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Key takeaways
In September 2024, Southern Gulf NRM worked with a team from James Cook University, as well as pasture specialists Trevor Hall and Jenny Milson, to visit over 70 sites across the Mitchell Grass Downs area.
Assessments were made on soil and pasture to gauge levels of recovery five years on from the 2019 flood. The sites were previously assessed by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in 2019 soon after floodwaters had receded, and again in 2020.
At many sites, the team observed significant improvement in land condition. Some areas that were deeply scoured in 2019 and with almost complete loss of perennial tussocks, now have a very high density of Mitchell grass.
The Mitchell Grass Downs soils are some of the most resilient grazing lands in northern Australia, and Mitchell grass plants have a long survival period. These factors, along with careful grazing land management, support the continued regeneration potential of these pastures.
An update on the project and its findings will be provided at the Southern Gulf NRM Soil Erosion Control Workshops with Darryl Hill at Villadale Station on the 31st of October.
RSVP REQUIRED BY 14 October: Clarissa Felderhof, Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator, Phone: 0475 675 876 Email: clarissa.felderhof@southerngulf.com.au
