The Downs Farmer edition 4

Tuesday September 26, 2023

LIFESTYLE 21

Toowoomba Chronicle

edition 4

september 2023

Laven der

page 4-5

dreaming

Program aims to eradicate fire ants

Bunya Lamb rising to new heights

Darling Downs Beef Battle socials

page 3

pages 10-11

page 17

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

awa rds

Welcome No two producers, graziers or farming operations are exactly the same.

But increasingly, they are all being confronted with a new challenge that they must tackle: both individually as businesses and together as an industry.

In addition to issues like labour shortages, transportation and the rising cost of inputs, the growing disconnect between country and city means those in agriculture now not only have to grow food and fibre economically and sustainably, but they have to educate consumers on how their product gets from the paddock to the supermarket shelf and eventually, onto their plate.

Back in the day, it seemed that most people who lived in towns or cities had country cousins or friends and spent time on the farm as kids, giving them a basic understanding of how food and fibre is produced. But that’s no longer the case for a lot of people.

I’m not kidding when I tell you there are people out there who think that strawberry milk comes out of the cow! Funny as that may sound, it’s incredibly alarming.

But even more alarming is the fact that Food Bank’s 2022 Hunger Report found over two million households in Australia experienced food insecurity in 2021.

This included 1.3 million children living in severely food insecure households.

This is despite Australia ranking as one of the most food secure countries in the world on a macro level.

Professor Karen Charlton is a research dietitian in the University of Wollongong’s School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences.

She says food insecurity is associated with both poor mental and physical health which also affects employment and educational opportunity.

But at the other end of the spectrum, Australians waste a lot of food.

According to Food Bank Australia, Australia creates more than 7.6 million tonnes of food waste every year.

For sports fans, that’s enough to fill the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) nine

times and it’s around 300 kilos of food wasted per person each year.

In a country where we are grappling with both food shortages and food wastage, is the solution as simple as education?

As Mark Oliver from Condabilla Fish Farm summed it up the last edition, “We (producers) want to see all our product being used.”

And this is exactly why Nancy and Shane Nixon at Bunya Range Lamb and many others in the industry advocate for “the nose to tail” way of eating to eliminate food waste and use all the animal.

It makes sense not just from a food perspective in terms of feeding more people, but it’s the only way the numbers stack up for many producers. You need to use your entire product to make a profit.

This is why those in ag are having to work with consumers and all parts of the food chain: not to ensure we all have enough to eat but also to run profitable and sustainable businesses so they can continue to growing food and fibre.

While the Australian weekend tradition of a lamb roast is currently not affordable for many people, there are other products like lamb mince and sausages which can be bulked out with vegies and other ingredients and lean meats like goat and kangaroo to feed your family.

This is where partnerships between farmers and chefs and consumers come into play. We don’t know what we don’t know. So farmers now have to engage with all parts of the food chain to try and educate consumers.

It is possible to have healthy Australian grown food and it’s definitely possible to cut food waste and ensure fewer people go hungry if we all work together to learn how to get the most out of our food.

A lot of it comes down to basics – eat what’s in season and eat what’s grown here.

Cheers, Jac Cheers

Jac

Jacinta Cummins

CONTACT US EDITOR: Jacinta Cummins EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR: Alyssa Welke WRITERS: Alyssa Welke, Jessica Klein, Benedict Brook, Michael Madigan GENERAL MANAGER: Erika Brayshaw, 07 4672 9921, email erika.brayshaw@news.com.au ADVERTISING & PRODUCT MANAGER: Joshua Slade, 07 4599 3835, email joshua.slade@news.com.au All material published in Downs Farmer is subject to copyright provisions. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher.

DISCLAIMER: The information contained within Western Downs Farmer is given in good faith and obtained from sources believed to be accurate. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.The Chronicle or News Corp Australia will not be liable for any opinion or advice contained herein.

JACINTA CUMMINS

The 2023 Bayer Cotton Growers of the Year, Johannes and Scarlett Roellgen of Tyunga Farms, Brookstead, with Mark Dawson from award sponsor Bayer. Picture: Cotton Australia.

Below: Johannes Roellgen on the farm. Picture: Jacinta Cummins

Downs’ growers are top of the cotton crop

T

he Cotton Collective Awards Dinner was nearly a clean sweep for Queensland with all but one of the awards staying in the Sunshine State.

Johannes and Scarlett Roellgen of Tyunga Farms, Brookstead, were named the 2023 Bayer Cotton Growers of the Year and Daniel Skerman of Skerman Farms, Dalby, won the AgriRisk High Achiever Award.

Johannes Roellgen shared his story with The Downs Farmer in our May edition and he was as humble when accepting the award on behalf of his family in Toowoomba in early August.

“On balance we must be doing more things right than we are doing wrong, which is a good recognition but it really is a joint effort,” Roellgen says. He acknowledged his and Scarlett’s staff and family, together with agronomist Matthew Holding, who owns Meteora Agronomic Consulting, Toowoomba.

Holding has helped to drive efficiencies and brought together a group of farmers in the region who have reduced their combined nitrogen applications by 40 per cent compared to the industry average.

“You realise how many people are actually part of what makes a farming business a success and we really feel that the team around us is what has helped us over the years,” Roellgen reflects.

“I feel some degree of pride, but more so I’m feeling humbled knowing the experienced people and innovators who have won this award before, so it is a very high recognition that we really cherish.”

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

biosecurity

Tough new fire ant plan But state government comes under fire for ‘too little, too late’ approach

T

he National Fire Ant Eradication Program will toughen compliance measures as a new response plan puts preventing human-assisted spread at the heart of the effort to eradicate the invasive South American pest.

At the Agricultural Ministers’ Meeting in Perth in July, all jurisdictions supported the work being done by the National Fire Ant Eradication Program by endorsing new fire ant response plan 2023-27.

There is still work to be done to finalise budgets but the fight against fire ants is scaling up. The new plan addresses the recommendations of the recent Strategic Program Review and builds on the many things the National Program has learned over more than two decades of delivering the world’s most successful fire ant eradication program. The National Program is focusing on scaling up operations to strengthen containment and compliance and intensify program-led and community treatment using an outside-in approach.

The new containment area will form a horseshoe around the infestation, spanning from Moreton Bay in the north, west to the Lockyer Valley, east into the Gold Coast and south to the Tweed Shire.

Targeted treatment areas for 2023-24 will encompass suburbs comprising parts of the City of Gold Coast, Scenic Rim and Southern Downs local government areas. The National Program will continue to prioritise any detections found in targeted areas and outside of the containment boundary, including those recently found on Minjerribah, in Kleinton and Tallebudgera.

A member of the public discovered a suspect nest on their property at Kleinton and reported it to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program in June. Authorities then inspected more than 180 properties in the surrounding area and found one additional nest on a nearby property.

Agriculture Minister Mark Furner says both nests had been destroyed.

“Eradicating fire ants requires a whole-of-community approach,” he says. “This means community, business, industry and all levels of government working together to

Fire ants are reddish-brown with a darker brown abdomen, and are 2-6mm long; AgForce CEO Michael Guerin, right.

protect Australia from this invasive pest.” The National Program’s work will be complemented by the Fire Ant Suppression Taskforce (FAST), which has been separately funded with a $37.5m investment by the state government. This will include community self-treatment projects in Ipswich, Logan and the Gold Coast.

