Agronomic skills boosted in North Queensland

Growers were supported to improve productivity, sustainability, and local water quality through the Reef Trust Partnership. As a result, not only has water quality in the Herbert region improved but there is increased local capacity with agronomic advisors armed with current skills and knowledge to support the sugarcane industry into the future. 

The $7 million Herbert Cane Productivity Services Limited (HCPSL) Project CaNE™ (Crop and Nutrient Efficiency) supported a total of eight Extension Agronomists, a Precision Agriculture Officer, and support staff over three and a half years from 2021-2025. HCPSL Manager Adam Royle said a highlight of the project is the lasting benefits it has brought to the Herbert sugarcane industry. 

“The project provided a great opportunity to not just support growers by successfully bringing positive productivity, profitability, and environmental outcomes together, but to upskill new and existing agronomic staff at the same time,” Adam said. 

Experienced agronomists provided on ground support and mentoring to extension agronomists new to the region and industry. Training was provided to develop whole-of-farm nutrient management plans, conduct Electro-magnetic (EM) soil mapping to identify opportunities to improve soil health, address soil constraints to maximise nitrogen use efficiency, and use fallow crops to improve soil health, all aimed at better utilisation of farm inputs to drive productivity and profitability for growers. 

Adam said, “I’ve had the privilege of mentoring several project staff and have been the beneficiary of learning new things while working on this project, that’s a win-win for me and for the industry as well, while the project is coming to an end, the industry will have ongoing benefits through increased regional capacity to continue to deliver sound agronomic advice”. 

Complimenting the agronomic work, increased skills and knowledge were developed in activities related to environmental outcomes. Staff assisted JCU TropWater with water quality monitoring and learnt from the information collected from the 11 project WQ monitoring sites across the Herbert sugarcane growing region installed and maintained by James Cook University’s TropWATER.  

Staff also worked with agricultural economists from the Department of Primary Industries Queensland, to put an economic value on the project’s nitrogen stabiliser and mill by-product demonstration trials through a Clear as Mud program. Project growers dedicated their time and resources through on-ground works and the provision of land access and equipment to set up on-farm demonstration sites. 

A long way from the Reef, Bethany grew up in Northeast Africa in Khartoum, Sudan. "I did not come from a farming background but was very aware of food insecurity and became in interested in the interactions between people, agricultural livelihoods, and the land," she said. 

While completing a Bachelor of Science and Master of Agriculture at the University of Melbourne, she studied scientific communication and extension which sparked an interest in the opportunities for extension roles to bridge the gap between research and farming practice.  

After graduating from University, Bethany Donker moved from Victoria to take on the role of Extension Agronomist with HCPSL and Project Catalyst in the Reef catchments of Far North Queensland. She is now living on the doorstep of the Reef and has been playing an active role in improving the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. 

"It is pretty ‘great’ when you get to experience the Reef first-hand. It is a World Heritage site for a reason and there are so many different ways that people experience it, either from visiting it or from living alongside it," she said.  

Bethany finds sea turtles fascinating because their longevity and curiosity are so unique and specific to the few species that we have. ""The more I learn about sea turtles the more fascinated I become with how much more there is to know about them,” she said. 

Bethany was excited to take on a role in the Tropics and joined the HCPSL team in 2021 and has been developing her skills for the past three and a half years. She said it is very motivating to get to work alongside agricultural professionals and growers.

"I am really excited to wake up each day to something a bit different. This is a diverse role, where I might be in the field one day, taking soil samples or talking to a grower about their legume fallow, and the next I might be in the office developing a nutrient management plan or setting up a workshop. Ultimately this is a role in which I get the opportunity to engage with a wide range of people,” she said. 

Bethany considers the trust she has built over time with growers as both a personal and professional achievement. There are very rarely any quick fixes or immediate solutions in this industry, so it takes a level of trust and a fair amount of time to try something different. 

"It is rewarding to have growers approach me, knowing that while I might not have any immediate solutions I am going to listen well and build on our collective knowledge and resources to find strategies and solutions that that suit their farming system and improve their productivity,” she said". 

As the Reef Trust Partnership winds down, Bethany has chosen to stay in the region and is now working on a new Queensland Government-funded Reef Water Quality project with Sugar Research Australia and HPCSL working with growers to improve productivity and sustainability and reduce DIN losses from Herbert farms.