Southern Gulf NRM E-Beef Project

The E-Beef Project is a partnership comprising Southern Gulf NRM, Desert Channels Queensland, Northern Gulf Resource Management Group and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Funding for the project is from the Australian Government’s Smart Farming Partnerships Program and the Queensland Government’s Drought and Climate Adaptation Program. The project is the largest funded under the Smart Farming Partnerships Program which consists of $4M over four years. Securing this funding in a highly competitive environment demonstrates the value and strength of the partnership brokered by Southern Gulf NRM.

The E-Beef Project demonstrates how the latest technologies can lead to improved grazing land and stock management. The Smart Farm technologies include a remote walk-over weighing unit with auto draft, satellite monitoring and an online benchmarking program, to provide producers with almost real-time data to make earlier critical grazing management decisions and forward plan impacts on profitability. A range of other technology trials has been rolled out across the regions.

During the first two years of the E-Beef project in the Southern Gulf region, two E-Beef Smart Farm demonstration properties were established – one at Redcliffe, Hughenden and another at Redland Park, McKinlay. 

Both Smart Farms have been provided a walk-over-weigh (WOW) unit which was installed remotely.  The unit records and monitors cattle weight gain through Tru-Test’s Livestock Management software while also monitoring pasture quality through Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) or satellite acquired greenness data. The WOW system has been used to monitor the performance of breeders, calves, steers and mixed sex weaners. 

The project also includes two Innovation Hub producer groups consisting of landholders who are associated with each Smart Farm and are keen to participate in E-Beef activities. 

Producers within these Hubs

• have access to the WOW data and livestock management of their respective Smart Farms,
• use the Agrihive Farmecco business management system to make better business decisions,
• identify topics and develop an extension program to best suit Hub members, and
• have the opportunity to participate in other technology trials.

Technology trials underway across the Southern Gulf region:

1. Water sensors – Goanna Ag and FarmBot on several properties,
2. Optiweigh weigh system on Dunluce, Hughenden,
3. CQU DataMuster walk-over-weigh system, known as an Automated Livestock Management System (ALMS), which also links to pasture management assessments, is being installed at Glenmoan, Hughenden
4. GPS tags – under consideration after hindrance caused by the COVID pandemic.