Australian Canegrower - February 2024 by CANEGROWERS

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF AUSTRALIA'S SUGARCANE INDUSTRY

It takes a village to grow

Growers need answers

February 2024 Price $16.00

Smart machine on display

CANEGROWERS BUSINESS ESSENTIALS WORKSHOPS ARE COMING TO A DISTRICT NEAR YOU Make time this year to focus on where you want your business to go These half day sessions provide hands-on tools for either you or someone on your team and this year will be provided FREE of charge.

BUSINESS BOOKKEEPING Streamline administrative tasks

FARM RECORD-KEEPING Overview of tools and templates for the business

LOCATIONS & DATES: • Proserpine: 20 & 21 February • Mackay: 5 & 6 March • Childers: 19 & 20 March • Herbert River: 10 & 11 April More locations & dates will be released

FARM BUSINESS PLANNING Managing amidst uncertainty

SUGAR MARKETING UPDATE Future risks and opportunities for the market

This program is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Queensland Government’s Drought and Climate Adaptation Program.

Visit www.canegrowers.com.au or your CANEGROWERS district office today to find out more! Register your interest today on our website or using the QR Code

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News briefs

Growers needs answers

The cleanup continues

Smart machine on show

Time to talk disaster policy

Scrap the proposed levy

Local district offices integral for flood impacted growers

CANEGROWERS call for solutions on Paradise Dam

Flood recovery work for FNQ growers continues

SRA showcases smart machines at work

Governments need to sit down with industry

Taxing farmers is not fair

Ways to ease record-keeping

Calling all photographers

Its takes a village

Regional round-up

Policy updates

Legal updates

Classifieds

Rainfall report

A Mackay family transitioned to a farming phone app

Have you taken a photo you'd like to share?

Childers grower shares his lessons with the next generation

Editor: Robyn Devine Design & classifieds: Eleanor Fraser Articles appearing in Australian Canegrower do not necessarily represent the policies or views of CANEGROWERS. Published monthly by: CANEGROWERS, GPO Box 1032, Brisbane, Queensland 4001 Australia. ABN 94 089 992 969

Telephone: 07 3864 6444 Email: editor@canegrowers.com.au Website: www.canegrowers.com.au Subscriptions Yearly subscriptions for 12 issues (postage included) Within Australia: $190 inc GST Overseas (AUD): $290 COVER IMAGE Innisfail grower Brendan Calleja surveying the damage from the rain deluge at his property Photo credit: Renee Cluff Read more on page 6

NEWS BRIEFS

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

SUPPORT FOR GROWERS IMPACTED BY FLOODING CANEGROWERS has spent the last few months working with government agencies and local offices to ensure growers impacted by the cyclone and flooding were able to apply for funding to help with clean-up activities and to assist in getting back to business. In some areas the damage to crop and infrastructure is extensive, and the recovery will take time. It will probably be several more weeks or even months before the true impact on the crop is fully realised. Local CANEGROWERS offices in floodaffected areas from Ingham to Mossman are to be commended for their efforts in getting Category C assistance funding implemented so rapidly.

that growers get the assistance they need and are not forgotten. CANEGROWERS Chairman Owen Menkens, pictured above, and CEO Dan Galligan met with growers in the far north to see firsthand the damage caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the subsequent flooding. CANEGROWERS CEO, pictured below, met with Queensland Premier Steven Miles in January, alongside representatives from the Queensland Farmers' Federation, Cotton Australia, and Queensland Fruit and Veg Producers. They discussed important industry initiatives, as well as the challenges and the opportunities for the sugarcane industry.

In light of the possibility of more wet weather events this month CANEGROWERS will continue to work closely with growers and government agencies for as long as it takes to ensure

CANEGROWERS WORKING TOGETHER CANEGROWERS help you grow your business and grow the industry by providing a united voice. Through times of challenge and opportunity CANEGROWERS is there helping family farms and the whole industry to grow and prosper. Read more about the many benefits of CANEGROWERS on page 40 or use the QR code to visit CANEGROWERS website.

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

GROWERS NEEDS ANSWERS ON PARADISE DAM CANEGROWERS is calling on the State Government and Sunwater to come clean with farming communities in the Bundaberg region following revelations that restoration work on Paradise Dam will be halted due to the discovery of serious structural problems. Sunwater has revealed that rather than fixing the existing wall, the dam will now need to be completely rebuilt due to severe degradation of the original concrete, which makes restoration impossible. CANEGROWERS Senior Vice Chair Mark Mammino said the news had come as a shock to irrigators in the region, which produces more the $1 billion worth of agricultural produce every year, including sugarcane. “There are so many questions that need to be answered, like why has it taken four years for the government and Sunwater to discover this problem,” said Mr Mammino, who grows cane in region. “It’s two years since the state and federal governments made a big song and dance about jointly funding the $1.2 billion restoration project. Now here we are in 2024 and we’re in a worse position than we were in 2022. “Instead of being restored, the dam now needs to be completely rebuilt 60 or 70 metres downstream, but we have no idea when that work will even begin, never mind when it might be completed.” Mr Mammino said while community safety would always be paramount, the government also needed to protect people’s livelihoods and industry. “The future expansion of the region’s sugarcane industry, and the agricultural industry more generally, has been on hold for four years,” Mr Mammino said. “That needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Water security needs to be guaranteed if we want growers to have the confidence to continue investing in their businesses and in the Bundaberg region. “We need a clear timeline on when work will commence, when it will be completed, and what mitigation measures will be in place to ensure irrigators continue to have access to their full irrigation allotments during that time.” Mr Mammino said that Sunwater had repetitively advised that they will not be selling any additional water.

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

COUNTING THE COST BY RENEE CLUFF Record-breaking floodwaters from ex Tropical Cyclone Jasper have left a trail of destruction on cane farms between Ingham and Mossman. Matt Watson’s description of this summer’s weather in Far North Queensland sums up the situation he and many other growers have experienced. “It’s been a full-on wet season,” he succinctly said. The CANEGROWERS Mossman Chairman is still trying to properly assess the damage, after the deluge from ex Tropical Cyclone Jasper was closely followed by a very active monsoon trough. “There are plenty of banks washed out, trees down over headlands. I’m trying to fix roads so I can get in and out of the farm. I’m trying to repair tractors that went under water but with the monsoon now here, it’s too wet to get out to do any farm work. “There are some really big chunks of the crop that are a total write-off and there are holes big enough to fit a harvester in, but the cane that’s not too close to the river is actually looking pretty good. “Higher up the Daintree River, it looks like a bomb’s gone off. There are massive trees that have been washed down, big sections of bank and rainforest completely washed away. “It was the first time water has been through the mill in the 130 years it’s been there and it was 400mm deep, so switchboards have had water through them. There’s a skeleton crew working

tirelessly to do what they can. The rail infrastructure is also in shambles.” While Mossman District copped the brunt of the December deluge, parts of the Cairns and Innisfail regions also received seven-day rainfall totals above two metres, while the Tully and Herbert River regions had flooding, too. Don Reghenzani farms in the Cairns District on the Mulgrave River at Fishery Falls. He described the situation as ‘the perfect storm’, after losing several blocks of both plant and ratooning cane. “It was a very wet planting season, so planting was late and some of it got flooded and then it was really dry, so everything lined up to keep the cane smaller,” he explained. “Then the wet season came too early. “It was a bloody disaster. A lot of the plant cane and ratoons were just sitting in water too long. “Drains got filled in by the wash and had to be cleaned out, there was a lot of erosion on headlands and collapses on banks.” At Brendan Calleja’s farm in South Johnstone near Innisfail, rushing water gouged out paddocks while dumping tonnes of sand in paddocks. “The South Johnstone River here was the highest it’s been in 50-odd years or more,” he said. “It jumped the banks and came through one of the blocks and started swirling. It made more or less two big canyons, probably eight to ten feet deep and 50 metres long. Where it didn’t physically gouge it out, the flooding deposited a fair bit of silt,

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

and we didn’t get follow-up rain quick enough to wash it out of the heart of the cane so I’m not sure if it’s going to survive.” Nearby, on John and Alf Strano’s farm bordering Cowley Creek, river sand and even fish were deposited on cane fields. “In weather events like these, many creatures become displaced,” John explained. “There were 50 barramundi in one paddock—we counted them. When the water recedes, some of these animals become trapped in puddles of water. We’ve lost headlands, there is lots of creek bank erosion, and sand is smothering the cane.”

“It’ll set us back a few years, which is a shame while sugar prices are high” Innisfail CANEGROWERS Director and Far North Area Manager for the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA), Sam Spina, has met with impacted cane growers, travelling between Ingham in the south to Mossman in the north. Grants of up to $75,000 are being funded through a $25-million package for primary producers who have suffered direct damage. Low interest loans of up to $250,000 are also available. “Applications are ramping up every day,“ Sam said. “Most of the damage is in paddocks being scoured out, headlands being eroded, cane being swamped by either sand or trash. There’s also quite a bit of damage on riverbanks and creekbanks which has taken parts of headlands away. “Longer term impacts will be a reduction in cane yield in the 2024 season and of course growers taking

several years to get paddocks back to a level where they were the preflooding event.” The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is encouraging growers to fill out a disaster impact survey to help it assess the extent of agricultural damage so that if necessary, more assistance can be provided. The survey can be found at business.qld.gov.au

Top left: Erosion was prevalent at the Strano farm (Image: Alf and John Strano) Bottom left: Reghenzani farm lost several blocks in the deluge (Image: Don Reghenzani) Top right: Large canyons were made at the Calleja farm (Image: Lorraine Calleja) Middle right: John Stano counted more 50 barramundi that were deposited on his paddocks (Image: Alf and John Strano) Bottom right: Erosion at the Reghenzani farm (Image: Don Reghenzani)

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

SMART MACHINE ON DISPLAY

AT AN SRA DEMONSTRATION IN THE BURDEKIN

SUPPLIED BY SUGAR RESEARCH AUSTRALIA

Sugar Research Australia gave sugarcane growers an insight into the potential future of farming at a field demonstration of an autonomous farming vehicle and a smart crop sprayer at Brandon last month.

Designed and manufactured in Denmark, the Robotti has been imported by Bundaberg company, Farm Concepts. It is designed for precision operations such as seeding, weeding and spraying and can operate without a driver 24 hours a day, apart from refueling, solely guided by GPS and cameras. The AutoWeed crop sprayer was designed by James Cook University researchers in partnership with the agricultural technology company

AutoWeed in collaboration with Sugar Research Australia. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and spray weeds in cane fields. SRA Burdekin District Manager Terry Granshaw said the demonstration was held as part of activities under the 2024 District Productivity Plan for the Burdekin. “The district plan is developed with input from multiple stakeholders within a district. It includes an examination of the available automation and other innovative technologies which have the potential to improve the productivity and profitability of sugarcane production,” Terry said. “The Robotti challenges the idea that to be more efficient growers must use larger implements and bigger swathes. The negative impact of that is weight and its effect on soil compaction. The Robotti is relatively small and light weight and can turn in a tight circle for less impact on the soil. It also has autonomous record keeping—recording and mapping all applications,” he said. Farm Concepts Director Braden Hellmuth demonstrated the vehicle and showed the capabilities of both its hardware and software.

