Resilience program fast-tracks farm’s fencing

Owen and Penny Morgan bought their 400-acre property near Mount Charlton, 65 kilometres north-west of Mackay, almost five years ago, bringing 16 years of farming experience to a fresh challenge: converting former cane country into a productive beef enterprise. 

Rising input costs, contractor shortages, pest pressure from pigs and cockatoos, and shrinking returns from sugarcane had made the switch an easy call. 

Drawing on lessons from previous properties, Owen made riparian fencing the Morgan's very first infrastructure investment for their beef operation. 

"Keeping cattle out of the creek was the priority," he said.

Enter Reef Catchments, an independent not-for-profit natural resource management organisation working across the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac region.

Reef Catchments received more than $1.98 million to deliver nature-based solutions to the area through the final round of the 2023-24 Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Fund (QRRRF), jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments.

The original QRRRF was established by the Commonwealth and state in 2019 as part of a five-year National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction, to help communities mitigate and manage the risks associated with natural disasters. 

With funds secured from Reef Catchments via the QRRRF, Owen and Penny installed more than four kilometres of riparian fencing throughout their property.

The fencing keeps cattle out of key waterways while still allowing strategic grazing of riparian areas when conditions suit.

"We've been able to improve the pasture in the fenced riparian areas by grazing it at the right times," Owen said.

Reef Catchments’ 40 per cent grant contribution made the infrastructure upgrades far more achievable and let the Morgans invest sooner rather than waiting years to self-fund the work.

As a result, the property now carries around 75 Brangus cattle, with plans to grow to roughly 200 breeders as pasture and infrastructure improve. 

But the benefits have reached well beyond fencing and stock numbers.

Owen has noticed markedly clearer creek water since excluding cattle, a contrast with previous properties where stock had unrestricted access. 

"You can get up past our pump and that water's clear as crystal," he said.

Riparian pasture, once at risk of becoming overgrown, is now grazed at the right time to keep growth and groundcover healthy. 

There's been an unexpected bonus too: restricted property access has cut the number of pig hunters coming through, reducing weed spread and land disturbance.

Most importantly, the QRRRF grant compressed a timeline that could otherwise have stretched over many years.

"The grant from Reef Catchments helped speed up the process," Owen said. 

"The materials were covered and our labour became the in-kind contribution, so it made the project achievable."

Owen and Penny describe their partnership with Reef Catchments as "very successful" and one that's delivered for both their farm and the surrounding environment.

Across five financial years, from 2019-20 to 2023-24, over $77 million was invested in more than 250 projects under the QRRRF.

Images courtesy of Reef Catchments.