Human-assisted spread poses a significant threat to the National Program’s effort to eradicate fire ants.

Residents and industries such as earthmoving, quarries, nurseries, civil construction and primary producers move materials that can carry fire ants every day. Under the new response plan the National Program will scale up compliance activities across the region.

The compliance team will aim to conduct up to 12,000 audits annually to ensure maximum possible compliance with restrictions on moving these materials.

“This new focus on compliance shows that the National Fire Ant Eradication Program is serious about enforcing the rules that prevent fire ants from spreading,” Furner says.

“Under the Biosecurity Act there are penalties of up to $470,000 or three years’ imprisonment for the most serious aggravated offences.

“For businesses or persons who fail to discharge their General Biosecurity Obligation, compliance officers have powers under the Biosecurity Act to shut down worksites until a biosecurity risk is mitigated. No business wants to lose weeks of work or future work as a result of fire ants, and the way to stop that is by following the rules.”

The National Program has developed a “fire ant material movement advice tool” to help industry understand and comply with the requirements.

“The National Program cannot eradicate fire ants alone. We need the community, industry and all levels of government to play an active role in managing fire ants on property they own or manage,” Furner says. “No other place in the world has contained fire ants as successfully as this program has. Had it not been for the National Program fire ants would now infest approximately 100 million

hectares in an arc of country from Bowen in the north, west to Longreach and south to Canberra.

This would impact the economy by an estimated $2bn a year, forever.”

Before the overhaul to the eradication program was announced, AgForce had criticised the program as “outdated”. Until this announcement, none of the 27 recommendations of the National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program Strategic Review, conducted two years ago, had been implemented, with each outbreak outside the biosecurity zone costing an additional $1m in heightened surveillance and treatment.

In the past 12 months, thousands of nests have been found – including four significant detections north, east, south and west of the biosecurity zone – and fire ants on the western side of the Great Dividing Range for the first time ever.

AgForce CEO Michael Guerin says the window of opportunity to eradicate fire ants is now closing.

“Unless there is a rapid overhaul of governance, communication gaps, and compliance in the fire ant

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eradication program, the chance of successful eradication from southeast Queensland is diminishing,” he says.

“Everyone must do their best to eradicate them to save our outdoor lifestyles, community open spaces, agriculture and native wildlife.

“While the state government recently ramped up its community awareness, with brochures and billboards, it may be a case of too little too late. It beggars belief that both governments sat on this report for two years and did nothing to address the recommendations,” Guerin adds.

“The multimillion-dollar question now is – can the eradication program be salvaged and put back on track?”

Guerin says AgForce had previously highlighted gaps in the program – to no avail. “Many community members in urban and peri-urban landscapes are not aware everyone has a biosecurity obligation,” he says. “Many do not know about movement restrictions on potential fire ant carriers such as soil, pot plants, turf and uncovered mulch. There are gaps such as hay movement among equestrian events, and fire ants are not included on pest inspection reports for property sales.

“With fire ant detections close to the NSW border and west at Toowoomba (Kleinton), it is essential that an urgent decision is made on how to address this biosecurity threat.

“We need governments to make up for lost time and prioritise the reforms recommended in the outdated report before it’s too late.”

At the time of the Kleinton outbreak, Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts said the outbreak was evidence that more effort was needed to control the ants’ spread.

“This is going to be a massive economic cost to Queensland because this minister has let these ants get out of control,” he says.

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

a g r i c u lt u r e A ly s s a W e l k e

Lavender is A Westbrook farm combines the perfect companions

W

hen Alicia and Craig Vohland look out across their lavender field, they see more than the beauty of the distinctive purple blooms – they see years of passion, dedication and the potential for growth.

As owners of Windy Acres Farm at Westbrook the couple and their children have invested countless hours into building their business into a flourishing enterprise.

With a passion for sustainability, lavender and bee farming have grown together. The Vohlands bought the land for their farm from Alicia’s parents, who live next door, in 2019, and set about creating their dream.

The idea for the lavender farm grew out of their desire to keep bees – and Alicia knew they needed to provide a food source. The apiary began in November 2020, while plans for the lavender planting were still being developed.

Alicia says that through research they settled on lavender being an ideal crop, given the climate.

With Westbrook’s relatively mild summers and winters, the climate is very similar to France where the plant flourishes.

With the advice of an agronomist and Craig’s earthmoving and surveying background, the couple built up their lavender growing mounds, got the pH and the soil drainage right, and ordered the first of their 10,000 lavender plants from Clive Larkman, of Larkman Nurseries in Victoria.

“It was a leap of faith,” Alicia says.

“We (along with our families) hand planted 3.5 acres with 10,000 plants and we hand weed, trim plants and hand harvest during flowering.

“It is very labour intensive and my body certainly knows about it.

“November to March is a really hectic time. We have two young girls that come and work for us and at

harvest we work sun up to sun down to get the lavender bunches harvested with a hand sickle. And then we have to hang it for drying and some of it is distilled for the essential oil.”

As well as the on-site drying shed, Alicia has a steam distiller to extract the lavender essential oil.

Last year, the Windy Acres team harvested 5000 bunches of dried lavender and 2L of A-grade oil from

3000 plants and 8L of Grosso (hybrid) oil from 7000 plants.

“This season will be bigger again,” Alicia says. “As the plants mature they will produce more.”

From the dried lavender, Alicia makes heat packs, eye packs, linen cupboard sachets, as well as culinary products such as herbal tea blends, rock candy, and dried culinary lavender to add to your own desserts

Alicia and Craig Vohland run Windy Acres Farm at Westbrook where lavender not only provides their bees with essential food and therefore delicious honey, but is dried and used in heat packs and herbal tea blends among other things, and sold in the farm shop. Oil is also extracted for essential oils.

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

the bees’ knees

and cocktails, which she sells out of her farm shop.

She also sells a limited number of dried bunches to a florist on the Gold Coast, as well as out of the shop.

Beside the intensive work that goes into the lavender plants, Alicia, alongside a school-based trainee, tends to 28 beehives, which have grown from two at the end of 2020.

Alicia takes expressions of interest

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from business or community groups who want to sponsor the hives.

With her primary school teaching background, she is passionate about educating people about the vital role bees play in the sustainability and health of the ecosystems.

“I also have adult beekeeping classes about how to care for their bees,” she says. “With Varroa mite on our doorstep in NSW, it’s important

to educate people about looking after their bees. It’s like looking after any livestock (and their health).

“And educating visitors (to the farm) is an added bonus. I love seeing families come with a picnic and enjoy time in the sunshine.”

Alicia says her own experience with learning about beekeeping came from an online beekeeping course, reading about beekeeping and watching hours of videos on the topic.

“The fellow I bought my bees off had more than 60 years of experience,” she says. “Which was a great way to learn and he provided a wealth of knowledge.”

When it comes to honey harvesting, Alicia also puts her bees’ welfare first, only harvesting one to two frames of honey at a time from each hive. As the honey is the bees food, she likes to keep the majority of the honey available to them.