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

“Farmers were interested that the machine uses a standard type 2 linkage, powered by a small diesel engine with similar hydraulic capabilities to a standard tractor of its size. It also has a hydraulic pump to use PTO driven implements, the same as a tractor. Farmers can service or fix some of the components on the machine themselves,” Terry said. “The efficiency of the machine in sugarcane operations would need to be tested but it has the potential to be trialed with other autonomous sensory technologies, such as the AutoWeed spot sprayer,” he said. The dual tank spot sprayer has evolved through trial work in the past two years where hundreds of thousands of images have been collected and then labelled to train detection models which are deployed on the spot spraying machine. Shadows from clouds have been one of the major issues. Two separate methodologies have been developed to overcome this issue. LED lighting and shadow removal software via an algorithm. Initial trials have already shown the machine to be 97 per cent as effective as blanket spraying, while reducing herbicide outputs by up to 60 per cent. Other activities examining automation and innovative technologies have included the automated irrigation systems trialled extensively by SRA as part of the Burdekin Irrigation Project (BIP). An automated system has the potential to improve the ability to match water supply with a crop’s water demand to reduce both water usage and energy costs while at the same time reducing labour demand.

Left: A good turnout of growers and industry representatives at the field day Top right: The efficiency of the machines were on display and created plenty of discussions

Growers can read their current District Productivity Plan on SRA’s website: sugarresearch.com.au

Acknowledgements: The Burdekin Irrigation Project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation with support from Sugar Research Australia, Farmacist, Agritech Solutions, Burdekin Productivity Services, Burdekin Bowen Irrigated Floodplain Management Advisory Committee, NQ Dry Tropics, James Cook University and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. It is a collaborative initiative of Burdekin extension organisations including Agritech Solutions, Burdekin Bowen Integrated Floodplain Management Advisory Committee, Burdekin Productivity Services, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Farmacist, James Cook University and Sugar Research Australia. The Autoweed project has received a grant for four years through the partnership between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

IT'S TIME WE TALK ABOUT DISASTER POLICY BY DAN GALLIGAN, CEO, CANEGROWERS

No one in the cane industry needs to be reminded of the importance of managing, surviving and recovering from natural disasters. Undoubtedly here in Queensland we could be considered world leaders in the realm of responding to natural disasters. From droughts, floods, fires and cyclones—we literally get it all. We have disasters that can be short lived, intense and devastating like cyclones and fires to the insidious and souldestroying nature of droughts that can last for years. Many farmers have become experts in getting their businesses back up and running after the impact of such disasters. The assistance that farmers rely upon can come from multiple sources such as commercial insurance or drawing down on their own financial resources, industry support and government disaster assistance.

A range of persistent policy inconsistencies arise. These include the inability for assistance authorities to deal with primary producers who receive off farm income. Even when that income comes from an associated business such as harvesting contracting that is in fact supporting and reliant on farming. So too, when we look at the issues of assistance that is provided to repair land but not replant crops, which does not achieve the objective of getting the business up and running, and when it comes to the loss of plant cane, it leaves the grower well behind for a number of years. There are also gaps in the focus of response.

Each one of these elements is needed to build resilience for a farming business. All areas, from personal resources, commercial insurance and public policy require scrutiny and revision to ensure it is fit for purpose.

The coordinated management of riparian land repair, catchment drains, and hill slopes is a gap that often receives attention too late in the process and in not enough time to ensure systems are operating effectively before the next disaster hits.

In relation to public disaster assistance policy, Queensland is a national, if not world, leader. An unfortunate recognition of the decades of experience that the state has had in responding to such events.

Finally, it is time we saw sustained funding to underpin the coordination and facilitation of disaster assistance across the state. We all want assistance resources to go to the most needed locations as quickly as possible.

This has created a cohort of experts in this field and institutional arrangements, particularly around the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, that has been specifically mandated to give a focus to response and resilience in relation to natural disasters.

But instead of rapidly trying to build resources after a disaster we should use a relatively small amount of money to have people permanently in the regions, trained and skilled in assisting primary producers to assess damage, access assistance and rebuild their businesses.

While we assess and recover from yet another cyclone in Queensland it is very clear that it is time for the State and Commonwealth Governments to sit down with industry, and review the policy and programs that are focused on helping primary producers to recover from and become more resilient to natural disasters.

This is an expert role, a task that is called upon every year in Queensland and it is for this reason that not only should our policy be world leading but so too should our on-ground resources.

L I AN

AUST

SCRAP UNJUST TAX ON FARMERS CANEGROWERS has lent its support to the growing chorus of agricultural bodies demanding the Federal Government abandon the introduction of a biosecurity levy on farmers. CANEGROWERS Chairman Owen Menkens said the proposed levy would operate like a new tax on farmers, saying the introduction of such a tax would be akin to fining the victims of crime while the perpetrators walk away scot free.

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

“All farmers take biosecurity seriously on their farms every single day,” Mr Menkens said. “That’s why growers already pay significant amounts through their levies to fund industry and farm-based biosecurity protection measures. “What the government is proposing is not what we traditionally understand as a levy, where those contributing have, through their representative bodies, some sort of oversight of how that money is spent. “Instead, funds from this new levy would disappear into a blackhole in Canberra where we would have no idea how or where they are used by the government. That’s not a levy, that’s a tax.

our biosecurity breaches—importers and shipping companies—not to the farmers whose livelihoods are threatened by such breaches.” More than 50 peak ag bodies including CANEGROWERS have signed a letter to the Prime Minister calling for the biosecurity levy to be scrapped. CANEGROWERS is calling on its members to act by contacting their local federal member of parliament to raise their concerns. Growers can visit the Grain Producers Australia web site and use the template provided to send to your local MP: www.grainproducers.com.au/ biosecurity/scrapthetax

“And what’s worse, it’s a tax on the wrong people. If the government wants to raise additional funding for biosecurity measures, they should firstly look to the cause of many of

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FROM THE CHAIR BY OWEN MENKENS, Chairman, CANEGROWERS

As I write this column it is unfortunate to see yet another cyclone bearing down on the Queensland coast. At this stage we are unsure where it will cross but as we saw from ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper the damage can come not just from the wind but from the associated rain that comes with it. CANEGROWERS CEO Dan Galligan and I witnessed first-hand some of the damage in the Cairns region, mother nature can be hard to fathom sometimes. The pressure on our Bureaus forecasters has never been more intense as we all seek to obtain certainty in what can be an unpredictable outcome. Another issue that is currently concerning growers is the Federal Government’s snap decision last year to introduce a biosecurity levy on farmers. This decision was made without any consultation with our organisation or the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF). The rushed nature of the implementation of the policy is self evident, as there has been no comprehensive plan communicated as to how they will implement this levy. Like all agricultural industries we already have a statutory levy in place in respect to Sugar Research Australia (SRA) with biosecurity one of SRA’s priorities. To put it simply, this will be a tax on farmers to pay for what is essentially a government responsibility. Given the difficulties of introducing the levy over the past year we are calling on the government to scrap the levy altogether. Biosecurity is a government responsibility, the

same as defence and immigration. It is the government’s role to fund the control of pests and diseases not the farmers who are already at the front line of the impacts and costs of biosecurity incursions. Farmers already pay a levy to SRA and their local pest boards to manage pests in their own area. It is the Federal Government’s role to stop these incursions coming in from overseas. CANEGROWERS, QFF and the NFF have been calling on successive State and Federal Government to increase funding to the biosecurity system for many years. This funding should be contributed by those who import goods and food into the country, as that is where most of our risks come from. Instead, they have decided to tax the farmer. Perhaps worst of all we have no confidence that the funds from this tax will actually go to biosecurity related issues. The Federal Government at this stage has made no commitment as to the use of the funds and instead indicates the money will go into the government's general revenue—a literal black hole. I call on both sides of politics to oppose this tax on farmers going forward. Biosecurity is a very important issue for our industry and therefore should not be used as a political football or to facilitate revenue raising. Our biosecurity systems needs more funding, but taxing farmers who already bear the risks of the failing systems is not a fair way of delivering a better system.

BMS

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

AGTRIX FARMING JOURNEY SUPPLIED BY MACKAY AREA PRODUCTIVITY SERVICES

The Townley family are celebrating a century since they acquired their first cane farm. Currently, they manage cane cultivation on 12 farms, primarily centred around their family farm on Cowleys Road in West Mackay and with several more on the north side of the Pioneer River. Recognising the importance of meticulous record-keeping, they’ve experimented with various methods over the years.

Champion Exhibitor of 2022 Mackay Show Awards Jonathan Townley, Committee member Lachlan McLennan, Charles and Charlie Townley

Early diaries from the 1950s meticulously detail rainfall, planting, harvesting crews, and noteworthy incidents. Additionally, they’ve employed record books from entities like the pest board, CANEGROWERS, and local rural businesses, which were eventually archived in cardboard boxes. In 2018, when the Townleys pursued BMP Smartcane accreditation, they returned to paper-based recording using provided templates, maps, and planning tools. Recognising the limitation with paper-based recording, Therese Townley transitioned to using the AgTrix Farming data recording platform in 2021, following on from their involvement in the MWWQP MAPS project and with guidance from her MAPS Productivity Officer. Therese praises AgTrix Farming for

its user-friendliness, data security, easy retrieval, and report generation capabilities. Her husband, Charles, and sons, Jono and Charlie, value the technology’s ability to measure distances and areas for specific tasks, reducing the need for manual notetaking. While they initially found the AgTrix Farming Phone App required some setup and had occasional repetitive steps, it proved straightforward once they received guidance. Shane Hare from MAPS helped them download the App onto their smartphones and taught them how to record chemical and fertilizer applications. AgTrix Farming also enables them to plan tasks, which syncs with their smartphones and can be edited later, including adding relevant weather details.

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

The Townley family have adopted Agtrix Farming practices into the way they do business

one of the N&P budget training sessions conducted by MAPS in March and has been using it since then to calculate N&P budgets for her farms. Therese mentioned that she quickly learned how to input the results of her soil tests and assess how her planned fertiliser rates compared. She described it as “great and easy to use.”

