News Briefs
CANEGROWERS working to boost Australian sugar access into US As this edition of Australian Canegrower went to print, CANEGROWERS CEO Dan Galligan was in the United States with Australian Sugar Milling Council CEO Rachele Sheard and Economics and Trade Policy Director David Rynne, working to improve access for Australian sugar. The trio met with senior officials from the US Department of Agriculture and the US Farm Bureau's Policy and Government Relations team. They also attended a roundtable on World Trade Organisation reform with Australian Embassy officials and US commodity representatives from the soy, dairy, wheat, seeds, and rice industries (pictured). "With the US market so important for Australia, it is important to build relationships that seek to maximise the opportunities for Australian sugar to get access and also to work with the US on reform options at the WTO to bring about a resolution to the case we won against Indian export subsidies," Mr Galligan said.
Scammers target machinery sales Australian farmers and agricultural businesses lost over $1.5 million to scammers in 2021, according to the latest Targeting Scams Report released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The most common agriculture scam was fake online sales of machinery such as tractors, backhoes, bobcats and excavators, accounting for reported losses of over $1.4 million. Scammers created fake websites to sell new tractors, and operated second hand tractor scams on platforms such as Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace. To learn more about common scams, how to protect yourself and how to report a scam, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au
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Business Essentials explained in new podcast More than 90 growers have attended CANEGROWERS Business Essentials workshops this year, the latest in a series of CANEGROWERS services to build skills and profitability among members and ensure growers get the best they can from the ‘grower choice’ marketing environment. Uniquely in the world, Queensland sugarcane growers can lock in sugar prices up to several years ahead. It’s an ability that was secured through a strong campaign led by CANEGROWERS in 2015. Want to know more? Episode 5 in the CANEGROWERS podcast series outlines the Business Essentials project and explains the important link between farm budgeting, risk analysis and sugar pricing. Find the CANEGROWERS podcasts on Buzzsprout, Spotify, Google Play and iTunes.