“In the summer months I can get 30 kilos of honey a fortnight; I could get more but the bees come first,” she says.

“Every honey has a different colour, and a different flavour and you can tell what the bees feed on.

“The lavender honey is very sweet; it doesn’t hit at the back of your throat like a leatherwood or an ironbark (honey) does.

“

I love seeing families come with a picnic and enjoy time in the sunshine “The lavender flavour comes on the after taste; it is subtle. A lot of people don’t understand (how the flavour gets there), sometimes they think it’s added to the jar.

“The raw honey is so good for you, it has so many health products “A lot of people don’t know the difference between raw honey and what they get from the supermarket.

“I have had people bring honey back because it had crystallised; which is completely normal.”

And the beeswax which has to be

removed in the uncapping process is rendered and cleaned so that it can be used in lip balm, a lavender salve, beeswax thread conditioner, and in sewing to coat the needle for easy threading.

Alicia and Craig are already planning for the next stage of growth with preparation of the next 40 mounds of lavender mounds already started, with the soil health taking 12-18 months to get right.

The addition of 40 mounds will double the Windy Acres growing capacity, which they hope to fill with plants bought from a local high school agricultural studies-led agribusiness initiative.

“Our original plants are now three years old; about five years old we’ll have to start replacing them, as the yield drops,” she says.

“Forty more rows will take us to seven to eight acres, which doubles our growing capacity. We’ll definitely need some (picking) machinery then.

“It’s our dream to create a sustainable business that helps to support local businesses, produce beautiful natural products, provide a beautiful destination for photography and, perhaps most importantly, contribute to our delicate ecosystem that relies so heavily on the pollination of bees.”

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

charity

New CEO announced for Drought Angels Founder passes the reins for charity’s next exciting chapter

D

rought Angels has announced the appointment of new CEO Jason Law, former Telstra executive, and deputy chair RDA Sunshine Coast.

The move comes as the charity primes for growth and Australian of the Year, Queensland Local Hero Natasha Johnston, transitions to focus on the heart of the company she created while giving it the best opportunity to expand.

With a passion for driving change across regional Australia, Law brings to Drought Angels a proven track record of success and a deep understanding of the issues facing regional and rural communities across Australia.

As founding general manager of the Telstra Country Wide initiative, he has been instrumental in delivering digital transformation initiatives in various regional communities across Queensland, coupled with 33 years in the technology sector; and 23 years working in Regional Economic Development organisations.

Raising more than $21.3m in just nine years has been no mean feat for Natasha Johnstone, and her small team based in the humble HQ of Chinchilla.

Since their inception in 2014, Drought Angels has provided support to more than 4700 primary producers and 1300 communities throughout Australia impacted by all natural disasters (drought, flood, fire, and plagues) in the form of financial assistance, food hampers, care packs, and mental wellbeing support.

Recognising the need for growth as the charity expands to a new level, Johnstone is handing the reins to the person she believes is better equipped for the position.

“Handing over the reins signifies the beginning of an exciting and important new chapter for Drought Angels,” she says.

“I firmly believe that leadership is about recognising strengths and leveraging them for the greater good.

“

Let us continue to sow the seeds of compassion

New Drought Angels CEO Jason Law with founder Natasha Johnstone.

“With Jason’s track record, I know Drought Angels will soar to even greater heights, reaching more farmers, providing more support, and making an even larger impact in the lives of those affected by natural

disasters and the mental health challenges these disasters help create.

“As the founder, my heart will always remain with Drought Angels.

“Together, let us continue to sow the seeds of compassion, resilience,

and hope in the face of adversity.

The journey may change, but the destination remains the same: a better and brighter future for our farmers and rural communities.”

This change will also enable her to

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do what she is truly passionate about, nurturing the heart of Drought Angels – its core values, farmers, community, and purpose.

Law stepped into the CEO role in the same month of Drought Angels first national campaign, the inaugural Flanno for a Farmer. On August 25, Australians were asked to don the flannelette for one day to raise funds and awareness for the people who feed our country.

Attracting the likes of swimmer Giaan Rooney, country music stars, actors and executives, the day raised $212,000 for our farming community.

“As I step into the role of CEO at Drought Angels, I am honoured and inspired by the incredible work that Tash and her team have done for farmers and rural communities,” Law says. “Drought Angels’ unwavering commitment to supporting those affected by the harsh realities of natural disasters is truly commendable. Together with our dedicated team and our generous supporters, my goal is to build our capacity and extend our reach.”

Law has carved a reputation of having a unique blend of strategic thinking, innovative problem-solving and empowering his team members.

His first objective is to provide permanent Angels on the ground in every state in Australia, ensuring a lasting difference in the lives of those who feed our nation.

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

infrastructure

Jessica Klein

The 2019 business case Emu Swamp Dam plans, above. The thin blue line indicates where the outline of the dam will be and, left, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has overlooked the proponents of the Granite Belt’s major water infrastructure project, Emu Swamp Dam.

Dam delays raise fears of a dry region The Granite Belt is at high risk of drought just four years after its water shortage nightmare

I

n 2019 Stanthorpe and its surrounding communities faced a water shortage nightmare that would haunt them for almost a year. The long-awaited Emu Swamp Dam project has clung to sweat on the communities’ brows as the years pass by with no guaranteed water security for the region in sight.

At the Queensland Parliamentary sittings last year on February 22,

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk advised member for Southern Downs MP James Lister that he would be “getting his dam”.

The project was again raised a month later during the March 26 sittings, where Palaszczuk advised Lister the state government had fasttracked $6m of the promised $13.6m towards getting the project to construction phase.

Originally estimated at a total cost

of $84m in 2019, the project has since seen two additional design proposals by different engineering companies.

A Granite Belt Water Limited spokesman says the community is fed up with the state government’s inability to fully commit to the project. The lobbyist group recently sent open letters addressing community concerns about the project and its future to Water Minister Glenn Butcher and the Premier.

“In 2021 we advised the (state) government that the total cost of the project as it was designed, to provide water for Stanthorpe and for irrigation throughout the Granite Belt was going to cost approximately $240m,” the spokesman says.

“That was different to the detailed business case which suggested it was going to cost $84m, but once again the dam presented in the business case was different to the one presented to the government in 2021. “(This was) because of processes the government put in place that wanted a different type of dam. Now subsequently in 2023 the government’s processors have decided they want another different type of dam and the price just keeps going up.”

The original construction of the dam in the 2019 business case outlined the structure would be built using a clay core rock facing dam.

The Granite Belt Water spokesman says because of government fears of the construction risks of the original plan, a recommendation for concrete spillways and earth shoulders was considered more appropriate. “(Since then) the government processors now have a total concrete dam on a total different alignment across the river in place. From a community perspective, they just see a project that’s trying to provide water for the town, for the industry and horticulture’s price just keep going up to the point where it may make the project uneconomical to build.”

The Stanthorpe community will have the opportunity to participate in the public Southern Downs Regional Water Assessment facilitated by the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water later this year.

Once public consultation has concluded, the spokesman says the final approval lies solely in the hands

of the Palaszczuk government.

“It’s quite sad from the Stanthorpe community perspective that the government won’t make a decision on the security of water for both the town of Stanthorpe, but also for a food bowl that produces fruit and vegetables in the summer months,” the spokesman says.

