A big first half to 2026 for the NT Livestock Extension team
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) Livestock Industries extension team have had a massive start to 2026.
Four livestock extension officers, located in Katherine and Alice Springs, have delivered 17 industry workshops, producer group meetings and events. In addition, the team have been developing new projects, navigating record rainfall events and flood waters, and presenting at conferences including the Northern Beef Research Update Conference (NBRUC).
In Alice Springs, Ali Kain and our new Extension Officer, Caleb Schwartz, have hit the ground running with the new AridGraze paddock challenge project. This has been a huge learning curve for researchers, producers and the extension team, as they work together to design a paddock challenge on Old Man Plains Research Station.
The group has come up with a grazing management plan for Mulga Dam paddock that will ‘challenge’ other long-term strategies being implemented on the property. Ali and Caleb have delivered Rangeland Management Courses to participants from 11 properties and will be delivering the course in northern South Australia in the next month. Our Rangeland Management courses have such a great reputation that we are in high demand across the NT and across the state borders.
Livestock extension officers based in Katherine, Mary Williams and Stacey Holzapfel, have barely had a week at home since the rain stopped having delivered 8 Rangeland Management Courses on stations across the Barkly, VRD and Kimberley regions. They have also delivered a customised course in Arnhem Land for the Mimal ranger groups at Bulman Weemol.
In between Rangeland Management Courses, Mary and Stacey played a key role in delivering the successful Douglas Daly Research Farm Field Day for over 120 attendees. The field day showcased DAF research and provided a valuable opportunity for producers to engage directly with the research farm and our staff. Mary and Stacey were also invited to present on their experiences co-delivering large extension activities at the Reef Extension ThinkTank in Cairns, Queensland, and back in Katherine have spoken to a number of local school groups touring KRS.
Things won't be slowing down any time soon. The northern team are focussed on the Katherine Research Station Open Day on 13 June and the Kidman Springs Field Day on 19 & 20 August. In Central Australia, work will turn towards facilitating training opportunities for industry (such as low stress stock handling) and the Old Man Plains Field Day in October.
Rangeland Management Courses will continue throughout the year, there's a new project or two in development, and the team will continue providing updates on the latest NT livestock R&D via face-to-face events and online platforms such as Futurebeef. Make sure you follow our social pages and subscribe to the DAF Agriculture and Biosecurity newsletter for further information.
After record rains and pasture growth this year, the whole extension team is feeling very lucky to be out and about, racking up the k’s, and talking to producers.
If you would like to contact the us, you can email livestock.extension@nt.gov.au.
