A new program is set to help growers in South East Queensland adopt sustainable farming practices. The Best Management Practice (BMP) Incentive Program offers grants up to $30,000 for landholders. The funding supports efforts to reduce chemical use, improve water quality, control erosion, and increase farm productivity.
The program builds on a successful pilot in the Pumicestone Passage catchment and will now support at least 60 more growers over the next four years. It responds to calls from industry leaders to extend benefits to other important horticultural regions such as the Lockyer and Bremer River areas.
Growers will work with industry experts to identify changes on their farms. Support includes adapting equipment to use herbicides and pesticides more efficiently. Grants also cover installing bioreactors to clean water, stabilizing drains, building retention ponds, and creating contour banks to manage water flow and reduce soil loss.
The initiative aims to improve the health of local waterways and protect the environment, with positive effects reaching Moreton Bay. Sustainable farming practices also help growers cut input costs and improve crop and soil health.
Pineapple grower Trudy Morgan shared her experience, saying the program helps reduce costs and protect both farms and nearby waterways. She emphasized the shared responsibility to keep soil on farms and water clean in creeks.
This program supports the long-term health of South East Queensland’s horticulture sector and local environment while helping growers increase their productivity and profits.