“The longer the government takes to make a decision, the closer the water shortage will be for Stanthorpe and the Granite Belt.”

When questioned on the state government’s commitment to the project, Butcher said the Palaszczuk government was committed to projects that stack up economically and environmentally.

“We owe it to Queenslanders to make sure our investment in water infrastructure delivers the best possible outcomes,” he said. “Until the outcomes of the regional water assessment are known, project approvals and other useful assets are being preserved.

“By working with the community on the regional water assessment, we will be better placed to make decisions about what infrastructure and non-infrastructure investments will best support water security and economic growth in the region.”

Butcher said the regional water assessment would be released to the Stanthorpe community for public consultation before the year’s end.

The assessment will also work to determine non-infrastructure options such as a region-wide recycled water scheme for agricultural and industrial users, improved access to unallocated water and innovative solutions to reduce on-farm evaporation.

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

Above: The Stockyard team, winner of the 2023 Darling Downs Beef Battle. Below: The 2023 Darling Downs Beef Battle People’s Choice Stanbroke team.

competition

High steaks at Darling Downs Beef Battle 2023 TSBE’s biggest crowd beefs up competition for the region’s top grain fed brands

T

he steaks were high at the sixth running of Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprises’ (TSBE) Darling Downs Beef Battle.

Nine of our region’s best beef brands, Australian Country Choice, Grove Shorthorns, JBS, John Dee, Mort & Co, NH Foods, Rangers Valley, Stanbroke and Stockyard, went head-to-head, showcasing their brand and superb product to more than 500 attendees.

For the first time, there were two categories awarded – the Darling Downs Beef Battle was scrutinised by a judging panel of international chefs, and People’s Choice was decided by our biggest crowd yet.

Taking out the top gong, winner of the 2023 Darling Downs Beef Battle, was Stockyard. The winner of 2023 Darling Downs Beef Battle People’s Choice, Stanbroke.

TSBE CEO Greg Bowden says this competition is a fantastic celebration of Darling Downs Beef and a wonderful opportunity for industry to gather and acknowledge our leading grain fed brands. “This event propels our producers’ hard work beyond their gates placing it on the map, and on the plates of national and

the facts ● 540kg of premium sirloin served on the night, with a worth of approximately $30,000. ● The Darling Downs is home to Australia’s best steak and is responsible for 65 per cent of grain-fed beef consumed in Australia. ● The Darling Downs cattle production and meat processing sector is worth more than $1bn per annum to the local economy.

international buyers, acclaimed culinary authorities and red meat enthusiasts.”

With sustainability a key consideration, Equipoised have been employed to make this year’s event carbon neutral. Business manager Thomas Key says extensive rigour has been applied to the pre and post event model of the expected carbon emissions across the event.

The cooking was overseen by Meat and Livestock Australia business manager and corporate executive chef Samuel Burke.

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e

Excellence rewarded Carrick Aland’s outstanding performance is recognised for the fifth year in a row

F

ormed from a merger of two of the Darling Downs’ most trusted and respected accounting firms, the team at Carrick Aland has not stopped striving for excellence in 70 years.

For the fifth year in a row, the team has returned from the Australian Accounting Awards with accolades, this year picking up the Regional/ Suburban Firm of the Year award.

The Regional/Suburban Firm of the Year award recognises outstanding performance by accounting firms in regional, remote, or suburban Australia, meaning the Dalby-founded business was up against firms from places such as the Gold Coast and Rockhampton.

Carrick Aland Associate Daniel Bartkowski says the business prides itself on offering well-rounded accounting services and financial advice to individuals, farming families and business owners across the region.

Its strong ties to the local community means team members have a deep understanding of the needs of local people, enabling it to provide the best solutions whether clients are looking to minimise tax bills, audit their books, diversify and expand, or figure out a succession plan and set goals for the future.

A Western Downs boy himself, Bartkowski says quite a few of its staff members were born and raised in the region, and winning national awards meant the firm could not only attract the best talent, but prevent the exodus to the city of highly skilled people that often occurs in the regions.

Far from being just about a trophy on the shelf, Bartkowski says composing the applications for the awards allowed the business to reflect on what it was getting right and helped them build on their successes.

He says the firm was a pleasure to work for, meaning staff turnover was low, enabling them to build their skills and become experts in their field while ensuring clients would see the same helpful faces year in, year out.

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“

They go above and beyond and there is a real care factor including innovation and selfmanaged superannuation, in addition to best firm awards across multiple categories.

Bartkowski says the firm is also extremely proud of its work in succession planning, with a dedicated team on hand to help families ensure their farming businesses would go on to serve the community for generations to come.

“The staff that we have put in

maximum effort,” he says. “They go above and beyond and there is a real care factor to meet the client’s expectations.

“They really go the extra mile.”

It was a recipe for success, with Carrick Aland in some cases servicing its third generation of clients, including some originals from when the business first opened in 1953.

He says it wasn’t always easy to give clients the advice they needed

rather than the advice they wanted, but ensuring success rather than short term happiness was always the aim of the game and their deep knowledge of the local community helped them to do that.

“I think it’s that rural focus for us,” Bartkowski says.

“We take great pride in understanding what’s happening in our rural clients’ businesses.

“We know when times are good Main picture: The Carrick Aland team with farming client; Above: Directors Kent Gripske, David Johnston, Daniel Ellis, Cameron Sorley, Greg Burton, Wayne Turner and Daniel Bartkowski with Pauly Poulsen; Left: Daniel onsite with client Walsh and Ford; Right: Director David Johnston.

and when times are bad, and we don’t want people taking on more than they should when times are tough.

“A lot of people think we just work with how much tax they pay, but we can take all those small pieces of knowledge about everything we do, and it gives us great joy to offer that high level of advice.”

Carrick Aland has offices in Dalby, Chinchilla and Toowoomba.

To find out more about how Carrick Aland can help your business or personal financial needs visit carrickaland.com.au or call 4669 9800

10

THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

l i v e s t o c k JACINTA CUMMINS

Barking up the right tree Bunya Mountains lamb has mouths watering from north and south to east and west

T

he sun is setting and despite the warm days, the temperature drops quickly at Nancy and Shane Nixon’s property which backs on to the Bunya Mountains National Park

near Bell.

A cacophony of dogs barking and lambs bleating demanding their next bottle of warm milk greets any unfamiliar car when it pulls into The Gap. But while there is the usual mix of working and pet dogs you’d expect on a farm, it’s the first time that many visitors will have ever seen Anatolian Shepherds. And it’s an imposing sight with full grown females weighing about 55-60kg and males weighing 75-80kg with a bark to match.

Originating from Turkey, the ancient breed has long been used by shepherds to protect sheep and goats in the mountains.

While many goat and sheep producers use Maremmas to protect their flocks, the Nixons have a higher than usual predator load because they back on to the national park and they found Maremmas simply didn’t have the imposing physical presence that Anatolians do, so they needed less Anatolians to protect their stock.

“It wasn’t uncommon to see five or six wild dogs in a paddock when we first came here,” Nancy says. “I grew up with Merinos on my family’s farm at Drillham and I know what it’s like to constantly see sheep attacked by dogs.

