Grazing cattle to improve productivity while managing the land more sustainably was the focus of a workshop on the Tablelands recently.

Far Northern landholders heard from grazing ecosystem specialist Dick Richardson on improving soil health and pasture performance across properties, one paddock at a time.

New Malanda landholder Natasha MacPherson said information about rotational or cell grazing would help shape cattle production plans for the family’s property.

“This land was historically over-grazed, with cattle having full access to watercourses on the property. This has caused erosion and sediment runoff,’’ she said.

“For us this has been about learning how cattle and the land can get the best out of each other and how we can improve soil health and diversity in our pastures – all while maintaining beef production and improving the quality of water leaving the property.”

Mr Richardson follows a grazing naturally method where a priority paddock is grazed repeatedly and intensely during the pasture-growing season and can later be spelled for up to 12 months.

The aim, among other things, is to optimise the sugar flow in soils and to increase their ability to capture and hold water.

“It’s a bit like preparing a lawn – mow it, water it, feed it, mow it again and repeat,’’ Mr Richardson says. “In no time you’ll end up with a lush thick carpet of grass.”

The workshop was part of Terrain NRM’s Upper Johnstone Integrated Project, funded through the Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Investment Program.