Annan, Endeavour and Normanby Producer Group Communities of Practice Project_2026- Information Day-Progress Report-March
Annan, Endeavour and Normanby Group Communities of Practice Project_2026- Information Day
Progress-Report March- for the period January 2026 to March 2026,
Welcome to the Annan, Endeavour, and Normanby River Catchments Productivity Network
• This project is funded through the Cape York NRM Communities of Practice Project_2026.
• We are delivering in partnership with Cape York NRM and our Annan, Endeavour, and Normanby Producer group.
• The project has continued to pilot a new way of delivering innovative technology services to famers and graziers in the Annan, Endeavour, and Normanby River catchments. It is often referred to as Communities of Practice
• We have implemented our project, which has comprised of consulting with our producers and Cape York NRM.
• This involves actively listening to what their views are and what they need to be able to achieve Best Management Practice on their land and for the community as a whole.
• This has facilitated group (peer to peer) learning, and data sharing.
Welcome to Information Day
• Agricultural extension and Innovation is about delivering the most up-to-date information and technology to industry. It is about enabling farmers and graziers to meet the challenges to make practice changes that lead to better business and environmental sustainability.
• By having these programs brought to Cape York, we were able to provide producer groups with the opportunity to trial innovation and technology before incorporating it into their own farm practice in our community. (Communities of Practice)
• This is heavily dependent on resources being available now and into the future.
• All producers in our network involved in the Communities of Practice Information Days have had REGULAR follow up visits.
• We also conducted visits with producers that did not attend the information day but were informed via the bush telegraph and expressed an interest in participating in further projects.
• These visits were conducted via on-farm visits, public meetings and phone hook-ups between January 2026 and March 2026.
• These were done as an in-kind contribution from Cape York Weeds and Feral Animals Incorporated, as we were determined to keep this innovation extension on-going, up to date, and relevant, to our producer group.
Information Presentations
We have a group of producers which has continued working together on common goals and sharing information for both private production and public benefit.
• Facilitated learning groups provide the most efficient means of coordinating access to specialist skills and Innovative technology providers.
• This is being achieved despite the challenge of resources being very scarce on the ground.
• The facilitator is a local landholder with good industry knowledge and well connected to the extension network.
Cape York NRM-CYWAFA_INC-Information Day-Sharing with our Network.
We held our Annan, Endeavour and Normanby Catchment's Community Information Day, on Saturday 7th of March. Everything was reasonably dry and the weather was cool and cloudy. It was very well attended, welcoming our long-term Indigenous and non-Indigenous producers from our country. We had twenty six attendees. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to our community. We had several members of our group who couldn’t attend as the McIvor and Morgan Rivers were flowing over their respective banks, and it was not safe to cross and attend our information event
This project is also being done with ourselves, our producer group and Cape York NRM. As we have been involved in providing extension services for our Annan Endeavour, Normanby and Lakeland Producers we welcomed the extra support provided to be able to share learnings and to have a say on what is needed amongst our community. By having theses Workshops and Field days we hope to expose our community to modern Communities of Practice.
Cape YNRM’s Project Manager Geoff Wilson and Sustainable Agricultural Facilitator Lauren O’Bryan also attended meeting with producers. They talked about Cultivating climate smart and sustainable agriculture in Cape York Peninsula - an opportunity for involvement.
Dhiraj Gajera Regional Soils Coordinator – TNQ Drought Hub presented on Soils and how they can be sampled and tested as a integral part of the Annan, Endeavour and Normanby Group Communities of Practice Project_2026
As well, a Feral Pig coordination discussion was held, and the producers had a very lively discussion on the benefits of this kind of program.
We had Community Service Representatives from Hopevale Foundation, and other farmers in the area who were not part of our Producer Group. We certainly encouraged them to sign up as we are keen to keep our achievements ongoing.
We conducted a survey on the kinds of project that the producers wanted to see happen in our Agricultural Areas. This will be submitted to the decision makers within our Cape York NRM funders.
The key contenders for funding, as Identified by producers were: -
● Pig management - need ongoing support and assistance making
control/management more efficient to stretch resources further.
● Bring up a fungus expert to talk about soil fungus
● Erosion control training (road/track design?)
● Soil microbes - compare farming practices and soil health
● Earth batteries - University of Newcastle has a trial
● Robotic GPS (unmanned and autonomous) someone from Lakeland has experience
with this.
● Soil and water sampling to help people understand what products will grow well in
their soil type etc.
● Landscape design and remodelling to make the most of water over the land e.g. key
lines, swales, leaky weirs.
● Making use of weeds rather than spraying - goat mowers?
Hopefully this will not only help our environment, but we will also see a cost reduction and an improvement of community health and well-being. Like most we want to look after our country and to make it sustainable for the long term. We thank all our people who make these opportunities possible.
• They, along with Trevor Meldrum from Cape York Weeds and Feral Animals Incorporated presented at the Information Day
• Group Facilitator Trevor Meldrum (Cape York Weeds and Feral Animals Incorporated) is still facilitating the group.
• We have kept the project relevant and ongoing, by conducting several meetings with producers being consulted every step of the way.
• Trevor, along with Cape York NRM Staff, has helped by organising group gatherings and extended our networks both regionally and cross-regionally to maximise our Cape York group’s exposure to current and evolving new technology.
• Since our comprehensive Communities of Practice Information Field Day was held at Copperhead Road, with participating peer to peer members, CYWAFAI_INC staff, and members of the public have attended regular catchups, exchanging knowledge.
Annan, Endeavour and Normanby’s Producer Communities of Practice Sharing
• We have also continued working with the signed-up Landholders and Interested members of the community.
• The signed-up landholders include a mix of graziers and horticulturists, both indigenous and non-indigenous, who have live-stock as well as crops.
• Being a local Indigenous Not for Profit group, we are helping to build up tremendous capacity within our landholders.
• Through the vast amount of peer-to-peer work being carried out, Individual graziers and horticulturists have been commenting on how much better prepared they are to be able to communicate and share their knowledge of land management, weeds, and feral animals control etc.
• What they have shared so far has made them more effective already.
• An observation was made by all that this Information Day has been very welcome. All information has been gratefully received.
• At this stage they only have one liaison or extension officer to go for help, and that is Cape York Weeds and Feral Animals Incorporated’s, Trevor Meldrum. They are keen for this to continue.
• We have promoted the project through attending several community events.
Annan, Endeavour and Normanby’s Producer Innovative Technology Information Day Promotion
• Promotion has been done at the National Landcare Network, Queensland DPI events, LMAC meeting and various community interactions
• This includes but is not limited to: - Reef Restoration and Adaptation program, Local Government Association of Queensland, CookShire Interagency Forum, Regional Development Australia, and other producers from further south.
• We have regularly promoted the project on our social media sites
Facebook: - www.facebook.com/pages/Cape-York-Weeds-and-Feral-AnimalsInc/805555096154233
Website: - http://www.cywafa.com.au/
Twitter: - https://twitter.com/cywafa
• Overall, the completion dates listed in the contract project milestones have been achieved we have achieved a very successful delivery.
The Graziers and horticulturists are to be commended on their efforts and their willingness to help. They were keen to work as a team.
Our Annan, Endeavour and Normanby’s Producers, Cape York NRM, and our Traditional Owners are to be recognised for their professionalism and willingness to get the job done.