Land management for graziers

Good grazing and pasture management is vital if you graze livestock and want to keep your land productive.

The Australian Beef Sustainability Framework tracks how industry is performing over a series of indicators each year.

Protect reef catchments

Improve land condition

The Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions program (GRASS) supports beef producers in the Burdekin, Fitzroy, and Burnett Mary regions in addressing land that is in poor or degraded condition.

Access data from land use and mapping tools to keep land in good condition and improve land in poor condition.

Learn how the co-existence of grazing and regenerative agriculture has supported a farm business in Central Queensland.

Watch the Better beef production showcase videos to see how other graziers manage nutrients and increase their profitability.

A rotational grazing records chart can help with managing grazing pressure and improve groundcover.

Attend the Grazing Land Management course to:

  • develop grazing management strategies to increase profit and sustainability.
  • assess the condition of their paddock
  • understand more about the grazing ecosystem
  • meet target markets while remaining sustainable in the long-term
  • determine the financial impact of grazing management options.

A long-term grazing trial at Wambiana Station near Charters Towers found heavy stocking rates:

  • made the least profit and caused degradation of pastures
  • increased run-off and sediment loss, compared to using improved grazing management strategies.

Manage erosion

Cattle movements, poor vegetation and changes to drainage lines contribute to the formation of gullies.

The Innovative Gully Remediation Project demonstrated that you can cost-effectively restore gullies that are eroding, reducing fine sediment reaching the Reef by an average of 98%.

A study in the Upper Burdekin catchment found these strategies reduce gully erosion rates:

  • Fencing off gullies and limiting grazing in these areas.
  • Maintaining a thick cover of native tussock grasses with a large basal area and perennial shrubs in and around gullies and their drainage areas to reduce run-off.
  • Keeping stocking rates within sustainable levels. Use 10–30% of the forage at the end of the growing season.
  • Prioritising gullied paddocks for wet-season spelling at least every second year to maintain the perennial composition of pastures.
  • Seeding with a mix of native perennial grasses to assist gully revegetation, if conditions are suitable. Exotic grasses tend to have less effect on soil surface condition.

Gully erosion was monitored during a trial in the Burdekin range land. Tracking showed most erosion occurred at the gully headcuts rather than elsewhere in the gully.

Find out about cost-effective erosion control methods in grazing lands.

Reduce sediment run-off

Watch the video guide on reducing sediment run-off for better water quality in the Great Barrier Reef.

Attend a Nutrition EDGE course to learn about:

  • minerals and managing deficiencies
  • pasture growth and quality
  • grazing management.

Manage chemicals safely

Follow the controls on chemical use guidelines when using agricultural chemicals.

Protect waterways

Treatment wetlands, sediment basins, and vegetated drains improve water quality on farms by:

  • slowing water flows and reducing the volume of water leaving the farm
  • trapping and removing nutrients, sediments and pesticides from run-off or shallow groundwater
  • decreasing erosion.

Read the Grazing for Healthy Coastal Wetlands: guidelines for managing coastal wetlands in grazing systems (PDF, 29MB).

Case studies:

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