One notable feature they discovered was the ability to record fertiliser and chemical applications simultaneously in the same block, streamlining their operations. With AgTrix Farming, record-keeping is no longer a solitary burden but a shared family effort as they celebrate their centenary in cane farming. Therese recently adopted the new feature in AgTrix Farming that calculates her annual N&P budget. She attended

Previously, Therese used a spreadsheet developed by MAPS for her N&P budgets, but it consumed a significant amount of time. With AgTrix Farming, all farming operations and soil test data are already stored in one platform, making it easy to integrate recommendations. She mentioned that it’s simple to adjust fertiliser rates for each block to suit their specific needs. Additionally, the platform displays the total fertiliser inputs required, simplifying the planning process for fertiliser needs. The Agtrix Farming recording platform is a free service to growers. It is a convenient and efficient way to meet current government regulations and help improve growers’ data management and farming practices.

Agtrix Farming is a practical digital platform available to Mackay growers allowing them to keep better records which helps them to make better onfarm management decisions working towards improved productivity and water quality outcomes.

The MAPS project is part of the Mackay Whitsunday Water Quality Program, funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

INTRODUCING SUGARCANE TO STUDENTS

CANEGROWERS was pleased to support a recent project that featured two sugarcane growers discussing different aspects of the industry in a virtual tour of their farms. The Bowen Gumlu Growers Group created a Virtual Reality 360 project titled ‘Your Future in Agriculture VR360’ to showcase careers in agriculture and aquaculture and was funded by the Queensland Government's Growing Workforce Participation Fund as part of the Back to Work Initiative. In the film Steve Pilla spills the beans about irrigation in Episode 8, and in Episode 5 Sam Orr gives a sneak peek into the world of harvesting. It's a must-watch if you're curious about careers in agriculture and will be used to promote the ag industries amongst schools and educational faculties.

BOC is proud to extend our partnership with Queensland Cane Growers

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BOC and CANEGROWERS are pleased to announce a 3 year partnership extension for the exclusive supply of gases and welding equipment to Queensland cane growers. Our friendly BOC team can also assist with safe handling of our products — either locally or online. Scan the QR code on the right for our video on how to transport gas cylinders safely. BOC is happy to serve you with depots, gas agents and retail stores located throughout Queensland. Scan this QR code to find one nearest to you.

Safe transport of gas cylinders

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FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

CANEGROWERS 101: ONE VOICE GROWING QUEENSLAND CANEGROWERS is known and respected for its strong voice locally, nationally and internationally. Membership starts at the front door and the collective voice of many farmers has a powerful impact.

This webinar will explain the products, services and benefits you get through your membership with CANEGROWERS and will give you a snapshot of the advocacy work we are doing to support your business and grow your industry. The webinar will finish with an interactive question and answer session. DATE AND TIME:

Join us on Tuesday 20 February 2024 for the first CANEGROWERS 101 webinar of 2024.

Tuesday 20 February 2024 12.30–1.30pm Scan to register Registrations close 19 February 2024

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the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

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FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

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THE CELLI SPIKE ROTOR— MORE MACHINE FOR YOUR MONEY When it comes to rotary power harrows, the Celli Spike Rotor has always been in a class of its own. The reason is quite simple— it’s like no other rotary power harrow on the market. With its unique construction and a range of features it shares with no other comparative product, this unique piece of equipment was designed with a singular purpose—to save you time while increasing your output. One-of-a-kind boron steel spikes The specialized boron alloy steel spikes unique to the Celli Spike Rotor offer more effective ground penetration. What’s more, these hardened spikes are positioned to enter the ground at an optimum angle that provides greater shock absorption and strength, eliminating jarring when working hard or stony ground. That makes it easier to drive and provides greater overall control.

A special tailgate

Ideal for Australian conditions

Not only better at breaking up the ground, the Celli Spike Rotor is also designed to spread it around better. Its smart two-piece tailgate was actually designed to trap soil and release it as a fine tilth, creating a better seedbed even on the very first pass. What’s more, the gates can be adjusted to many different angle combinations, and can even be set open for wet conditions. That means you’re in full control of the finished result.

The Celli Spike Rotor is a go-to standard among Australian famers looking to maximize yields and has become one of the brand’s most enduring flagship products, especially in Australia, where it has paid its dues many times over—not just for cane sugar farming, but across a wide range of crop types.

A total cultivation system suited to almost any tractor As it can be used on any tractor from 60 to 360 horse power, and comes either fixed or folded, from between 2 to 6 metres in length, this is not just a better option for saving time and improving your yield, it’s also one of the most practical pieces of equipment in the field. Partner it with any tractor in your fleet and avoid having to spend more money on less flexible equipment that isn’t quite as equal to the task.

Don’t just rely on the Celli Spike Rotor’s stellar reputation among Aussie farmers. Call 1800 FARMGARD and speak to a rep today about how to start field testing it for yourself. www.farmgard.com.au

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Cane Country IT'S A PHOTOGR APHER'S PAR ADISE

HAVE YOU TAKEN ANY GREAT SHOTS YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH OUR MEMBERS? Share them at info@CANEGROWERS.com.au

REPORT YELLOW CRAZY ANTS CALL: 1800 CRAZY ANT P: (07) 4241 0525 | E: yca@wtma.qld.gov.au W: www.weeropics.gov.au/yellow-crazy-ant | Facebook: @ycaweeropics

4mm in length

QSL GROWER PRICING UPDATE

Your Trusted Partner Current as at 18 January 2024.

Sugar Market & Currency Influence

Commentary

Outlook

Unseasonably dry weather in December and January allowed the 2023/2024 Brazilian harvest to come to an end largely uninterrupted. At time of writing, 644 million tonnes of cane had been harvested and Brazil 42.05 million tonnes of sugar produced. Following the Government’s decision to ban the production of ethanol from cane juice late last year, the Indian harvest has progressed at a reasonable rate. As of 15 January, 14.9 million tonnes of sugar had India been produced with a total of 30-32 million tonnes expected to be produced this season. With reports of disappointing sugar yields in the early stages of the Thai crush, some analysts have reduced Thailand their season forecasts from 8.5 million tonnes of sugar down to 7.5 million tonnes. The ICE 11 Commitment of Traders report as of 9 January revealed speculators continued to liquidate their Speculators position and showed little interest in trading sugar futures. A net long position of 5,400 lots was recorded, down almost 12,000 lots from the previous week. After trading to highs of 68.71 US cents in December, the Australian Dollar retreated to a 65-US cent handle in mid-January. With US CPI data recently revealing inflation is taking longer than expected to Currency fall to the 2% target, any interest rate cuts in the US may now be pushed back until later in the year. The outlook ratings above are in relation to AUD/tonne sugar prices.

A bullish outlook is considered positive.

Neutral

A bearish outlook is considered negative.

Grower Pricing Key Dates: • 20 February: Last day to price 2023-Season Target Price Contract tonnage before the pricing window is automatically extended and roll adjustments apply. MSF Sugar Milling Districts: Last day to complete 2023-Season Target Pricing, unless your miller has granted you an extension. Any unpriced tonnage remaining after this date will be priced by QSL at the next market opportunity. • 20 February: Last day to achieve or roll pricing allocated to the March 2024 ICE 11 contract through the Individual Futures Contract or Self-Managed Harvest Contract. MSF Sugar Milling Districts: Also the May 2024 ICE 11 Contract Pricing Completion Date unless your miller has granted you an extension. Any unpriced tonnage remaining after this date will be priced by QSL at the next market opportunity. • 30 April: Last day to nominate tonnage to QSL’s 2024-Season Actively Managed Pool, Guaranteed Floor Pool, Individual Futures Contract and Target Price Contract.

The highest grower-managed pricing levels achieved across all growing regions using QSL products to date (all gross price actual/tonne) are: • 2023 Target Price = $950 / IFC $960 (Mar24) • 2024 Target Price = $840 / IFC $870 (Jul24) • 2025 Target Price = $735 / IFC $735 (Oct25) • 2026 Target Price = $685 / IFC $690 (Jul26) • 2027 Target Price = $650

QSL GROWER-MANAGED PRICING FILLS – 2023, 2024 & 2025 SEASONS Tonnes 200,000 180,000 160,000 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0

< $499

2023 Season

$500

$520

2024 Season

$540

$560

$580

$600

$620

$640

$660

$680

$700

$720

$740

$760

$780

$800 >

2025 Season

This chart captures all pricing achieved as of 18.01.24 by growers from across all sugarcane growing regions using QSL’s Target Price Contract, Individual Futures Contract and Self-Managed Harvest products. Prices quoted at AUD/tonnes actual gross. Disclaimer: This report contains information of a general or summary nature and is based on information available to QSL from many sources. While all care is taken in the preparation of this report, the reliability, accuracy or completeness of the information provided in the document is not guaranteed. The update on marketing and pricing activity does not constitute financial or investment advice. You should seek your own financial advice and read the QSL Pricing Pool Terms, which are contained on QSL’s website. Nothing contained in this report should be relied upon as a representation as to future matters or that a particular outcome will be achieved. Information about past performance is not an indication of future performance. The information in the report is current as at the time of publication and is subject to change, as the information is based on many assumptions and is subject to uncertainties inherent in any market. QSL does not accept any responsibility to any person for the decisions and actions taken by that person with respect to any of the information contained in this report.

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TAKES A VILLAGE TO GROW BY ROBYN DEVINE

In today’s society, a wellknown proverb asserts that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. This perspective also holds true for regional agricultural communities, as they serve as lifelines for established residents and newcomers, offering vital systems that enable them to grow and flourish.

The support and knowledge shared by neighbours, family and grower representatives along with key stakeholders provides a strong foundation to create a robust and resilient industry. Mark Weiss, who has been growing sugarcane for over 30 years in the rich and vibrant Childers soil, is a humble advocate and recipient of shared knowledge, this support over the years has brought him sweet success. Mark started growing cane 34 years ago, with his father at Cordalba and has continued that the family tradition of working together, as his children move to become more involved in the family business. “Dad had a dairy farm at Apple Tree Creek, and he had been sick, at the time I was working overseas with Tofts, I came home to look after his cows while he was in the Brisbane hospital,” Mark said.

Childers grower, Mark Weiss happily continuing the family legacy, as the next generation enters the family business.