“My job was to check the traps for dogs after school and you’d see the animals which had been attacked, it was pretty gruesome.

“We had Maremmas initially to protect our stock, but we were still having stock losses even of weaners (10-12-month-old cattle weighing a minimum of 100 kgs), to the dogs and Shane stumbled across Anatolians when he was reading a study on livestock guardian animals by Linda Van Brommel, a researcher from the University of Canberra.

“We hadn’t heard of them before but we were desperate and then as luck would have it, I saw some advertised for sale on Facebook.

“They’re huge and are incredibly strong so they require consistent training from when they’re pups, but then the flip side is their beautiful human orientated nature; people are often surprised at how friendly they are. We’ve got nine (Anatolians) now and we simply wouldn’t have our business without them.”

That business is Bunya Range Lamb: premium Dorper lamb products sold direct to customers across the Sunshine Coast, South Burnett and Western Downs as well as in Toowoomba and Brisbane.

The Nixons started running cattle in 2012 and got a few sheep for Shane to train his working dog.

It was through this and having to destock their cattle in 2019 due to drought they decided sheep were a better fit for their enterprise and launched Bunya Range Lamb in

2020. They now run some Charbrays and Droughtmasters and grow irrigated crops on their 312ha (771ac) holding which has a 210 megalitre water licence accessed by six underground bores, but their main focus is ethical lamb production and marketing.

Anatolians had the unexpected benefit of warding off feral pigs which caused so much damage that Nancy and Shane didn’t get an oats crop for three years running.

They’ve also kept bandicoots, which are a natural host of the paralysis tick, out of the paddocks and up in the mountains.

The Nixons’ flock are lambing which means Nancy and Shane and their two daughters, Emiley and Laura, are kept busy with runs up the paddock and mountains day and night checking on ewes and collecting any lambs who’ve been orphaned or rejected by their mothers. These lambs need to be brought back to the house as it’s crucial they receive colostrum within the first 12-18 hours after being born. Lambs don’t receive immune support from their mothers while in utero.

Colostrum, which is the first milk

that their mother produces after birth, provides antibodies to help fight off infection until the lamb builds a stable immune system.

It is also rich in protein, fat soluble vitamins and fats and sugars which provide energy for heat production to ward off hypothermia and supports digestive and respiratory system development.

Shane and Nancy use their respective experience in stud cattle, genetic selection and sheep production to guide them when it comes to selection, breeding and culling decisions.

Their climate is misty and overcast similar to northern NSW so they now sourced their stud rams from Norwood White Dorpers near Inverell.

Norwood is focused on worm resistance and maternal instincts and has started scanning for eye muscle area.

“If you’re on 20,000ac out west and it’s dry, then you don’t need to worm, but we do with our location,” Nancy explains.

The ewes are Bellevue, Amarula and Tinalong bloodlines sourced from studs in Millmerran, NSW and

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

Clockwise from main, Shane, Emiley, Nancy and Laura Nixon of Bunya Range Lamb with Angel, one of their Anatolian Shepherds who guards their Dorper sheep; Laura is the ‘Mini Mini Boss’; Dorpers are a good fit for the climate and terrain at The Gap which backs on to the Bunya Mountains National Park and the Nixons believe the proof is in the eating with their lamb products being both tasty and tender; Shane Nixon read about Anatolian Shepherd when researching guardian dogs and they have proved an effective solution to safeguard the sheep; Brisbane chef Jan Cranitch says lamb is an ideal protein for families battling the rising cost of living because it can be bulked out with vegetables and served in so many different ways.

Pictures: Jacinta Cummins

Thallon respectively.

With consumers increasingly focused on animal husbandry and welfare, running sheep which are suited to the climate and landscape of their property reduces chemical use and allows the operation to minimise its impact on the environment.

Dorpers can lamb three times in two years, but the Nixons only lamb down once a year so the mothers can recover.

While they are known for their maternal instincts, a milk producing ewe requires about three times the food of a dry ewe and with a drier season than normal, the Nixons are focused on both their animal health and conserving the food they do have in the paddock.

Nancy says if the lamb and the mum are struggling, they’ll hand raise the lamb to make the mother’s life a bit easier so she can look after herself better.

Co-existence with the environment is a key philosophy for Bunya Range Lambs. It’s more and more common for people at markets to ask Nancy and Shane about what chemicals and poisons they are using in their business. Bunya Range Lamb

tries to minimise chemical use while recognising the benefits they can deliver for their stock.

“We’ve even had town people asking whether we use 1080 on our place, that’s come up recently and I think they’ve become aware of it through signage advertising council baiting programs, but it’s something they’re definitely concerned about,” she says. 1080 is the common name for sodium fluoroacetate, a highly toxic pesticide used to control introduced pests like foxes, cats, feral pigs and wild dogs. Landholders need a permit from Queensland Health before they can buy 1080 as it is a schedule 7 poison with no antidote in the case of poisoning.

While effective, 1080 baiting can cause prolonged suffering in animals who ingest it before they die and is indiscriminate – it can also kill nontarget animals, making it a hotly debated topic with animal welfare groups calling for it to be banned.

Nancy and Shane have found plain wire fencing with hot (electric) wires on every alternating strand and the Anatolians the best way to control pests and invasive species.

“Our first line of defence is the hot

wire fence and the second is the dogs on the other side of the fence which actually patrol the boundary line,” Nancy says. Despite this increased awareness around animal welfare and production standards, many customers are nowhere near as aware of all the different ways that lamb can be cut and processed and how to incorporate it into their diets.

Bunya Range Lamb is sold as either a whole or half lamb pack with eightto-10 lambs processed locally by Maclagan Meats every fortnight, then delivered to customers at designated pick-up points on the delivery routes.

Shane and Nancy also sell at markets and festivals which gives customers the opportunity to buy a small amount of their product to try before committing to buy in bulk and find it is an excellent way to educate potential consumers and chefs about lamb’s versatility and its production.

Often referred to as the “plate to paddock” concept, they are encouraging the “nose-to-tail” approach to minimise food waste.

It was at Dalby’s Delicious and DeLIGHTful Festival in August that chef Jan Cranitch discovered Bunya Range Lamb. Cranitch started her

apprenticeship as a chef at 16 years old and describes herself as a passionate foodie with a two-fold passion to inspire everyday people in the kitchen and champion farmers.

“I love taking photos of food which makes people want to lick the plate if they could,” she says. “I sometimes take for granted that I can crack an egg with one hand but as a cooking teacher for many years, I met a lot of people who weren’t confident in their abilities or how to use certain ingredients but often all they need is a little inspiration to get them started.”

She presents live on ABC Radio Brisbane each Saturday with her focus being on using fruit and vegetables which are seasonal and which may be in oversupply with her focus on helping farmers shift their produce and reduce food waste.

Jan came to Dalby’s Delicious and DeLIGHTful Festival as its guest celebrity on the back of 54 cooking shows at the Ekka.

