Agriculture - Beef Industry - Northern High Rainfall Zone
Northern High Rainfall Zone
Benchmarking Rural Industries' Practices and Productivity Performance and Review of Industries' Capacity to Change
Where is beef produced in the Northern High Rainfall Zone?
The beef industry's Northern High Rainfall zone stretches from Cairns to near Rockhampton. Beef cattle are grazed over 6,634,626 hectares of land, with a relatively limited number of feedlots in this region. 30% of the pasture in this region are sown or introduced, and 70% of the pasture is native or naturalised. The following maps represent the distribution of cattle within this region.
How much beef does the Northern High Rainfall Zone produce?
In 1999, the statistics on beef production in this region were:
- 1,203,760 head of grazing cattle in specialist enterprises
- 6,542,842 head of cattle in mixed or feedlot enterprises
- an average specialist producer stocking rate of 0.6 hectares/head or 1.8 head/hectare
What land and water resources are used in Australian beef production?
The Northern High Rainfall zone experiences a tropical and subtropical climate, where pasture growth depends upon conservation of soil moisture from variable rainfall. The climate is described as hot humid with dominant summer rainfall.
Enterprises in this region average approximately 9,076 hectares in size and produce beef for domestic markets. In 1999, grazed land in the Northern High Rainfall Zone included:
- 1,827,295 hectares of native pastures
- 1,016,984 hectares of sown pastures
- 780 hectares of lucerne pastures.
Beef cattle typically graze sown pastures in this region.
What are the key characteristics of beef producers and farms in the Northern High Rainfall Zone and how do they compare with industry averages??
Key characteristics of beef producers and farms in this region include:
| Region Key characteristic |
Industry average | Region Average |
|---|---|---|
| Age of owner/manager | 58 years | 53 years |
| Owner/manager education and skill: - Completed university/tertiary or trade |
30% | 23% |
| - Completed 5-6 years high school | 22% | 15% |
| - Completed 1-4 years high school | 34% | 42% |
| - Primary or no schooling | 15% | 20% |
| Family members working on farm | 71 hr/wk | 104 hr/wk |
| Owner manager work on farm | 45 hr/wk | 54 hr/wk |
| Number of dependent children | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| Farm cash income ($) | 43,954 | 57,198 |
| Total farm debt - June 30 ($) | 120,487 | 250,237 |
| Farm business profit ($) | - 9 033 | 7 662 |
| Total off farm income ($) | 29,858 | 38,527 |
| Owner work off farm | 6 hr/wk | 1 hr/wk |
| Area operated - June 30 | 11,688 ha | 9,076 ha |
| Farm ownership/ tenure: - Freehold |
12% | 59% |
| - Long term crown lease | 85% | 41% |
| Employment of non-family labour | 9 hr/wk | 20 hr/wk |
| Landcare membership | 33% | 42% |
| Length of group involvement | 6 years | 6 years |
Producers in this zone work longer hours than the industry average, have a higher cash income, larger farm debt than the industry average, positive business profit, higher off-farm income, operate on more freehold land and have a higher than industry average landcare group membership levels. These combination of attributes suggest that the industry in this region has a capacity to implement change, but financial considerations will need to be taken into account due to high debt levels.
What environmental challenges face the beef industry in the Northern High Rainfall Zone?
The proportion of beef farms with significant degradation problems is shown in the chart below. Weeds have been identified as the most significant of the nine ABARE (2000) surveyed degradation forms. Other main challenges identified were soil structure decline and water erosion.
What is the beef industry doing to meet these environmental challenges in the Northern High Rainfall Zone and across Australia?
The industry is implementing management practices to meet these regional challenges. The regional adoption and the industry's assessment of the applicability of the various management practices being implemented by the beef industry are illustrated in the chart below. Numbers indicate national averages.
Codes of Practice in the Northern High Rainfall Zone.
The beef grazing industry does not currently have a specific code of practice, however, some guidance is provided to farmers through codes of practice for general agriculture such as that developed by the Queensland Farmer's Federation or through the PROGRAZE program.
Research and development being undertaken/planned in the Northern High Rainfall Zone.
The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for the Cattle and Beef Industry (meat quality) is a joint venture between the University of New England, CSIRO, NSW Agriculture and the Qld Department of Primary Industries. The CRC officially commenced operations in 1993 and has funding of $60 million over seven years. The Commonwealth Government and industry sponsors provide funding for the CRC operations.
The principle objectives of the CRC are:
- To develop genetic breeding technologies.
- To design novel feeding and management strategies to meet meat quality objectives in Australia's difficult environments.
- To address and resolve major constraints to intensive beef production by eliminating health and welfare concerns and reducing environmental pollution.
- To develop an understanding of economic relationships, evaluation of new technologies, and to assess broad community issues such as land and water use and long-term industry sustainability.
The CRC receives sponsorship from over 40 commercial firms from the beef production, processing and service centres. These firms provide cash or in-kind resources to facilitate research and education activities. Producers in this region participate in this program.
In addition, the CRC for the Sustainable Development of Tropical Savannas conducts research pasture and production system in the area bordered by Townsville, across the gulf and top end and over to the Kimberley. Research from this CRC investiges how the landscape works and various savanna ecosystems function. This research assists in the development of sustainable production systems in this region.
How is the Australian beef industry working with other agricultural industries to overcome some of the challenges faced by this region
Beef produced in the northern high rainfall zone typically form part of mixed farming systems and/or mixed farming regions. In areas around Cairns and Mackay, beef is produced in localised areas supporting sugar production. The remaining areas are predominantly beef or beef/grain areas. Historic natural resource management issues that have potential to impact on environmental values and beef production in this region include:
- woody weed invasion;
- containment of herbicides through spray drift and runoff mobilisation;
- soil erosion with off-site marine impacts;
- vegetation management for habitat protection (eg cassowary protection).
The resolution of these issues requires ongoing research, consultation and development. The beef industry in this region has involved itself in the planning processes presently proceeding on the resolution of these and other natural resource management issues such as:
- Water Quality Improvement;
- Floodplain Management;
- Vegetation management plans.
How do these factors affect the future prospects of the industry?
The beef industry in this region is geographically spread down the northern coastal areas of Queensland. Production levels are marginally trending up over time.
The localised nature of agriculture of the sugar districts within the region results in natural resource management issues such as erosion, nutrification of waterways and habitat loss. The less intensive areas face similar environmental issues, but with more emphasis on weed infestation. The management of these issues is needed in this region when the sensitivities of the adjoining marine environments are considered.
Research will need continual development, particularly in the areas of woody weeds and water erosion. Cross industry environmental effects such as:
- herbicide containment
- floodplain management
- vegetation management
occur in the intensively developed areas. The characteristics of producers in the region suggests a capacity for the region's beef producers to progressively implement the needed changes.
Further information
Link to Map maker to make a map using this information.
Link to data available for download on "A spatially consistent sub-set of agricultural statistics (AgStats) data 1982/93 to 1996/97"
"Benchmarking environmental challenges and agricultural practice - an overview" report
Link to related web sites:
- Ausmeat website
- Australian Lot Feeders Association website
- Cattle Council of Australia website
- Cooperative Research Centre for Cattle and Beef Quality website
- Meat and Livestock Australia website
- Producer Initiated Research and Development website
- CSIRO Livestock Industries website
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