“I decided to stay on to help out during his recovery and it was by chance, that we happened to be at a real estate office in Childers, Dad was looking for somewhere to put some heifers to grow up because it was another drought year. The real estate agent had just got off the phone with a cane farmer wanting to list what is now our current farm. The agent said, “you want

to buy a cane farm?” and that’s how it all started.” Childers is well known for its distinctive deep red soil, the volcanic basalt is very fertile and rich in minerals, but the sugarcane crop often requires regular irrigation as the microclimate leans towards consistently dry conditions. “The water made a difference, we had no water when we bought the farm, but the scheme was coming and that helped shape our decision on where we bought. We wanted the water.” The transition to growing sugarcane Mark admits was made easier with the help of his father’s friend an experienced sugarcane grower, good old fashioned neighbourly help, and the extensive support and guidance from industry stakeholders. “At that time you had the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations (BSES), and you had the Pest Board and there was CANEGROWERS, there was a reasonable amount of support there,” Mark said. “It only took a phone call to BSES with a problem or to your neighbour, we all worked together. We seem to be a bit more separate now, with people doing their own thing more. “Back then we'd be burning cane together every night and probably shared more machinery. CONTINUED PAGE 26 ‣

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The rich red soil of the district is a cane growing paradise

“Harry Bonnano was chairman of CANEGROWERS for many years and as a local Childers’ grower, he was always good to talk to about any problems or issues, he was a good mentor. There was good support around, people to help, and it didn’t take too long to pick things up.” This community-minded focus of the Childers’ sugarcane industry positively influenced Mark as he moved into representative roles over the years. For the past 10 years Mark has been a growers’ representative on the Isis Productivity Board, he said he was tapped on the shoulder to step up into the role by another neighbour and believes one of the benefits of his involvement has been the knowledge he has gained about the industry, as a whole. “On the Board there are two representatives from the sugar mill, two from CANEGROWERS and three grower delegates, I’m one of grower representatives,” Mark said. “My neighbour Neil Kingston was Chairman of the Productivity Board,

and they were looking for another representative, as someone had retired, he asked me to take it up and I've been there ever since. “CANEGROWERS Peter McLennan and Mark Mammino are also involved, and they provide more information on what's happening with matters like the Reef Regs, BMP, Sunwater allocations and all those sorts of things including electricity and power. “CANEGROWERS Isis is also passing on the latest info through our newsletter and the District Manager Jo Hall is always available with advice.

“We get to hear about what happens in the industry, especially what is going on in the background to help growers”

“I noticed how much support we get compared to other industries that haven't got a body like CANEGROWERS helping them. They can struggle with what's going on. I have friends growing sweet potatoes and when they didn't know what was happening with the electricity or water allocations they would ring me. Whereas CANEGROWERS passed that information through, via emails, texts, reminders, shed talks, meetings and the like.” In recent years Mark has bought some neighbouring farms, as his neighbours have sold up or retired, realising it as a great opportunity to extend his business and encourage his daughter, Rachel, son-in-law Dustin (Dusty), and son, Shaun an electrician at Plane Creek Mill to be involved in the family business. In fact they changed the business structure to a Family Trust and are each a partner in the business now. The family chose to have those transition conversations which has assisted everyone to be clear about the future.

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

“I think the more information you have it helps to make your own decisions” “About three years ago I started growing avocados as well as cane. In the first pick we had when the trees where about one and half—two years old, we had 4,100 trees and picked 40 bins of fruit. Which surprised me as the shepherd variety didn't produce anything,” Mark said. “Then last year, I think our orchard picked 300 bins, it was a super increase in production, and I still had no shepherds. While this year the trees are a lot bigger and absolutely loaded, and the shepherds are really good, plus we bought the farm next door and it had another 1,400 trees, we have 72 acres of avocados and 350 acres of cane.” Weather remains one of the consistent challenges to mitigate as a farmer Mark says, some months it’s too dry while others the wet events create issues with long and drawn out crushes as experienced a few years back. Then there are labour issues while pests and diseases round out the challenges that affect Mark’s farm practices. “On the Productivity Board you hear a lot about pests and diseases, or varieties and any associated problems with them,” Mark said.

“There has also been bad pig trouble in the district, I've never seen so many pigs like this last year, I'd see pigs every day or every second day. They're in the backyard, one morning they were on the driveway while we were mowing the grass. I don’t know how many I shot I used to keep a good tally, but I lost count. And it got to the stage where I couldn't spend all day chasing pigs because I wouldn't get my work done. “Dogs will come, then they'll move on to another farm you are basically just chasing them from your place onto somewhere else. They are bad in the nut trees like the macadamias, they live in the cane, and they’ll move from the nuts to the cane, backwards and forwards. And they're really big pigs. “It’s a huge problem, there's no simple solution and they breed so quick. At certain times of the year they can create havoc with your trash blanket, if its wet they’ll plough it all up and with the standing cane, they just seem to live in there, you can’t catch them and then they go and eat the macadamia nuts, it’s never ending.” Mark said labour shortages are also affecting the district, the challenge to keep workers on for a season and to find good ones is a problem right across the state. “I think that's with a lot of industries, you regularly hear about companies struggling to find a truck driver. They’re just not there—I don't know where they’ve gone,” Mark said.

“For me pests and diseases influence my crop rotation here, they sort out what gets planted when and what gets ploughed out.

“The sugar industry is very family orientated, mostly its family based businesses, there's very few corporates. It's an uncle or grandpa, or mother or child doing the work and we’re all short of labour.”

“It's either soldier fly, or smuts back again now. You'll have blocks were smut and soldier flies show up and they’re the ones that get ploughed out. The older ratoons, that are still good and sound then they'll go on again in that block.

Purchasing more farmlands, working with his children and a long term friend that has worked on the farm for the last few years, has helped Mark with some of his labour challenges and the future opportunities are looking favourable. While Mark is very still busy

at present he is looking to focus on stabilising the business and sharing his knowledge with the next generation. “Everything needs to settle down after the purchase of another farm. My sonin-law Dusty is a great learner, he’s a field service tractor mechanic that has come off cattle properties, he grew up out west. He's very easy to teach, when you're a mechanic you tend to have a mechanical aptitude,” Mark said. “Did we think we'd be here for 34 years? I don't know, it just ended up that way. It's a nice spot to live Childers, it's still a good area. “I’m proud of the way the family work together, we all get on. Dad and I always worked well together and now my son, daughter and son-in-law are interested, it's good to have the young ones coming through.”

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TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES— CENTURION FOR SALE BY KIRILI LAMB

After a solid farm recovery vehicle? A Centurion military tank was the subject of a recent post to the popular Facebook page Australian Sugar Cane Farming/Harvesting, causing a stir of amusement and curiosity.

The gun is no longer functional, of course, which is a part of the Centurion tank’s interesting back-story.

Put up by Mackay district cane grower Jacob Arkadieff, the 52-tonne tank is owned with his father Sam, a Tweed Valley cattleman. Sam Arkadieff said that the tank had been useful as a recovery vehicle on-farm shifting heavy machinery like excavators.

It is thought that this is when it lost its original gun turret, replaced during restoration by the previous owner, who had pieced together some of its history.

“I’ve had my fun with it, it can move on to someone else,” Sam said. Knowing that Sam had always wanted a tank, Jacob let Sam know that one was on the market when a friend of a friend was selling one nearby, in SE Queensland. “We’ve had it a couple of years now. It’s a big toy to have in the toybox: it’s a big brute of a thing, and pretty well indestructible!” Sam said. It is only occasionally that it comes out of the shed: “It’s quite heavy on fuel, so it’s not the sort of thing you run all the time. It uses a litre a minute.

“It’s been to Vietnam, and it’s been in battle—I believe in the early 70s.”

While the post created a lot of interest just based on the novelty factor, a buyer was yet to emerge to meet the $155K price tag. “There were some funny comments on there, definitely,” said Jacob. “But no-one really serious about buying the tank.” Jacob, 38, had moved to Mackay in recent years to establish a cattle and cane farm in Mount Ossa “I just love North Queensland: the Barrier Reef’s there, and the sugarcane,” Jacob said. Jacob has just completed his first year of cane supply to Farleigh Mill. “I was very happy with it,” he said.

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“TECHNO” FARMING THE WAY OF THE FUTURE? BY KATE REARDON Smartcane BMP Project Manager

In 2010, I was involved in a debate that the average person only needed a tablet or a smartphone, not both. Today, with technological advancements, we seem to have both, plus a laptop, a smartwatch and multiple apps enabling us to control our daily lives at the touch of a screen or a voice command. Technology innovations have revolutionised agriculture, changing how we farm, monitor resources, and collect data, creating improved efficiency, reduced costs, and increased productivity.

Advancements in technology support growers in multiple ways, from operational and managerial functions to crop health and genetics. Technology can aid growers with business requirements, like Smartcane BMP accreditation, regulations, and supply chain obligations. However, implementing technology into your business needs to be assessed on fit-for-purpose, as what may work for one business doesn’t necessarily fit another.

The Sugar Industry is a mature industry with a strong history of adopting innovations in precision agriculture, system automation and remote monitoring. Global Positioning Systems (GPS), satellite imagery, Near Infra-Red (NIR), robotics and digital mapping technologies are being used in the industry optimising productivity, profitability, and sustainability. The fast-developing fields of drones, robots and real-time data are providing growers with solutions to some of their most critical challenges. Drones, with AI image recognition, provide growers with an eye in the sky, detecting and classifying issues affecting areas of their farms. Furthermore, they access hard-toreach places, providing intel on feral pest locations and destruction, as well as applying fertiliser or agrochemicals. Real-time information, on a field-byfield basis using agricultural sensors, enables growers to reduce costs by fine-tuning the use of resources, like water, fertilisers, and pesticides, as the plants require. Sensors deployed throughout a farm identify issues early, facilitating a quick response time and

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

improving the accuracy in the delivery of fertilisers and other nutrients. On-farm robots are accelerating at a lightning pace with the ability to fertilise, apply pesticides, mow and even capable of picking fruit and vegetables. In some cases, robots have enabled growers to cut their use of chemicals by up to 80%. Innovation needs to have a comparative advantage and be aligned with a grower’s current operation. New technologies should seamlessly integrate into existing farming methods as compatibility, with traditional methods, is key to success. Furthermore, success requires growers to have access to accurate information and be provided with the necessary support to fully understand the benefits of effectively implementing new technologies.

CANEGROWERS delivers the Smartcane BMP project (2022-2026) with funding from the Queensland Government’s Reef Water Quality Program and CANEGROWERS.

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CANEGROWERS REGIONAL ROUND-UP SUPPLIED BY CANEGROWERS DISTRICT OFFICES

MOSSMAN Everything changed for Mossman’s 2024 crop outlook once Tropical Cyclone Jasper made landfall just north of the Daintree River on 14 December 2023. The cyclone was not a strong category and did not bring much wind or damage, but the aftermath brought record breaking rainfall to the far northern region. Mossman’s December 2023 monthly rainfall of 2,018.2mm was a 55 year record and almost six times the monthly average. In the six days between 14 to 19 December 2023 1,957.4mm fell. The 2023 annual rainfall reached 5,062.6mm another 55 year record. There wasn’t much festivity in the break between Christmas and New Year with everyone trying to access their insurance

companies and assistance from government agencies for flood damage to properties and infrastructure. January was a month consumed by two vastly different types of crises. When we weren’t getting information about flood recovery assistance, the grower representatives were continuing to drive for a solution for Mossman Mill with government representatives and the Voluntary Administrator. The Creditor meeting on 22 December 2023 had been successfully adjourned for 45 business days so the deadline for a way forward moved out to early-mid February 2024. Growers attended an information meeting on Monday 15 January to hear a mill update and to get Grant and Loan Assistance information from QRIDA and DESBT representatives. This meeting was well attended, and many questions were asked.

