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Workshops
Property
Computer Mapping - Home Hill
Fires in cane fields dotted the
horizon when AgForce Reef Rescue project officers arrived at
Home Hill for a property computer mapping workshop.
Ten
producers arrived at the Burdekin Motor Inn the following
morning including Laurel Heatley (right), wife of Meat and
Livestock Australia chairman
Arthur (Don) Heatley,
and her two daughters-in-law (from left) Sheree and Laurel.
“The boys
haven’t got the time to learn as we’re short staffed at the
moment,” Mrs Heatley said. “Besides it’s us girls who play on
the computer – but I’m sure they’ll look over our shoulders at
night!”
Mrs
Heatley said the workshop assisted her to learn the best cattle
stocking rate for her family’s new property, Rangemore.
 As
a civil engineer, Belinda Bugeja was no stranger to computer
mapping technology.
“I use
high-end software (automated computer drafting), but it has a
whole lot of things which aren’t used for farming,” Ms Bugeja
said. “In terms of development plans – property computer mapping
software is the best for agricultural enterprises.”
Mark
Castelanelli (centre) of Maidavale and Phil Loizou of Home Hill
watched her in amazement as she quickly plotted her family’s
property’s water points and planned future infrastructure.
Property Computer Mapping -
Collinsville
The AgForce Reef Rescue project team was off to Collinsville
next, where 12 producers filled the small conference room at the
United Mines Workers Club.
Christian Cormack and his girlfriend Melissa Wall were ahead of
the game, beating his parents Val and Diane Cormack who had
booked for the Mt Coolon workshop the following day.
Rhonda
Pedracini (left) of Mossvale at Bowen already had Phoenix
computer mapping software, but couldn’t use its more advanced
functions. When she left the workshop she had a better handle on
how to calculate a paddock’s grazing pressure circles and
fencing material over sloping ground. Errol Comerford of
Collinsville property Exmoor (back) brought his son Michael to
the day.
Property Computer Mapping -
Mount Coolon
Held at the
historic Mount Coolon Hotel, Queensland Primary Industries and
Fisheries beef industry development officer Reg Andison was one
of the first participants to arrive.
“I think a
lot of people have got maps and images of some sort, but doing
all this in one place and generating a computer map is great,”
Mr Andison said.
“Property
mapping in-house yourself is what every primary producer needs –
if you ever put a fence in, you just add it to the map.”
Women
outnumbered men at this workshop. Both Lee Scott (left) of Ruan
and Denise Moran of Double D travelled from North Clermont to
attend the workshop.
 Mr
Smyth, 75,
who was never far from the group,
a stockman employed by Mrs Scott, had frequented the pub since
the 1950s.
 His claim to fame was mounted proudly on the pub’s wall. At
22-years-of-age, he broke the pony world showjumping record by
4.5 inches with his horse DDT.
GPS -
Injune, Springsure, Blackall
 Reef
Rescue project officers travelled to Injune,
Springsure
and Blackall in April to teach producers how to use hand-held
GPS devices and integrate it with a desktop computer containing
property computer mapping software.
 Philip
Zahl of Crystal Plains (pictured with Reef Rescue principal
project officer Marie Vitelli) was one of eight producers to
attend the workshop in the Springsure RSL hall.
“GPS is a
handy development,” Mr Zahl said.
“It gives
you a better idea of where you are on a property and I want to
learn how to integrate GPS with computer mapping.”
Mrs Vitelli
showed the group how GPS and property computer mapping work in
conjunction to better plan and build infrastructure like fences
and irrigation lines, record water levels in dams and creeks,
vegetation ecosystems and more.
Central
Highlands Regional Council rural lands officers Keith Jarrett
and Sheree Van Den Bulk (pictured) were adamant GPS would best
record plant and animal pests in the region.
“We’re
looking at doing some major auditing of weed infestations in the
shire and GPS will help us map it,” Mr Jarrett said.
“It will also help us monitor feral pigs and wild dogs that kill
cattle and goats.”
 Fourth-generation
grazier Mason Mayne of Comet
near
Blackwater (pictured with Reef Rescue principal project officer
Marie Vitelli) was excited about the GPS’ water monitoring
capabilities.
“We had an
idea it would help with monitoring water points, but to learn it
can talk to our computer and record water data for 10 years or
longer is great,” he said.
David
O’Connor (back) of Mountain View near Springsure (pictured with
Reef Rescue project officer Joshua Schwarz) said his GPS device
has been his best mate when fencing.
“We have
country where you’re flat out seeing 100 metres in front of you,
so the GPS has really helped plotting fence lines,” he said.
Graeme
McDonald – a part-time pilot – was no stranger to GPS
technology. However Reef Rescue principal project officer Marie
Vitelli was able to show him the finer-points of using a GPS
on-ground to better manage his cattle property.
“I found
Parthenium weed the other day and sprayed it,” Mr McDonald said.
“I’ll go
back and mark it as a waypoint in the GPS so I can check if its
seed bank germinated.”
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