WHEN Craig Carter began to implement some regenerative measures on his Willow Tree property, Tallawang, in 2001 he knew he was onto something.
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It began with cell grazing, which by his own admission was viewed as a questionable move by some of his peers, but now it has not only lead to success in his first passion of cattle grazing, but his new passion of education.
Through his business Accountable Agriculture Australia, Mr Carter has helped countless producers improve their operations through more regenerative or holistic approaches.
"Education is just so vital to the whole agriculture industry because it is just evolving all the time," Mr Carter said.
"I think it all boils down to decisions that look after your landscapes as well as your own goals.
"The building blocks I often talk about are ecology, business, social and cultural, and to my mind, if you can make decisions that benefit all of those areas you are really onto something."
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Speaking at courses and tutorials across the state, density grazing forms a key part of Mr Carter's lesson plan.
"I think learning to utilise density, whether it be high or low, to best suit your landscapes is crucial in grazing management," he said.
"As well as that, I think it is also crucial to acknowledge the ways of our first nation's people who have been here longer than anyone and know the land better than anyone.
"Their management of the land is something we can still learn from today."
One of the project's Mr Carter was involved in recently was the highly successful Upper Mooki Rehydration Project, which featured a collaborative effort from a variety of landholders, who were aiming to get the soil profile to act like a sponge for water storage.
The project's completion was marked with a field day at the historic Windy Station woolshed near Pine Ridge in May.
"It really was a collaborative effort from a lot of people to make that project a success and the end result of it is that we are able to better retain what moisture we get," Mr Carter said
"The field day was fantastic for a number of reasons, firstly to celebrate the culmination of a great project and secondly to hear from a lot of fantastic producers who are doing great things.
"I would certainly love to see events like those become more common across the state, that's for sure."
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Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