CANEGROWERS Mossman partnered with the Douglas Chamber of Commerce to utilise the resources of the representatives from QRIDA and DESBT by holding a session for small businesses in Mossman following the grower session. The representatives from both agencies then did a second session in Port Douglas for small business as well.

Both meetings were very well attended, and it highlighted the benefit of on-ground meetings so people could ask about their individual circumstances. Top: Growers attend an information meeting in January from QRIDA and DESBT Bottom: Water in Front Street during the December deluge

TABLELAND There have been a lot of higher recordings with some places getting over 1 metre of rain. Mareeba Airport has had a combined total 952 mm for December to January (21st). For those of that had been impacted by TC Jasper, QRIDA held an information session at

the Mareeba Leagues Club on Wednesday 17th January. One of the key points that came from this information session was that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) have a disaster survey on their website. Growers affected by a disaster need to complete the survey to ensure that the extent of the disaster

is noted, and this information could impact the amount of assistance that is available. Members are encouraged to check the QRIDA website to see what assistance is available. www.business.qld.gov.au/ running-business/naturaldisaster/assistance

QRIDA meetings assisted growers to understand what support was available

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

CAIRNS The recent impacts of Cyclone Jasper and the subsequent flooding that followed has resulted in significant damage across the Cairns Region on all fronts from general community infrastructure, health and wellbeing, all the way through to destruction of crops, waterways and Industry Infrastructure. In saying this, the team hopes that all members did manage to have an enjoyable festive season with family and friends. CANEGROWERS Cairns Region has been busy working with Industry stakeholders to assess the damage caused by the severe weather event

and continues to advocate for our members at both local and state level in conjunction with QCGO. QRIDA grant information sessions have been held in both Babinda and Gordonvale to ensure growers had the opportunity to gain a better understanding of their ability to receive funding to assist with the cleanup required as the waters subside. We have also been working actively to compile local River Trust work required to repair damage to assist in ensuring the River Trust and Council are informed of the severity of the damage caused to waterways within the region in a timely manner, as we are still in what

is traditionally seen as the very early stage of the wet season. Members are reminded that the staff in both the Mulgrave and Babinda offices are here to assist where we can.

CANEGROWERS Cairns Region working with stakeholders and growers to assess the damage

INNISFAIL Growers in the Innisfail district continue to assess the damage to crops and farm infrastructure in the wake of ex Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Significant damage has also been recorded to MSF’s cane railway system across the far north with urgent

repairs required ahead of the 2024 season. It is estimated that there is an average of 15%—20% crop losses across the Innisfail membership area with some properties worse affected than others. Growers have welcomed Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants which will

help meet the cost of clean-up and reinstatement of farming enterprises. Growers are urged to complete the Queensland DAF Agriculture Disaster Impact Survey to ensure accurate information is used to inform disaster recovery initiatives. CANEGROWERS Innisfail negotiators are preparing

to review the current Cane Supply Agreement ahead of the 2024 season. The Board are also looking forward to continued discussions with MSF Sugar Ltd and Thai owners, Mitr Phol regarding industry sustainability with a workshop scheduled for early March.

TULLY Season 2023 finally ended on 16 December 2023 with a total of 2,536,920 tonnes. CCS continued to deteriorate, ending at

12.70 with a yield of 86.2 tonnes per hectare. Final yield was down 8.1 percent on estimate from the beginning of the season. Six

varieties dominated the supply to Tully Sugar this season, a total of 83.9% made up by Q208: 35.9%, Q253: 21.6%, Q200: 12.0%, Q240: 5.8%, Q250: 4.3% and KQ228: 4.3%.

Later than expected finish, delayed the majority of planting fallow crops, compounded even further by the Cyclone Jasper weather event. ‣

34 Reports of crop losses, particularly plant paddocks where the water has taken days to recede. Most of the impact to crops from the weather event is from siltation and the trash from ratoon crops floating above the cane, forming blankets covering hectares of paddocks. Farmers are attempting to maintain the cane production

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area by ratooning late cut paddocks because of the losses. There are also areas which have been impacted by infrastructure losses, such as crossings, culverts and headwalls. Even though the crop currently appears to be reasonable, it is early into the wet season. Future weather events and the absence of

sunlight are likely to impact the crop further. The current growth rate will more look like the longterm average of 85 tonnes per hectare, hopefully.

happening around the district about where staff will be sourced. Training of staff will be another issue as experienced personnel leave the industry.

2024 will bring significant challenges again, with the ever-present shortage of workers for the maintenance season and the harvest season. Conversations are already

Tully CANEGROWERS will be coordinating a Chemical Training Course and Ergon Energy Look and Live awareness session in the coming months.

Season and discuss any issues that arose from the season.

opportunity for these young growers to learn more about the sugar industry and its various facets.

CCS, the Grower Portal and how to compile a N & P budget.

HERBERT RIVER The Herbert River district has been receiving a good amount of rainfall throughout December and January so far. CANEGROWERS Herbert River will hold a meeting for all members to review the 2023

CANEGROWERS Herbert River has organised a young growers development group to travel to Brisbane in March to visit CANEGROWERS Brisbane office, SRA Woodford and Rocky Point. This is a great

CANEGROWERS Herbert River will hold a number of sessions for members throughout the 2024 off season and will include workshops on Relative

We would like to thank all our members for their support in 2023 and wish all CANEGROWERS members a prosperous 2024.

BURDEKIN It was a great start to 2024 with the Burdekin receiving welcome rain over the month of January, albeit patchy. Some irrigation was required at times, but on the whole growers were pleased to not have to buy electricity and water and the rain also created some space to do other things than irrigating. The cane has responded beautifully to the free water from the sky and barring any adverse weather, it looks to be shaping up as one of the better starts to a season for many years. Caveat—potential cyclone forming in the Coral Sea at time of writing! CBL representatives attended the Robotti workshop at SRA

Brandon which provided a demonstration of AutoWeed and Robotti. Technology and automation is the future of the industry in terms of gaining more productivity and achieving more efficient farming practices and it was certainly on display at this workshop. Thank you to SRA for facilitating this workshop which was well received by attendees. BPS have advised of dates for their series of shed meetings commencing on 7/2/24 and concluding on 21/2/24 and we recommend that all you make the time to attend one. These shed meetings are good value and represent an excellent source of knowledge exchange and networking opportunities with your fellow growers and

industry representatives from BPS and SRA. Topics include; productivity reports, variety trial data, management of wild sorghum and itch grass, an update on imidacloprid and irrigation management and technology. Just a reminder for growers who are wanting to change harvesting groups for the 2024 season. Wilmar have put the application forms up on GrowerWeb for growers to complete and these need to be lodged with Wilmar by 28/2/24. Please let your logistics officer know of your intentions as soon as possible so that they can raise any issues with you. It’s going to be a busy process for the upcoming season, as there are a number of groups who have retired or shut up shop after

the 2023 season and it may not be that straightforward to find a new harvesting group if they are already at full capacity. The application forms are available in our office if you need them. The QCA were organising further workshops for the 2025-2029 irrigation price path review which were due to be held on 30/1/24 at Clare and Giru and CBL were intending on having representatives attend one of these sessions with submissions due in by 29/2/24. It’s Local Government Election time again and the Qld Electoral Commission was due to advise of a notice of election on 29/1/24. This then opens up candidate nominations which need to be in by 13/2/24. ‣

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

Voting day has been earmarked for 16/3/24 and it would be good to see some growers nominate for the election to the Burdekin Shire Council as the industry needs ongoing grower influence within local Government to further enhance the continued development of the local sugarcane industry which is the lifeblood of the Burdekin community. Issues

that require ongoing focus are the curtailment of rates on sugarcane land which in the Burdekin are the most expensive in the State and support for industry diversification for new product opportunities in the bioeconomy, which is gradually gaining momentum. The 2024 season prospects for the Burdekin sugarcane industry

look very bright with the crop looking good and global sugar prices still at high levels. All we need is to ensure that Wilmar put the effort into the factories over the maintenance season as mill performance is critical in getting the crop off in November at the latest. Given that we are looking at a big crop for 2024, it is essential that the crop estimate is as accurate

as it can be, so please ensure that your farm maps are correct and the estimate is realistic as these numbers all aggregate up in the system which then sets budgets, season length, start and finish dates and bin allocations. Please contact this office for follow-up assistance if maps and estimates are not updated by Wilmar and all the best for 2024.

PROSERPINE The 2024 crop had a generally good start following the 2023 crush with sporadic rains falling over December and early January, this despite early warnings of a hot and dry summer.

Although too early for a call on the preliminary estimate, a good crop would be welcome with favourable pricing expected for the coming season despite it withdrawing from 40-year highs of the previous year.

Receiving close to long-term average December rains, good downpours in early January and excellent growing temperatures, conditions have ensured a good start for a reasonable crop. However, this would largely depend on the ensuing summer and initial autumn rains.

With milling staff beginning to return from a well-deserved break, the repairs and maintenance program will likely be back to full swing by mid to late February. It is hoped that with an anticipated higher budget and more time available for the maintenance

program, milling performance can continue to improve when reflecting on the challenges of the 2022 season. Both CANEGROWERS Proserpine and Sugar Services Proserpine resumed business on 8 January and look forward to supporting growers both prior and during the upcoming season.

Kelsey Creek paddock on 10 January 2024 following good showers

MACKAY & PLANE CREEK With the shift out of harvest season, CANEGROWERS Mackay is now focusing on training offerings and prep for the 2024 harvest. Two Chemical Accreditation courses have been filled for February. Additional courses will be scheduled based on demand, so please contact reception (4944 2600) to

express your interest. Likewise, Pilot/Escort courses are scheduled on demand, so get your EOIs in. Staff are also starting to work towards the annual haulout training courses to be held April/ May. This is an important part of the labour recruitment campaign held for members across the region to attract harvest labour from within and outside the region.

Mackay, shortly followed by Plane Creek were the last districts in Queensland to finish the crush. With there being significantly fewer in-harvest rain events across 2023, this leaves the late finish as a result of mainly mill performance issues. In the case of Plane Creek, there was an atrocious mill availability of 79%. Area committees will continue to firmly address this issue and its impact on grower profitability and industry viability.

Wilmar Plane Creek processed the last of growers’ cane in the early hours of 29 December, following a 29-week crush, and with some 1117 ha of crop unharvested. 1.3Mt was harvested across 2023, short of an original estimate of 1.54Mt. Mackay Sugar had a staggered finish, with Racecourse and Farleigh Mills tipping their last bins on the morning of 22 December, and Marian ‣

36 running its last through the rollers early on Christmas morning. 5.15Mt of cane was harvested over the 30week crush, which the miller estimates to be 99% of the crop. Original season estimate for Mackay’s 2023 crop was 5.34 Mt.

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

Any growers requiring assistance with any issues are encouraged to call 4944 2600 to get the ball rolling on a solution. Keep an eye on our Facebook page, The Billet and weekly District Manager Updates for emerging training and industry opportunities.