“I like to fully immerse myself in a project when I’m working so I planned to stay on in Dalby with my caravan to rest for a few days after the festival, but my booking got mucked and I met Nancy in the interim so she

“

Our first line of defence is the hot wire fence and the second is the dogs

invited me out to the farm to stay. It was a really incredible experience because I like to go on to a farm and suck peoples’ brains to understand their struggles and their nuggets of gold and wisdom, then get on stage and share this information with my audience. Our farmers deal with so many things outside of their control like weather or oversupply yet they’re still producing this amazing food.

“It may sound a little foolish, but I’m at a point in my life where being able to help them through my work gives me purpose.

“I was cooking lamb backstrap up the paddock at Nancy and Shane’s with sheep running around and the backpacker taking some drone footage and it was just surreal – very much a ‘be still my beating heart’ moment. Lamb backstrap will always be my hero piece when it comes to lamb, but it was all so good that of course I bought $180 worth of lamb before I left! I’ve done backstrap, made a diced lamb curry and also done it in a slow cooker with onions, turmeric and spinach. When you’ve got a dynamic product, you often don’t need to do a lot to it because it is already the star attraction.

“With food getting more expensive, you can use lamb as your base protein and bulk it out with vegetables to make it go further and you can cook it different ways from roasts to mince to sausages to casseroles.

“Only six per cent of Australians actually eat the recommended five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit a day so adding more vegetables is cost effective and helps every mother who wants her kids to eat more vegies.”

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

A L L YO U R Q U E S T I O N S A N S W E R E D

All you need to know The death of a 69-year-old grandfather has put dangerous snakes top of mind at this time of year

T Clockwise from above, common death adder. Picture: Ross McGibbon. The world’s most venomous snake, the inland taipan; deadly eastern brown snake which has enough venom to kill 20 adults with a single bite; and the red belly black snake. Picture: Damian Shaw

he tragic death near Mackay of a 69-year-old grandfather in September sent a timely reminder about the perils of snake season.

The man had successfully removed the reptile from his friend’s leg at Koumala State School when he suffered a medical episode.

The other man, 65, was taken to Mackay Base Hospital in a stable condition and was discharged the following morning.

So what do I do if I see a snake

in Queensland? Or if I’m bitten by one? Read on.

WHAT TIME OF YEAR DO WE SEE THE MOST SNAKES IN QueensLanD? In Queensland snakes are most active during snake season which begins about September and runs until April.

When the weather warms up and spring arrives we begin to see snakes emerge from their brumate period.

Brumation, a form of dormancy in reptiles, is similar to hibernation.

WHAT DO I DO IF I SEE A SNAKE? According to the Queensland Government website: “Don’t panic.

Back away to a safe distance and allow the snake to move away.

“Snakes often want to escape when disturbed. Remember, all native wildlife, including snakes, is protected.”

If the snake is in your house, it is important that you never try to kill the snake.

Not only is it illegal to kill a native animal, but it places you at a higher risk of being bitten if you force the snake to defend itself.

Close the internal doors in the house and open the external doors and windows. Block the gaps underneath internal doors with rolled up towels. Place chairs and boxes

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

about snake season

under windows to make it easier for snakes to climb out. Keep everyone well clear of the snake.

Call RSPCA Qld on 1300 264 625 or contact your nearest snake specialist.

WHAT DO I DO IF I GET BITTEN

BY A SNAKE? ● Keep yourself, or the person bitten, at rest, reassured and under observation. ● Dial 000. ● Do not wash venom off the skin or clothes. ● Begin CPR, if necessary. Thirty chest compressions per two breaths. ● If bitten on a limb, apply a firm bandage on the bite site. Ensure the limb is immobilised and the person remains still. ● Work the bandage from the limb foot or hand upwards, working towards the heart and covering as much of the limb as possible. If you can, apply a splint to keep the limb immobile. ● Keep the person still and reassured until medical attention arrives.

Source: Australian Red Cross

CAN I KEEP A SNAKE IF I FIND ONE? Under no circumstances can you keep a snake that you have found in the wild. All wildlife in Queensland is protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. It is an offence to keep wild animals, and fines and penalties may apply.

WHAT ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS TYPES OF SNAKES? Eastern brown, inland taipan, redbellied black snake and death adder are among the most deadly.

However while most snakes have the potential to bite a human, they will generally only bite as a last resort.

Not all snake bites are harmful.

Pythons do not have venom and colubrids (rear-fanged snakes) either have a weak venom or lack venom altogether. You can buy snake bite kits online, generally ranging in price from $10 to $100. The kits generally contain swabs, blankets, permanent markers, gloves, pressure bandages and CPR instructions.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A SNAKE BITE? The most common symptoms are: ● Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea ● Puncture marks at the wound ● Rapid heart rate, weak pulse, low blood pressure ● Redness, swelling, bruising, bleeding, or blistering around the bite ● Severe pain and tenderness at the site of the bite ● Laboured breathing (in extreme cases, breathing may stop altogether) ● Disturbed vision ● For dogs, the symptoms usually include swelling of the head and face, weakness, particularly in the hind limbs, paralysis and disorientation.

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

Benedict Brook

El Nino climate driver has kicked in, says BoM The Bureau of Meteorology has made a major call that signals there will be very warm and dry conditions over the summer

and rainfall further into the Pacific.

That lack of rainfall over Australia can lead to drier conditions and drought for the country.

Conversely, when a La Nina takes over sea surface temperatures fall which ups the likelihood of rain closer to Australia.

And it’s not just El Nino, another climate drive is also causing a ruckus.

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) refers to an index that measures sea surface temperatures in the tropical Indian Ocean.

A positive IOD would reduce the amount of moisture flowing towards Australia from the northwest which would also suppress rainfall and increase daytime temperatures.

The El Nino conditions are worrying meteorologists, fire fighters and farmers – all of who fear punishing conditions and stronger bushfires aided by lots of growth following a wet few years.

T

he Bureau of Meteorology has – somewhat belatedly – officially announced that the El Nino climate driver has come into effect. It comes amid soaring temperatures and extreme fire danger across parts of southeast Australia. A meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology says now that the El Nino pattern is settling in, it increases the BoM’s confidence this pattern will last until the end of summer – meaning a continuation of warm and dry conditions.

“We are already seeing extreme conditions in some parts of the continent, particularly in the duration of heat,” he says. “We’ve had an extended period of warm and dry weather to start spring, today we’ve had catastrophic conditions on the south coast of NSW just to underscore that risk.

“While we are different to leading into the Black Summer in 2019 where we had years of preceding drought, we do have a wetter landscape out there, it is drying out more rapidly than has occurred in recent years, and we are seeing that elevated risk now occurring in eastern NSW in particular and Sydney equalling its record so far today for temperatures for September.”

The BoM meteorologist says NSW and Victoria were likely to be hit the hardest. “I think El Nino means we’ve elevated the risk of fire danger and extreme heat, in particular in terms of the hazards we face. We aren’t leading into this summer on the back of extended drought, which somewhat reduces the risk, but we have seen eastern NSW dry out quite particularly,” he says.

“I think there’s 61 fires burning in the landscape in NSW at the moment and that underscores if we continue to dry out the landscape over the next three months … then we’ll be adjusting our message accordingly in terms of the risk.”

He foreshadows the continuation

factors for BOM’s call

The latest El Nino announcement has come from the United Nations’ own World Meteorological Organization; and left, El Nino means an elevated risk of fire danger and extreme heat warnings. Picture Cambooya RFB

of global heat until mid 2024.

