Future proofing farms with robust action plans

Chris and Julie Leacy own and operate three properties in Queensland’s Burnett Mary region, at Lagoon Pocket, Curra, and Neusavale, where they run a mixed enterprise of cattle, silage and hay.

After moving to Gympie in 2020 from Adelaide, South Australia, the Leacys weathered several small floods.

However, nothing prepared them for the multiple significant rainfall and flooding events over the 2021-2022 severe weather season. 

Triggered by relentless high impact rainfall, the 2022 flood events saw multiple severe events in January, February, March and again in May in 23 local government areas across south-east Queensland. 

In one deluge, Chris recorded 332mm of rainfall in just six hours at Neusavale while 80 per cent of the farm at Lagoon Pocket, which has a large frontage along the Mary River, went under.

Like many producers in the affected areas, the Leacys suffered significant damage to their properties.

In response, the Industry Recovery and Resilience Officer (IRRO) Program was developed to assist impacted primary producers.

Jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Government through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), the $2.5 million program employed IRROs to help producers recover from the initial impacts of the events, build resilience to the impact of cumulative flood events and better understand the risk and impact of flood to their farm businesses. 

The program was overseen by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) and rolled out by Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries (DPI). 

The program aimed to help producers recover from the initial impacts of the events and build resilience to the risks from future events.

Burnett Mary River Group (BMRG) partnered with Queensland Farmers Federation to deliver the IRRO Program, employing two IRROs for the Burnett Mary Region who successfully completed 96 flood management plans.

With the Leacys constantly looking at ways to advance and improve on-farm operations, they saw the benefits of developing a flood management plan and jumped onboard when approached by BMRG to join the IRRO program. 

Following a visit by an IRRO to assess the damage, a flood management plan was developed to assist in implementing effective strategies, preventative measures and action plans for future flood events.

Chris and Julie were referred to Rural Solutions Qld to assist in developing their farm business plan to mitigate risk in extreme weather events. 

Successfully securing funding through the Drought Preparedness Grants and Loans scheme allowed the Leacys to progress their plans.

The funding paid for technical advice including grazing land management advice, landscape hydration, advice on creek and paddock erosion and tunnelling, animal nutrition, agronomy advice, soil and biology testing, financial planning and water infrastructure planning to “build it back better”.

Through the IRRO program, the Leacys now have robust action plans to future proof their moist valuable assets, their farms.

For more information about the IRRO program, visit www.daf.qld.gov.au.