Tranquillity after the harvest—cane and mixed species fallow on the McFarlane farm at Kuttabul

his 50th Anniversary working with Bundaberg Sugar Services Limited (formally the Bundaberg Cane Protection Productivity Board). If you see Michael out in the field, please congratulate him on his extensive service to the Bundaberg Sugar Industry.

downstream from the existing wall on the Burnett River to ensure a safe, secure water supply for the Bundaberg region. This comes after unexpected new issues were identified with the long-term strength and quality of Paradise Dam’s concrete used in its construction.

It was recently announced that Sunwater is planning for a new Paradise Dam wall, 70m

Bundaberg CANEGROWERS will continue to represent growers on the Paradise Dam

giving growers a nice break from watering. Of course, these conditions have meant growers are concentrating their efforts on keeping on top of the weeds.

shock to the district. Chairman Mark Mammino called for Sunwater to provide us with a rebuild timeline and to confirm the maintenance of water security will not be affected.

BUNDABERG Some good rainfall was received over the Christmas / New Year period and hopefully this is the beginning of a season that delivers good prices, good yields and high CCS. Congratulations to Michael Turner, Field Officer with Bundaberg Sugar Services Limited who recently celebrated

Reference Group to ensure future water security. Tickets are now on sale for the Bundaberg Sugar Industry Dinner and 2023 Season Awards being held on Friday 8 March. Please call the office on 4151 2555 if you would like to book a ticket.

ISIS The Isis District has been blessed with good steamy growing weather and some solid but inconsistent follow-up rain. Most irrigators have been parked up since Christmas

The recent news of the Paradise Dam wall needing to be rebuilt rather than replaced came as a

We need to know when work will start and finish and what

measures Sunwater will put in place to ensure growers will have access to their water allocations during the rebuild. It’s important this happens very soon so growers can have the confidence to continue to invest in their farming business.

MARYBOROUGH Plenty of moisture about since Christmas, and the cane, soybeans, cotton and weeds have all been busy growing. It has definitely been wet all through the area and the amount

of sunlight is becoming the new concern. Weed control has been difficult due to limited access to blocks. The price for soybeans remain high and the efforts for this season look promising for a good return this year.

The district had an interesting enquiry from a company in Victoria wanting sugarcane for drinks from the southern growers. There is a small issue of biosecurity with commercial cane not to be transported below the Queensland Border

as noted in the Biosecurity Manual on the SRA website elibrary.sugarresearch.com.au. Movement of cane throughout the state has restrictions to where cane can be moved.

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

ROCKY POINT The Rocky Point season finished on 19 December 2023 with total tonnes crushed of 215,874 at a season average CCS of 13.48. Approximately 15% of the district was left as standover. Rocky Point growers achieved an estimated $761 per tonne of sugar (there may be some slight variation to this price in the wash up calculations).

The district experienced a rain/ flood event on 25 December and again from 31 December to 4 January 2024, which resulted in rainfall of up to 400mm across the district. We saw some severe flooding across the district due to the intense rainfall over such a short period of time and the drainage system struggled to cope. A lot of debris that floated off the fields (ie. trash and stubble), lodged at the upstream side

of culverts on the major roads throughout the district. Directors liaised with Council throughout this period to request the urgent removal of the debris, to assist water drainage. There are many growers who have suffered losses as a result of the cane being inundated for a number of days. We intend to calculate the losses once growers can access their farms.

Given that we have had rain and subsequent intermittent showers, the cane on higher ground has been loving the wet weather and warm conditions and has responded very well. We held our End of Year Function / Productivity Awards night on 21 December 2023, and some small awards were handed out for highest CCS, most consistent bin weight (no overloads) etc.

VALE GARY FACCIN The harvesting sector is remembering one of its stalwarts. Gary Faccin began working in the cane industry at the tender age of 15. Initially, he was building rail tracks and hand cutting cane, before becoming a harvester operator. He dedicated his life to cutting cane and the close-knit harvesting community in the Tully region. At the time of his recent death at the age of 72, Gary was well respected as a highly-skilled, passionate, hard-working veteran harvesting operator and manufacturer. “He was certainly a champion, without any doubt,” said CANEGROWERS Tully Chairman Bryce Macdonald. “The first word I think of when I think of Gary Faccin is innovation. For someone who had not much education he was very, very clever. He was modifying harvesters and haulout gear for the better all the time.”

Among Gary’s greatest harvesting innovations was a 6WD Bell Cane Transporter, which was aimed at dealing with harvesting in the wet— which is a given in Tully. When it came to harvesters, he loved his Camecos,

“He’d see a problem and fix it.” and modified the older models to match what the newer generation machines could achieve. And achieve he did, with his business Boar Creek Harvesting setting a Tully season record of 134,000 tonnes with a single harvester. Gary has also been remembered as a loyal, generous mate and mentor as well as a preeminent storyteller. Gary Faccin was a leader and innovator in the harvesting sector

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

MAN OF STEEL BY RENEE CLUFF AND LORETTA GILMORE

The sugarcane industry is mourning the death of engineer Hans Binder, whose legacy as an agricultural innovator lives on.

The HB Machinery brand is synonymous with the sugar industry, with the company’s distinctive, redpainted implements dotting cane farms across Australia and overseas. Hans Binder’s designs progressed the industry by improving the methods and tools used in daily farm management tasks, such as planting and fertilising. “Hans was an innovator for a long time, he had a lot of prototypes and developed a lot of implements which you can now find in plenty of sheds across the sugar industry,” CANEGROWERS Innisfail Chairman Joe Marano explained. “He established himself in Wangan, a suburb of Innisfail, and a lot of locals did their apprenticeships at HB Machinery.”

Top right: Hans Binder at work in 1999 Bottom right: Always hands on, Hans explains one of his earliest machines to a group of farmers and agriculturalists in the 1970s (Images courtesy of Josie Binder and family)

Hans’ mindset to ‘make what you don’t have’ was perhaps partly the product of experiences he endured in his formative years. Born in Austria in 1933, Hans was a teenager when WWII brought fear, food insecurity and societal fragility to his family’s hometown—and even the family home—in the mid-1940s.

A newspaper clipping advertising HB Machinery fertiliser boxes

In the years that followed, Hans dreamed of moving to a warm tropical island just like the protagonist in one of his favourite novels of the same name, Robinson Crusoe. Armed with qualifications as a fitter and turner, he did just that, arriving in Innisfail in 1957 and landing a job at the Boogan Implement Company. In 1960, just a few years after migrating, Hans started his own business. His first real breakthrough was a new cane planter, which

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

became known as the trash planter. It was designed alongside cane farmer Frank Zahra. The pair continued to collaborate on other implements, including the Zahra Cane Cleaner. In the 50 years he was in business, Hans designed and built a multitude of agricultural machines, including fertiliser boxes, stubble shavers, rippers, tipper bins and multipliers, but it was the billet planter which really landed him on the world stage in 1979. His implements were exported to almost every corner of the globe— the United States, China, Taiwan, Nicaragua, Columbia, Mexico and Africa, while a HB Machinery workshop was even established in the Philippines. At the business’s peak in the lucrative 1980s, Hans employed 36 people at the Wangan headquarters. Throughout his career, he put more than 50 young men through apprenticeships and employed hundreds of people from many walks of life. Hans was also a cane farmer, a dream realised at age 52 after he purchased land in the Silkwood area, north of Tully. In his sunset years, Hans Binder was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He died at the age of 90 late last year, from pneumonia and covid-19. Hans Binder is survived by his wife Josie, four children and eight grandchildren.

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the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

THE MANY BENEFITS OF CANEGROWERS Membership Engagement & Innovation BY MATT KEALLEY

CANEGROWERS is known and respected for its strong voice locally, nationally and internationally. Membership starts at the front door with the dedicated CANEGROWERS team working for you at one of the 13 district offices across Queensland and extends to the global arena where we represent your interests on policy, market access and trade. The collective voice of many farmers has a powerful impact and CANEGROWERS’ strength comes from its members. CANEGROWERS sole purpose is promoting the interests of sugarcane growers. This is done through grass roots representation by 85 elected directors and almost 100 dedicated professional staff from the district companies and Queensland Cane Growers Organisation (QCGO) in Brisbane. This collective voice, the dedication of our staff and leadership by the elected representatives has delivered significant outcomes for members, growers and the industry. Milestones such as the completion of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement which has opened up a market that has been closed for 50 years; a decade of backing to Smartcane BMP that has supported the accreditation of 164,000 hectares of cane which strengthens farm productivity, sustainability credentials and market access; and work to implement the Sugar Plus—bioenergy roadmap through engagement with the Queensland Government on sustainable aviation fuels and diversification. We are investing in our future leaders through CANEGROWERS mentoring program Next Ratoon. We are providing tools and programs such as Business Essentials to support cost of production and succession planning; engaging with schools by developing sugarcane-centric curriculum and ensuring our farm vehicles can safely travel on Queensland roads. CANEGROWERS is also tackling the challenging issues such as biosecurity, chemical reviews, diversification, energy, fertiliser costs, fire ants, feral pigs, mill reliability, rat damage, reef regulations, skills shortages, sugar terminals,

sustainability and water quality. We have access to advisors and Australian Government Departments, Director Generals, Premiers and Prime Ministers. We also partner with Queensland Farmers’ Federation and the National Farmers’ Federation to enhance our advocacy. We are also on the ground in times of need. Working closely with growers and government to help support our members recover from fires, cyclones and floods through insurance and disaster recovery funding.

We are working to grow your business and grow your industry. CANEGROWERS does this by providing strong advocacy and representation, products and services, industry leadership and collaboration, professional development and training and effective communications. The direction, focus and outcomes delivered by CANEGROWERS are not by chance. They come from planning, sustained effort and engagement on issues informed by research, industry strategic documents and the QCGO strategic plan, which in turn is supported by direction from the QCGO Board and Policy Council underpinned by the work done in the districts and by the QCGO committees and staff.

What does CANEGROWERS do for me? It’s good to ask the question “what does CANEGROWERS do for me?” as the value that you get from your membership is compelling: We work on the problems affecting your business We offer products and services to support your business We providing information and insight on the industry We provide opportunities to support your business and your professional development We offer a place to belong and engage with the cane growing community

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

How does CANEGROWERS support my business? The best way that CANEGROWERS can support your business needs is to work with you on what is most important and understand the risks and opportunities. It could be improving productivity, managing your business costs or getting permits to undertake farm operations. Knowing your needs allows CANEGROWERS to support your business and provides value.

Our strong membership drives CANEGROWERS success, ongoing influence and impact. Membership is built around a strong value proposition that offers you exceptional products, services, benefits and advocacy that you can’t get anywhere else. Below is a snapshot of some of the advocacy, products, services and benefits CANEGROWERS offer.