“We have had globally record warmth in the oceans since April and to give you an idea of the interplay between the two, we believe that that continued ocean warmth is potentially one of the things that slowed down the atmospheric

response,” he says. “This year we’ve had continued warm conditions everywhere, which is more to do with the background trends than it is to do with El Nino. El Nino tends to impact global temperatures from now until the middle of next year.”

Bureau of Meteorology’s Miriam Bradbury says such prolonged warm weather being experienced by NSW and Victoria had not been seen for several years. Severe fire dangers were expected for the Greater Sydney and Hunter regions, she says.

“That is likely to trigger a total fire ban as well – it depends on the RFS’s decision there.”

BOM late to declare El Nino The BoM is months behind other meteorological agencies globally in calling El Nino. This is due to the fact

the Bureau has a higher bar of when El Nino has come into effect.

There are fears El Nino will lead to a scorching spring and summer for Australia with lower than average rainfall as moisture that would otherwise wash over eastern Australia instead is sucked further out into the Pacific Ocean.

And its effects could be super-sized by a combination with another climate driver to Australia’s west.

The last El Nino contributed to 2016 being the hottest year on record.

El Nino is one extreme of a Pacific Ocean climate driver called the El Nino Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. At the other end of ENSO is La Nina.

During El Nino, the temperature of a specific area of the central and eastern Pacific – called Nino 3.4 in meteorological circles – rises.

This aids in the creation of clouds

In July, United Nations’ World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) announced El Nino had kicked in.

That came a month after the US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the same.

But while BoM has been on “El Nino alert” for some time, it hadn’t yet called it.

The disparity in calling El Nino is down to the fact that the BoM has a slightly different definition of the climate driver and is stricter when it comes to the level sea surface temperatures have to reach.

NOAA announces El Nino when sea surface temperatures at Nino 3.4 are 0.5C warmer than normal with conditions expected to last for another five months at least.

The BoM needs it to be hotter – as much as 0.8C. It also needs a number of other factors to kick in too.

The Bureau has consistently said that over the past few months sea surface temperatures had indeed risen high enough to exceed the El Nino threshold.

But until now, other observations such as wind, clouds and broad scale pressure patterns hadn’t occurred.

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

a g r i c u lt u r e

Michael Madigan

Fight to stop regions becoming ‘wastelands’ Farmers gear up to stop renewable energy projects on prime agricultural land

Q

Farmer Cedric Creed, above, is fighting a proposed solar energy factory; Creed, right, at his Central Queensland property.

Pictures: Steve Vit

150

ueensland primary producers are preparing for a year-long fight in the lead-up to the 2024 state election to stop renewableenergy projects swallowing up prime agricultural land and turning the regions into a “decarbonised wasteland’’.

At the heart of the fight – spearheaded by peak industry group AgForce – will be a bid to change the Regional Planning Interests Act to protect valuable acreage, which takes up about 20 per cent of the state.

AgForce chief executive Mike Guerin says the Act had to be changed to ensure that, when science showed a development could damage prime agricultural land, it had to be quarantined from development.

“What we are talking about here is the future of the nation’s food supply,’’ he says. “We simply cannot compromise on this.’’

Guerin says AgForce would use advertising, traditional media and social media to apply pressure on the Labor government and LNP opposition to get commitments to change the Act. Farmers also want some legislative muscle forcing renewable energy companies to rehabilitate land, as well as more transparency on approvals processes and compensation payments.

“What we are increasingly concerned about is the impact these renewable energy developments are having on the young generation of farmers who fear buying a farm only to see it swallowed up by wind turbines or a solar panel factory,’’ Guerin says. “We’re finding the younger generation, who are often expected to go deep into debt and make a decades-long commitment to primary production if they are going to succeed, are finding there is no certainty about what will happen to their land.’’

The Act – passed in 2014 – is the

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legal framework applied to the state’s regional plans and is designed to support productive agricultural activities as well as assisting in resolving any land-use conflicts.

Goondiwindi Mayor Lawrence Springborg, who slammed wind farms at the LGAQ Bush Council Convention last month, says other primary-producing peak bodies – including the Queensland Farmers’ Federation – along with the majority of Queensland councils, would be joining AgForce in taking the fight up to renewable energy companies.

The former state National Party leader says renewable energy had become a largely regulatory-free industry with such a powerful social licence that it could “destroy” native fauna and flora – including scar trees, sacred in Indigenous culture – without suffering any consequences.

“Renewables have a regulatory green light like no other industry in this nation,’’ Springborg says.

“And there is no key strategic plan to this stuff, no assessment of the social and economic input expected from them, no requirements for associated infrastructure, no overall state planning instrument creating a coherent framework in which they are expected to operate and no real reliable assessment of the economic benefits they are expected to produce.

“We could all end up being decarbonised paupers, living in a decarbonised wasteland.’’

The LNP federal member for Flynn, Colin Boyce, says primary producers across his electorate are increasingly concerned they would be carrying the weight of the renewable revolution as renewable energy proposals, in­clud­ing one near Theodore, begin to dot his electorate.

In Wide Bay, LNP member Llew O’Brien says landowners are standing up for their rights and “rightfully demanding their voices be heard’’.

He says a series of projects – including the Borumba Dam Pumped Hydro and Forest Wind projects, and

associated transmission lines – are a threat to farming communities from the Fraser Coast to Gympie and throughout South Burnett.

Yeppoon-based LNP senator Matt Canavan says he is continuing his fight to have a Senate inquiry into how renewable energy developments and associated transmission lines were going to be managed – but says the move is being blocked by Labor and the Greens.

The Queensland Government says it is already reviewing the state code for wind farms and its accompanying guidelines “in an effort to build greater community and industry confidence in clean-energy projects”.

In a statement, it said the review would look at ways of better protecting areas of high environmental value as well as “highlight rehabilitation requirements and expectations’’.

SOWING SEEDS OF ANGER A small group of Queensland farmers has reached desperation point after spending five years fighting a proposed solar energy factory in Central Queensland that will cover 3600ha of land which, for generations, has produced grain, beans and cotton.

Grazier Cedric Creed, a member of The Tenacious Ten of Smoky Creek, says they have sent more than 300 letters to the three tiers of government in the past five years to try to convince someone in authority to “stop this madness’’.

“I have lived here all my life and I know that about 80 per cent of the country they want to use up is good country,’’ he says. “This land has been good for cattle, but it’s also grown all sorts of things over the years – mostly cereal crops, beans and cotton.’’

He says renewables are not a source of “free’’ energy. “The wind and sun are free, but that’s where the freebees stop,” Creed says.

“The sheer cost of refining, transport, erection and dismantling outweigh the cost it is supposed to save, and that doesn’t include the destruction of the environment during construction.’’

The solar factory, now in its final stages of approval, will generate an estimated 1,194,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy annually.

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

Opinion MARK FURNER

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities

Sign of region’s agricultural might

E

arlier this month I had the privilege of turning the first sod on the new RDO Equipment Australia dealership in Toowoomba.

This new state-of-the-art dealership and workshop is fittingly being built in the Aatlis Precinct, an exciting business centre co-funded with a $3.3m contribution from the Palaszczuk Government.

