Helping growers build more resilient farming systems

The Unlocking Farming Systems for Northern Queensland project will also help growers understand which sustainable farming systems are best suited to the region’s challenging and unpredictable conditions.

For cotton grower Lucas Findley, the potential is already clear.

Earlier this year, about 850mm of rain fell on his property in just one week, followed by widespread flooding across the region.

Just seven days later, machinery was back in his paddocks and almost 5,000 hectares of cotton had been planted within the month.

For Lucas, the experience highlighted how diversification could help strengthen the region’s agricultural future.

“I believe the only way to mitigate flooding in the region is by diversifying agricultural production,” Lucas said.

Finding what works in the north

The project brings together Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI) researchers, growers and industry partners, including the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) and Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) to explore opportunities to expand cotton, grain and pulse production across the northern Queensland.

The project is initially focusing on the upper and lower Flinders catchment, where broadacre cropping currently contributes around $13.2 million in gross value of production.

Highly variable climatic conditions, including wet and dry seasons and high temperatures all influence what can be grown and how crops can be managed.

DPI researchers are putting crops and agronomy practices to the test across the region, investigating how they perform in local soils, climates and growing conditions.

DPI Farming Systems Innovation Science Leader Jayne Gentry said understanding how crops respond to North Queensland's unique conditions was critical to supporting future growth.

“We need to understand how different crops perform in these environments so growers can make informed decisions about productivity, risk and diversification to implement farming systems that are sustainable for their business,” Jayne said.

“By working with growers and industry, we can deliver practical research that helps identify what works, where it works and how it can be applied on farm.”

The research will then expand into the Gilbert catchment, where similar opportunities exist to explore broadacre cropping.

Building a more diverse future

The project aims to support production of 100,000 bales of cotton and grow grain and pulse production to $100 million a year by 2035.

For growers like Lucas, the research will provide the local knowledge needed to identify where cropping can add value to existing farming systems.

By combining research with grower experience, the project is helping identify practical pathways for expanding cropping across North Queensland.

The project also supports the Queensland Government’s Prosper 2050 blueprint and its target to increase the value of Queensland’s primary production output to $30 billion by 2030.