Local

State

Cane Supply Agreements

Australian Canegrower magazine

Cane analysis auditors

Inputs—water, electricity, chemicals & fertilizer

Crop insurance & CANEGROWERS insurance

Membership benefits

Fire permits & cane burning

Sugar Plus—diversification

Legal services

Smartcane BMP

Marketing Information Services

Transport

Pests: fire ants, pigs and rats

Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF)

WORKING FOR YOU:

Disaster Recovery: CANEGROWERS is working with government and District offices to support growers impacted by cyclone and flooding to access funding to help with clean-up.

Business Essentials program: provides hands-on tools for growers through workshops on farm planning and budgeting, sugar pricing and succession planning starting in February.

National

International

Australian Cane Growers’ Council (ACGC)

Free Trade Agreements

Biosecurity

Global Sugar Alliance

National Farmers Federation (NFF)

Sustainably sourced sugar

Plant Health Australia (PHA)

Trade and market access

Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA)

US Quota

Workforce development

World Association of Beet and Cane Growers (WABCG)

GROWING YOUR INDUSTRY:

Education: CANEGROWERS is developing an education portfolio that includes school resources for Years 5-8, 9-10 and 11&12. CANEGROWERS engages in activities that promote the industry through school visits and Agricultural shows.

Australia-UK FTA: CANEGROWERS worked with the Australian Government and Tate & Lyle sugar in the UK to secure support and the passage of this Free Trade Agreement which has lead to the delivery of 73,000 tonnes of sugar so far.

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

GOOD BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND STRONG COLLECTIVE ACTION FOR SUCCESS Industry & Farm Inputs BY BURN ASHBURNER

CANEGROWERS does a lot for growers which they may not be aware of in their day to day lives. This includes trying to steer the industry in a strategic direction to ensure that growers businesses survive and thrive. Clearly this is a challenging task. It takes choosing a direction based on a mass of information including world trends and then trying to influence governments, the sugar industry value chain, other grower collectives and more importantly grower members that this is the right direction. It entails predicting the future based on the best knowledge we have today and as we all know this is fraught with risks. Remember the recent major disruptions with COVID causing significant workforce shortages and the Ukraine Russian war sending fertiliser prices through the roof. An example is the strategic vision about 15 years ago (maybe more) that sustainably grown sugar would be demanded on the world market. This, in part (Reef regulations were a major factor), led to the development of Smartcane BMP which at the time of its inception was not popular with many growers. Even the CANEGROWERS Policy Council members (Board members in those days) were split on the issue because of the pushback from growers. There was very little if any support from marketers (millers or QSL). Fast forward 15 years and we have now accessed the UK market with two ship loads of sustainably grown sugar based on Smartcane BMP accreditation. There are still groups who knock Smartcane BMP but I have not heard anything constructive as to an alternative. Growers may not fully appreciate what CANEGROWERS does, and has done for many years to assist in making sure growers maximise the sugar price and get paid. For example, advocating for sugar in trade agreements, securing a US quota, monitoring the cane payment system and cane analysis auditing in the Cane Supply Agreements, ensuring the cane analysis auditors are functioning well and ensuring that grower choice in marketing is maintained. It is

difficult to quantify exactly how much these issues affect the sugar price, but they are things that we could not do without a strong CANEGROWERS. I find that it is a symptom of CANEGROWERS success that there are other collectives who can exist, with essentially a regional focus, by taking for granted that CANEGROWERS will continue to be a strong organisation with achievements which benefit all growers and indeed the whole industry. I think the other grower collectives would be a bit like the dog catching the bus if CANEGROWERS, with all their corporate knowledge accumulated and passed on over many years, disappeared. So far, this article has been about the CANEGROWERS big picture issues which are all done in the best interest of cane growers and their businesses. The other end of the scale is how well individual growers run their businesses. No matter what CANEGROWERS does it is up to the individual business to have the management skills to put it all together. It can be very deflating for me at CANEGROWERS when a grower has no budget, no idea of their costs of production, no risk plan (e.g. future pricing of sugar), no business or succession plan and may not even know what their yield is in terms of tonnes cane per ha. These are things that each individual grower business can do to help themselves. To this end each individual cane growing business needs to have the opportunity to be empowered to manage their business effectively. CANEGROWERS has developed the Business Essentials program to do just this. Business Essentials workshops provide tools for genuine farm management in terms of a budget, a process of risk assessment and a process to get a good handle on sugar pricing. This can then all be put into a business plan which will assist in discussions with your family, partners, accountant, bank manager, agronomist and/or solicitor. Hopefully, a combination of good individual business management and collective action through CANEGROWERS will continue to see the industry survive and thrive.

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

CHLORPYRIFOS REVIEW FIRST OF SEVERAL TO AFFECT AGRICULTURE Sustainability & Environment BY MICK QUIRK

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has recently released its findings from a review of chlorpyrifos, an insecticide used in most agricultural industries including sugarcane. Such a review is instigated by the APVMA if they become aware of new evidence that suggests a change in the risks of a particular active ingredient to human health, the environment, animal or crop safety, or trade. A review of an active ingredient leads to a regulatory decision of whether to support the ongoing registration of an agricultural (or veterinary) chemical, with or without changes to the Label conditions for its use. In the case of chlorpyrifos, the review found that the risk to human health and the environment from its use in agriculture was not acceptable under current Label conditions and, importantly, that the risk could not be adequately addressed by simply changing the label conditions. Therefore, the APVMA has proposed that the use of products containing chlorpyrifos in cropping and other plant industries will no longer be approved. There is now a period of public consultation on this proposed decision which closes during March 2024. This invites submission of relevant scientific information relevant to the decision that may not have been available to the APVMA. CANEGROWERS is working with SRA to identify the effectiveness and cost of alternative registered products for growers, and the need to apply for off-Label permits so that growers have timely access to useful alternatives. If the decision proceeds, the APVMA will look at a transition period so that farmers can manage the loss of the chlorpyrifos option without risking crop damage. While such decisions can cause inconvenience and some additional costs for farmers, it is important to recognise the

value in having the APVMA to undertake such evaluations and decisions based on scientific evidence. Agriculture’s ongoing access to export markets, and its formidable reputation with the Australian community, relies on having an independent and credible regulator of chemical use.

Other relevant reviews are underway Several other chemical reviews relevant to sugarcane are due to report in the next 1 to 2 years. For example, proposed regulatory decisions for paraquat and the insecticide, fipronil, are due in the middle of this year. A review of the Neonicotinoid chemical group, which includes imidacloprid and five other actives, has been underway since 2019, and the proposed regulatory decisions will be released for each individual active between August 2024 and June 2025. SRA has been evaluating alternatives for effective control of cane grubs since 2020, in case the use of imidacloprid in sugarcane is restricted. Active ingredients listed for reviews in the near future include dicamba, hexazinone and picloram, while fluroxypyr and glyphosate will have reviews that target spray drift risks. In all these cases, CANEGROWERS will work with SRA to ensure that, in the event of any restrictions on use, there are alternative control methods that are affordable, effective and safe.

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

LEGAL THINGS TO THINK ABOUT PRE SEASON CANEGROWERS Legal Advisor BY CHRIS COOPER

The 2024 crushing season is not that far off and regrettably for some growers the 2023 season is not that far behind. Business generally is in some ways becoming more complicated and small businesses such as cane farming are spending more time in the office than outside on the farm. A successful Burdekin grower did tell me once though that he made more money in the office than on the tractor. Let’s look at some of the legal issues that growers might like to think about before the season starts. Cane Supply Agreement Every grower must have a signed cane supply agreement (CSA) with the mill owner to be able to supply cane. The CSA is the most important contract for growers and covers all matters related to the grouping, harvesting and delivery of cane by the grower and the transport, crushing and payment or GEI sugar allocation by the mill owner. Take time to read the contract and generally understand its provisions. The CSA has been developed by grower elected representatives in discussion, negotiation and sometimes arbitration with the mill owner. Any questions about the CSA can be raised with your local CANEGROWERS office or contact me directly.

Delivery Points These are the places where growers deliver cane to the mill owner. They might be a rail siding or a road transport dump point. These points are important because it is at these points that the mill owner takes legal responsibility for the cane and assumes the risks and costs of transporting the cane to the mill. Most CSAs specify that the delivery point for a grower is the same as in the previous season unless altered by mutual agreement with the mill owner. Grouping matters For transport and harvesting efficiency purposes growers are usually grouped together in various tonnage size groups. Often, these groups are serviced by a single harvesting contractor. The mill will allocate allotments of cane bins to the group, and it is then up to each group to determine the sequence and rotation of harvesting of each grower within the group. Changes in groups are provided for in the CSA but there are specific time frames around requests for change and a process is set out in the CSA to deal with grouping matters.

FEBRUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 2

Employment arrangements If growers are contemplating employing workers in the upcoming season, please review recent changes to workplace laws and seek further advice and assistance from the local CANEGROWERS office.

Harvesting contractor

There are new rules and administrative requirements around engaging seasonal workers including the obligation to provide a new worker on a seasonal or fixed term contract a with a Fixed Term information Statement.

It is usually up to each grower to engage a harvesting contractor if they do not want to cut their own cane. Upcoming legal arrangements with a contractor might include negotiating any review of the harvesting rate and any other terms and conditions. Changing contractors is possible but the terms of any existing contract with the current contractor would need to be considered along with any potential changes to grouping and delivery point arrangements. Grower Pricing Growers should review their grower pricing arrangements and nominations and ensure all is in order for the upcoming season. Some cut off dates for nominations may apply. For specific advice around pricing and sugar marketing matters refer to your own sugar marketer.

This article contains general advice only. The particular facts and circumstances of each case always need to be taken into account. For further free advice and information about this topic or other legal matters, members should contact their local CANEGROWERS office or please contact CANEGROWERS Legal Adviser, Chris Cooper on Free Call 1800 177 159.

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CLASSIFIEDS FIRST 5 LINES FREE* FOR CANEGROWERS MEMBERS! Book online 24/7 at www.canegrowers.com au

or email us at ads@canegrowers.com.au Next deadline is 21 February 2024 MOSSMAN—TULLY Heavy Duty two tines (legs) to suit Rotary hoe $1,000 incl GST. Ph: 0438 988 858. 2022 Case 9900 Cane Harvester. Ph: Craig 0436 332 044. R tank, many more extas. Phone for more details. Ph: Craig 0436 332 044. Liquid Fertiliser applicator croplands rate controler, adjustable centres and new pump. Ph: Craig 0436 332 044. Service unit/fuel tanker, flat 115-90 4wd tactor set up with hitch & brakes. 4500L diesel fuel tank. 2000L aluminium water tank, many more extas. Phone for more details. Ph: Craig 0436 332 044. Valley centre pivot 8 span all running gear tyres & rims $1,000 each, gear boxes $750 each, electrical motors & gear box $1,000 each, 6 Irvin legs make an offer, 2x Torsion axles V-shape 2200 kg $500 each. Ph: John 0418 198 177. Bonel whole stick harvester / Double fan cane stripper / Four trailers. Ph: 07 4056 1742. 1956 International Super AMD Tricycle Tractor— good condition—Tully Mill Area—$3,000 ONO. Ph: 0428 850 214. 2 x 480/70R34 tractor tyres. 5 years old. 95% rubber. 1 tyre needs minor repair. $1,000 (inc GST) for both tyres. Ph: 0408 728 072 (Tully).