2022/23. It’s this exceptional performance which is giving great companies, including RDO, the confidence to make significant investments like this one in the Aatlis Precinct.

I’m looking forward to officially opening the new RDO dealership when construction is complete, as Toowoomba powers ahead as our number one agricultural region.

j o s h e p pa r d

G reg B ow d e n

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise cEO

A triumph for ag and regional living

O

ur region’s agriculture industry, namely our beef producers, are showing us why the industry is so meaningful to our region.

We’re proud to highlight the exceptional outcomes achieved during the recent week-long visit of seven international chefs as part of the Aussie Beef Mates Program in collaboration with Meat and Livestock Australia, including the invaluable presence of Corporate chef Sam Burke.

The pinnacle of this was the 2023 Darling Downs Beef Battle, uniting more than 500 guests from various sectors, including industry leaders, Trade Investment Queensland (TIQ) international buyers, beef producers, sponsors, and international guests. This event not only celebrated the remarkable beef produced on the Darling Downs but also solidified the Darling Downs Beef Battle, TSBE, and our region’s brands.

The month-long festivities even gained national coverage on the Today Show, a testament to the tremendous teamwork of the entire TSBE organisation in delivering outstanding results. As we celebrate the beef industry, we know regional living is on the rise, as highlighted by the Regional Institute of Australia’s (RAI) Big Movers 2023 report.

A growing range of construction, turf and utility, as well as agricultural equipment, will be housed in the dealership in a sign of the growing agricultural might of the Toowoomba-Darling Downs region.

We know from the latest AgTrends data that Toowoomba is Queensland’s number one agricultural region, generating $1.36bn in Gross Value Product in

Millennials (aged 25-40) are increasingly leaving Australia’s capital cities for regional areas, contributing to a regional resurgence.

From 2016 to 2021, 54,000 more millennials moved to regional communities compared to the previous five years, marking a shift from the trend of young people moving to cities for education and employment.

Additionally, overseas-born residents are relocating to regional Australia, with Sydney and Melbourne losing over 110,000 and 82,000 residents to regional areas, respectively. Reports like this emphasise the need for infrastructure investments to support this population shift. Together, we can build a thriving, sustainable future for our region and its people.

TOOWOOMBA

Queensland Farmers’ Federation CEO

Queensland farmers develop innovation

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ueensland farmers continue to develop some of the most innovative solutions to achieving efficiencies on-farm so that they can remain competitive in an ever-changing operating environment.

One area that continues to be a focus for farms is energy.

In April this year Queensland Farmers’ Federation launched our free on-farm energy saving program, Energy Southern Queensland (EnergySQ), to support farms to identify tangible ways they can achieve increased energy productivity and efficiencies while lowering their emissions on-farm.

The program originally commenced in the Goondiwindi and Southern Downs Regional Council areas and, in early September, we expanded the eligible regions to include Toowoomba and the Western Downs.

The expansion means that farms in all four regional council areas now have access to be supported to develop an Energy and Carbon Action Plan specific to their operation.

QFF has a great track record when it comes to energy projects and the feedback from farms that have participated in the EnergySQ program to date has been really positive with some significant savings identified.

We would encourage farmers within the Toowoomba, Western Downs, Southern

Downs and Goondiwindi regional council areas who would like to understand more about this program to register their interest here: qff.org.au/energy-sq

CONCRETE PIPES & RESTORATION Darryl Grieve M: 0418 653 045 P: 07 4615 5591 Washington Varela M: 0420 776 157 trutoowoomba@gmail.com

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

social photos

Darling Downs Beef Battle 2023 More than 500 people gathered to unveil the best of beef on the Darling Downs

TSBE CEO Greg Bowden and Leanne Bowden.

Joe Sadgrove, Emma Daley, Thomas Martin, Andrew Truscott – Tru Health Solutions at the TSBE Darling Downs Beef Battle 2023.

Lisa Nicholls, Wideland Group, and John Kibble, Lonsdale Park Pastoral Company.

Andrew Braund, Cloverlea Wagyu, and Tim Burgess, Bow Creek Food and Agribusiness.

Samantha Lowery and Bryce Camm, Camm Agricultural Group.

Aussie Beef mates chefs Tiffany Sawyer, Adam Moore and Alex Espinoza.

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Toowoomba Mayor, Geoff McDonald.

Producers Ben France, Shawn Brown, John Gamgemi and Craig Burgess, Rangers Valley Cattle.

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THE DOWNS FARMER Tue.Sep.26 2023

A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

RDO Equipment is your trusted John Deere dealer on the Downs Look no further for machinery, service, parts and advice

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DO Equipment provides specialist sales and aftersales support to customers across industries including agriculture, roads and civil infrastructure, earthmoving, environmental resource management, mining and forestry, via the sales and support of John Deere’s Construction, Forestry, Agriculture and Turf products, as well as Vermeer Corporation’s range of Construction and Environmental products.

Continuing a 60-year Australian legacy of innovation and partnership with Australian industry that began in the Darling Downs region, today RDO Equipment proudly employs more than 950 Australians across its 29 dealership locations throughout Australia.

RDO Equipment Toowoomba Branch Manager Brett Priebe says: “We are proud to support the region’s diverse agricultural production and infrastructure projects.

“We employ more than 100 staff with an extensive network of field service capability and spare parts expertise to ensure our customer’s service expectations are met.”

The Toowoomba branch also sells and supports a range of reputable complimentary products from brands including Horsch, Kuhn, McCormack, Manitou, Grizzley, PFG and Fieldquip.

“Whatever type or scale of operation you operate, we think we’ve got your machinery equipment requirements covered,” Brett says.

“Whether that be broad acre and row crop farming, small acreage, construction businesses or even lawn care, there’s a machine and solution that RDO Equipment can provide and support locally.”

RDO’s other key customer offering is finance; John Deere Finance is a very competitive and easy solution for commercial operators.

Recently RDO Equipment announced the plans to build a state-of-the-art distribution and service centre at FKG Group’s AATLIS Precinct in Charlton. This facility will employ more than 150 people and the investment represents a strong vote of confidence in the local area. The facility will feature: a 24 bay workshop, a paint booth, a fabrication centre, technical and product training areas, and 2000sq m of parts storage including three vertical lifting machines that will store more than 700sq m of specialised tooling and parts.

Crucially, 60 years on, customer service remains the most important aspect of the branch’s operations and staff remain committed to providing our customers with the best product advice and timely, competent response to service and parts requests.

RDO Equipment can provide a machine and solution for all needs including broad acre and row crop farming, small acreage, construction and even lawn care.

Above: Branch manager Brett Priebe; Right: Receptionist Alina Szostak.

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21 Carrington Rd, Toowoomba | 07 4631 4800 | RDOequipment.com.au *While stocks last. Applies to no-trade deals on current stock. Image for illustrative purposes. **Conditions apply. John Deere Financial Limited. Approved commercial applicants only. Interest rate is subject to change without notice. Offer is based on 50% deposit, monthly repayments, GST back and up to 24-month term. Fees and charges apply. Available on Small Ag & Turf (up to and including 6000 Series). Offer expires 31/10/23.

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