Shannon Byrnes: ‘Farmers know better than most how crucial sustainability is’

A love of the Great Barrier Reef and a fascination with soil may not sound like perfect bedfellows, but for Shannon Byrnes these two passions are inextricably intertwined.

Shannon is an agronomist, which means she works with farmers to identify disease, infestations and soil issues that hamper crop production, and advises on sustainable techniques to improve productivity.

“Soil is a bit like the Great Barrier Reef,” Shannon says.

“It underpins so many ecosystem functions and you don’t know what’s going on below the surface until you dive in."

So how does an agronomist help protect the Reef?

For the Reef to thrive, it’s essential to maintain good water quality. Many of the pollutants found on the Reef typically start their journey on farms in regional Queensland. When it rains, pesticides, sediment and nutrients wash into rivers and streams that flow out onto the Reef, where they smother corals and disrupt the ecosystem’s delicate balance.

“When you jump into the water on the Reef, it’s this vibrant, busy community of marine flora and fauna,” Shannon says.

“You can spend hours just following different fish around and looking at the different communities of coral. There’s so much to see – it’s a whole other world and is the closest thing to being in outer space. It’s incredible and it must be preserved for years to come.”

Shannon first fell in love with the Reef as a young child growing up in Cairns, where she spent weekends exploring the islands off the coast.

Her family moved to Brisbane when she was six and it was there that she completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science at the University of Queensland. It wasn’t long before the Reef called her back.

“In 2018, an opportunity to work on a water quality project in Ingham popped up and I jumped at the chance,” she said.

“The project involved helping sugarcane farmers adopt new practices that improved the quality of water leaving their farms and flowing out to the Reef. 

"Moving back to North Queensland reignited my love for the Reef and it was so rewarding to be working in a role that actively improved the Reef’s water quality.”

Shannon now lives with her husband on his family’s farm in Tolga, an hour and a half south-west of Cairns. She says the farming community knows better than most that looking after the land is vital for the longevity of their businesses and the environment.

“Farmers know how crucial sustainable practices are, but they wear many hats – business manager, accountant, mechanic, labourer – and they are often time poor,” she says.

“Their passion and knowledge of their farms motivates me to help them integrate practices that support the profitability of their business and the sustainability of their farming systems.”