Drought support from QRIDA helps Central Queensland graziers build farm resilience with goat expansion

As they install poly pipe at their property in Dingo, west of Rockhampton, graziers Kate and Garrett Kirk reflect on the toughest time they’ve experienced in their 20 years of farming. 

“The 2019 drought, it was, well the worst drought we'd ever seen,” Garett said.

Kate recalled she and Garrett were forced to drastically reduce breeder numbers due to the lack of feed.

“We ended up production-feeding some of our good quality young heifers in a feedlot and we were feeding out a lot of loose licks,” Kate said.

“So financially, physically and mentally, there were some very challenging years and it certainly made us take a good hard look at our business and we had to re-evaluate some things and see how we could be more resilient in the dry weather going forward.”

As the Kirks recovered from the drought, they knew it would not be long before the next dry would come, so they contacted the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) to find out what financial assistance was available to help build the drought resilience of their farm business.

In addition to poly pipe, the Kirks are now installing tanks, troughs, and additional water points with the help of a Drought Ready and Recovery Finance Loan and a Drought Preparedness Grant from QRIDA.

Kate said the new infrastructure will enable her and Garrett to introduce a herd of goats into their operation to create a more diverse business model for when the next drought comes.

“Primarily we are beef producers, but we see this as a good opportunity to utilise some underused country and it's a good second income stream for us,” she said.

“It's going to have a two-fold effect for us because not only are we going to be selling goat meat, but we're also going to utilise them to keep some regrowth under control.”

QRIDA Regional Area Manager for Capricornia John Metelli said goats were particularly suited to the land at Dingo.

“Their eating habits work well in the timber forest country, and they can run side-by-side with cattle grazing the areas as they do not compete for food,” he said.

The Kirks were glad to get help from John, their local Regional Area Manager, throughout the application process for the drought loan and grant. 

“We've had a long-standing relationship with our QRIDA Regional Area Manager now and we feel that he really understands our business, so that makes it a lot easier,” Kate said.

John said it is important for primary producers to prepare for droughts as they are an inevitable part of Queensland’s weather cycle.

“The Kirks are a great example of primary producers who have taken the initiative to undertake a drought resilient infrastructure project with QRIDA financial assistance to help prevent the impacts of the next drought which can be especially harsh in this dry rural area in Central Queensland," he said.

QRIDA has grants of up to $50,000 and loans of up to $250,000 that can help primary producers prepare, manage, recover, and mitigate the impacts of drought. 

To find out how QRIDA’s drought assistance programs could help make your primary production business more drought resilient, visit QRIDA’s drought support page. 

QRIDA is administering the Drought Preparedness Grant Scheme and Drought Ready and Recovery Finance Loans on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.