Working with the community

Field day for cattle producers

The Centre has strong community and industry support for its advisory activities as evidenced by highly successful workshops and field-days.

The Centre has produced an extensive knowledge-base (research papers dating back 100 years), and an ongoing release of advisory material (trade magazine articles, newsletters, multi-media) relevant to temperate summer-rainfall environments.

Advisory work at the Centre specialises in group extension, co-learning and industry consultancies. The Centre runs an ongoing and intensive schedule of group courses. These build knowledge of 'best management practices' for sustainable environment outcomes. Advisory activities averaged some 6.5 activities per month in 2005/06:

• ‘ProGraze’ - a series of workshops that provide farmers with pasture assessment skills to improve management for sustainable and profitable production;
• ‘Property Management Planning’ courses in collaboration with northern tablelands peak Landcare organisations (Glenrac, Snelc, Granite Borders) and Catchment Management Authority (CMA) (Northern Rivers CMA, Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA) to improve the skills and knowledge of land managers with financial, human and natural resources.

Partnership Groups - excellence in innovation

The Centre plays a key role in facilitating the conduct of ‘Beef Profit Partnership Groups’ with Northern Tablelands graziers - this project was awarded the 2007 CRC Association Award for Excellence in Innovation.

Industry development

Sheep industry training

For the sheep industry, the Centre currently is running the project ‘Merino bloodline evaluation’ which assesses the commercial value of genetic improvements through sheep breeding. 

Another project is implementing improvements in the efficiency of communication and operations along the meat products supply-chain from international retailers, exporters and processors to sheep-meat producers.

Aquatic Rehabilitation Program

‘Wetlands on Farms’ aims to work with individual landholders, groups of neighbouring landholders and Catchment Management Authorities to improve wetland management west of the Dividing Range. The program encompasses eight Catchment Management Authority regions, including: Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA, Central West CMA, Lachlan CMA, Lower Murray Darling CMA, Murray CMA, Murrumbidgee CMA, Namoi CMA, and Western CMA. The work of the program is funded by the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.