBA’s Land Management Coordinator, Reece Brooks will do a presentation on the long-term project. If you’re not attending the visit but would like to learn more contact us.