George Stacey, RCS Project Officer
An honour improving grazing businesses and protecting the Reef.
RCS Project Officer, George Stacey, believes he will look back on Project Pioneer and feel a sense of great pride.
As a man who has lived experience in seeing the success of RCS practices in action, having watched his parents implement holistic management on Ranmoor, a 18,210 ha (45,000 acre) cattle property outside of Richmond in North West Queensland, he is honoured to be helping not only multiple graziers, but the cattle industry at large through The Project.
“All the work of RCS, which simultaneously helps farming businesses become more profitable while creating ecological benefits, is worthwhile but there is something remarkable about also supporting The Great Barrier Reef,” George said. “The Reef is an absolute wonder of the world, and I feel it’s a part of our Australian identity so we should be doing all we can to protect it.”
“For RCS, our primary business is to assist farmers and graziers to run the best business they possibly can, and by doing that, there is always an improved ecological outcome.”
George said Project Pioneer also worked on a broader scale as it helped provoke thought on the flow-on impacts farming practices had on the environment.
“There is no silver bullet a grazier can apply to ensure they are protecting the Reef and there never is with these things, as when you are dealing with an ecosystem it’s always complex,” George said.
“But, I do think it’s important for anyone working in agriculture to think about the impact their farming practices are having on the world around them.”
George stressed, in his experience working with RCS, the most difficult change to make was a shift in thinking, not making physical changes to farm practices.
“Before you can make any change in the paddock, you need to change what’s happening between your ears. It was extremely rewarding to watch graziers make the paradigm shift over the course of The Project for the benefit of their business and The Great Barrier Reef.”




Project Pioneer is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. The project is delivered by RCS with support from WWF, Maia Technology, Farm Map 4D and CQUniversity.