{"id":7029,"date":"2022-02-16T05:10:28","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T05:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/?p=7029"},"modified":"2022-03-03T03:11:17","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T03:11:17","slug":"prod180-water-sampling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/prod180-water-sampling\/","title":{"rendered":"The little catchment that could"},"content":{"rendered":"[mk_page_section bg_image=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/soilslider2.jpg” bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_stretch=”true” enable_3d=”true” min_height=”500″ js_vertical_centered=”true” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” section_id=”donate” el_class=”donate-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][mk_fancy_title font_family=”none” align=”center”]TURNING PRODUCTIVITY AROUND IN THE<\/p>\n

MOSSMAN CATCHMENT[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”67″][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789112768{padding-right: 36px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_left”][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”15″ visibility=”visible-sm”][mk_padding_divider visibility=”visible-tl”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” el_class=”terrain-title-2″]THE LITTLE CATCHMENT THAT COULD[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”60″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”20″ visibility=”visible-nb”][vc_column_text el_class=”sub-head” css=”.vc_custom_1644987103728{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]16 FEBRUARY 2022[\/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”5″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1646277069526{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Far North Queensland\u2019s small Mossman basin has its sights set on further improving nutrient use efficiency and productivity, as part of a water quality improvement project funded by the Australian Government\u2019s Reef Trust.<\/p>\n

Taking an integrated approach to finding long term solutions, \u201cMobilising the Mossman and Murray<\/a>\u201d is being delivered in the Mossman region by Terrain NRM in partnership with Mossman Ag Services, and is building on the success of previous projects to support sugarcane growers in making land management practices to improve productivity and reduce nutrient runoff from farms.<\/p>\n

Mossman Ag\u2019s Rebecca McHardie said there has been mill uncertainty in the Mossman region in recent years and along with the high impact of ratoon stunting disease<\/a> (RSD), local growers are doing well to maintain an average of 75t\/ha.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope that the project, known in the Mossman area as Prod180, will boost cane productivity and progress toward Reef 2050 targets,\u201d said Mrs McHardie.<\/p>\n

2021 saw one-on-one grower extension continue, whole-of-farm plans updated, as well as a focus on developing clean seed plans with farmers to help combat RSD.<\/p>\n

\"Rebecca[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789122720{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 34px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_right”][mk_padding_divider size=”206″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1646099081962{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Mrs McHardie explained that further action includes a water sampling program being implemented at Whyanbeel and Saltwater creeks, to continue building industry knowledge linking farming practices and quality of water flowing to the Great Barrier Reef. The monitoring design and plan was developed by Farmacist, Mossman Ag and local sugarcane growers.<\/p>\n

Water sampling has been occurring since September 2021 and results are being provided back to growers at shed meetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowers are interested to know what\u2019s coming off their farms. Mossman has made good progress to date toward Reef 2050 targets, and awareness raising programs like this help contribute to long term changes that benefit both the industry and the reef,\u201d said Mrs McHardie.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis sampling work builds on the success of a previous project – Cane to Creek, which sampled in another sub-catchment of Mossman. Growers were happy with the outcomes of that work and were keen to sample new sites through Prod180.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gerard Puglisi is a grower in the Whyanbeel catchment and is contracted to sample in big rainfall events, in addition to regular monitoring conducted by Mossman Ag.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sample eight different sites. Access can get cut really quickly when it\u2019s wet so it makes sense for us to do the sampling \u2013 we can get to the sites on quads or bikes whereas town access would be cut,\u201d said Mr Puglisi.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always wanted to know what was leaving the farm \u2013 fertiliser\u2019s expensive and no one wants to see it going to waste.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section el_class=”grean-btn-sec” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][mk_padding_divider size=”47″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_button dimension=”outline” url=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/what-we-do\/murray-and-mossman\/” align=”right” el_class=”green-btn” outline_skin=”custom” outline_active_color=”#175137″ outline_active_text_color=”#ffffff” outline_hover_bg_color=”#175137″ outline_hover_color=”#ffffff”]Read More[\/mk_button][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1-blog” sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][mk_padding_divider size=”105″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” align=”right” el_class=”terrain-title”]RELATED NEWS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider visibility=”hidden-sm”][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][vc_row fullwidth=”true” fullwidth_content=”false” id=”post_grid_filter_1″][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”grid_greate_3″ css=”.vc_custom_1598408950187{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

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