* As a FREE service to CANEGROWERS members, Australian Canegrower will print suitable classified advertisements UP TO 5 LINES FREE, FOR ONE ISSUE ONLY. A charge of $5. 50 will apply for each extra line or part thereof. A charge will apply for advertising of non-cane growing activities. Advertisements must relate exclusively to cane farming activities, such as farm machinery, etc. Advertisements from non-members are charged at $11 per line incl GST. Only prepaid ads will be accepted.

Great Plains 6m 3PL planter, currently set up for zonal planting however have all units for solid planting, $25,000 + GST. Hodge 5.5m (18ft) roller, has done little work since purchased new in 2016, $12,000 + GST. Gason VHD 10ft twin rotor slasher, centre mount, square back, $12,000 + GST. Ph: Peter 0427 976 416.

2012 Case 8800 fulltrack cane harvester fitted with Trimble GPS and new walking gear. All in good condition. Near new 6t side tipper. Mulgrave area. Ph: 0407 160 673.

Hydraulic Spraying Machine—High Rise Diesel Motor, 1600 litre stainless steel tank $25,000 + GST. Ph: Tim 0428 183 307.

2018 Case 8810 Harvester. Ph: Craig 0436 332 044.

Tatu heavy duty 25 plate offset 2021 model new condition. Ph: 0439 965 921.

1 of 2021 Case Puma 225 Cut with 16T GTB Razor Tippers All Articulated units. Ph: Craig 0436 332 044.

Toft 6000 harvester $20k Liquaforce 5 row applicator $25k stainless steel 25000L tanker on tandem axle trailer $15k 10 tonne side tipper $12k kubota 8580 $22k grubbers ploughs plus more call Rodney. Ph: 0429 984 920. Farm clearance sale ... all machinery in good working order all reasonable offers considered. 2 x 90” Howard rotary hoes. Fiat 640 Hi Clearance 32”3400 hrs, Hardi 600L sprayer 5 row boom +4 irvine spider legs. 3 row plant cane cleaner, Ford 4500 loader backhoe + 1t bag boom + tree trim cage. New Holland TS125A 125hp 4x4 16 speed ps 11800hrs. Trailed 4T MSW 3 row stainless steel fertilizer bow with stool splitters or drop on top. John Deere 3130, Superior 8 ft galvanised Hd slasher, 2x 20.8 x38 tyres (30%), rims, centres & weights to suit ford or new holland axle, 900L cropland spray tank. Ph: 0437 504 272. Celli rotary hoe 90 inch $5,500. 2 implement rollers each $100. 1000 litre plus fuel tank on stand $1,100. Single row fertiliser box stool splitter $400. 186 Ross Road Deeral. Ph: 0412 968 434. Hodge Bulk bag lifter—$700 (plus GST). Ph: 0439 965 921.

USED/NEW MACHINERY FOR SALE SECONDHAND 8970 JOHN DEERE TRACTOR NEW CYCLONE SLASHER/MULCHER All machines located in Ingham. DIESEL FITTER POSITION AVAILABLE PARTS MANAGER POSITION AVAILABLE Contact us via phone or email for further information. SNG Machinery Sales

90 Origlasso St, Ingham

07 4776 6003 (Parts) 07 4776 1066 (Sales) admin@sngmachinerysales.com www.sngromano.net.au

Olympic 20.8.42 65% $500+ GST; front end loader with 4 in 1 bucket, blasted and 2pac painted, resembling required $4500+GST. Ph: 0437 434 280. Kubota Zero Turn ZG 222 with Catcher 48” cut, Fiat 980 2WD-3,500hrs, Fiat 1000 2WD—5,000hrs, John Deere 4040 2WD—3,600hrs, Chamberlain JD 4080 2 WD—5,000hrs, Case 2590 2WD—5,700hrs, Michigan 110-14 Elevator Scraper—new engine & spare engine, D Massey Ferguson 3635 4WD—5,500hrs, 6tonne tipper bin, Silvan Euro Spand CX2 Spreader, Portable bulk bin, Bunning Lowlander Mk 40-60 Ag Spreader(near new), complete tracks to suit cane harvester, half tracks to suit cane harvester, and fuel trailer tank. Mulgrave Area. Ph: 0407 160 673. Rotocult 1 shot cultivator $7,000 ONO + GST. Ph: 0149 988 158.

2022 Case 9900 Harvester. Ph: Craig 0436 332 044.

International 866 Tractor $11,000, 1,000 Litre plus Diesel Tank on Stand $1,800, 2 Ripper Coulter’s each $1,900, Single Fertiliser Box Stool Splitter $700, Implement Rollers Each $200, 3 Row Scratcher $700, Line Marker $500, 186 Ross Road Deeral. Ph: 0412 968 434. Babinda area—2006 Case 7700 Track Harvester. 10.3Lt Iveco Motor 3,500hrs. Very good condition. Ph: 0467 198 700. AH: 4067 1498. Multi-Weeder $350; Cane Drill Marker $250; Silvan 600L Water Tank $300. Ph: 07 4065 2165. Howard 80 inch Ripper Rotary (new blades & new ripper tips) $3,300. GST incl. 2 x second hand Tractor tyres. 20.8 38 8 ply $100 ea. GST incl. Ph. 0438 988 858. Silkwood Implements whole Stick plant cutter with topper $5,000 Includes GST. Ph: Ron 0407 667 819. Quantity of used Harvester track plates—curved and flat Ph: Ron 0407 667 819. 2015 Case 280 Magnum Ultimate 1750 hrs— equipped with Case Trimble FMX 1000 GPS $300,000 includes GST. Ph: Ron 0407 667 819. Kubota M9540 4850 Hrs G/C $38,000 + GST. Two Ford 5000 articulated tractors coupled to 4 t side tippers $10,000 each + GST. One Ford 5000 tractor $8,000 + GST. Ph: Jamie 0427 089 009.

HERBERT RIVER—BURDEKIN Fiat 411R, good order, 1Mt clearance, $5000 neg. 9ft roller, heavy frame $250 neg. Ph: Troy 0419 477 284. Holden RG Colorado 4x4 Space Cab Ute. 2015 model. White. 6sp Manual. Alloy Tray, Bullbar, Tow Bar, Redarc “In-car” Electric Brake Controller, Anderson Plug, Neoprene Seat Covers. VGC. $25,500. Ph: 0427 550 721.

47 Single row Scuderi Fert box mounted on 6 Leg Grubber. Good working order. $250 incl GST. Single row HBM upright stick planter. Working order. $200 incl GST. Ph: 0431 458 850. 1997 Fiat Agri Genius 190. Good condition, one owner, Hyd toplink, hubs for dwels—5,200 Hrs. Ph: 0419 666 544. 3-5 International Disc harrow 28 Plate Ph: 0408 889 446. 6 x 1 1/4” Coil Tynes Suit 2 1/2” bar. $200 inc gst, 2 x 1 1/4” Ripper legs. $100 inc GST. Ph: 0431 458 850. 1996 Fiat 130 with 80 inch Kuhn Rotary Hoe. Under 2000 hours. $45,000 + GST for both. Ph: 0427 337 929. 2015 Austoft 8800 harvester. Good condition. Ph: 0499 888 919 or 0429 989 502.

MACKAY—PROSERPINE MF105 Cane Harvester good condition, always kept in shed. $3,500 plus GST. Ph: 0427 756 564. 2017 Case IH Puma 140—Fully unlocked AFS GPS, Fully unlocked Isobus Control, 2200 hrs, tractor in VGC, only selling due to upgrade, arriving soon. $140,000 neg. Ph: Peter 0409 221 601. 1997 Case Top Track Harvester Komatsu Engine, big hours, good D5 tracks $33,000. Contact Ambrose. Ph: 0428 475 226. Fuel tank—2 thousand litres with stand, bottom fill. $1,500 plus GST. Ph: 0418 185 663. Suzuki LT-F 300F $1,100 60HP Western Electric Motor, Foot & Flange $2,750. Ph: 0417 158 656. For sale ready in January. 2007 3510 wheelie. Recon 9lt engine new intercooler recent turbo. Chopper box base cutter box has done 40000 since rebuilt widen fronts. Fire suspension system 10 blade ifit drums. All work done by Sammits harvesters in Mackay. $165,000 2014 3520 tracky basecutter and chopper box done 20,000 ton since done up tracks in good condition 10 blade ifit drums all work done by sammits harvesters. Fire suspension system. Aprox 6000 engines hours and 11,000 frame hours widen fronts. $195,000 Claas 640 arion with 10ton Toft elevator bin 7,000 tractor hours. $55,000 Case mx120 with 9ton Toft elevator bin aprox 6,000 tractor hours $55000. T-line twin steer with 14ton Carter bin 600 rear tyres $75,000. Call or msg 0400 794 857. Double Row McLeod fertiliser box with various sprockets for various applications. Ph: 0417 612 883 for price. 6 Tonne side tipper Farview Engineering. Ph: 0407 761 364.

2020 Case Maxxum 135 CVX Premium, 50kph Fully factory optioned, Front 3PT linkage, 4 electric remotes, New One Lift 60 Challenge Loader with 4 in 1 bucket and forks, New Trimble GFX1260 GPS 3120hrs 160k+GST. Ph: 0427 678 572. Bonel Plant Cutter for sale GC $450. Ph: 0428 782 202.

AR 50” Rotary Hoe, fully reconditioned. HR 42 120” Rotary Hoe, fully reconditioned. Ph: 0407 643 441 for price. GPS Autosteer kits, can be fitted to any tractor, FJ Dynamics brand, $12,000 inc GST. Ph: 0401 847 162. Massey Ferguson harvester 102 base cutter box. Ph: 4954 1174 for price.

Krone 1500 Vario pack baler $16,500. Krone mower 2.8m easy cut flail $36,000 as new. Ph: 0447 461 132.

Elevator chains for 102. Ph: 4954 1174 for price.

Rainfall Repor t

Brought to you by

RECORDED RAINFALL (mm) LOCATION

Month prior (Dec 2023)

Month to date (1 Jan–21 Jan)

Year to date 2024

Year to date 2023

Whyanbeel Valley (Mossman)

2137.8

773.4

744.6

Mareeba Airport

626.2

333.2

4.4

Cairns Aero

617

361.6

393.6

Mt Sophia

1215

151

565

Babinda Post Office

856.3

499.2

657.9

Innisfail

615.2

566.8

539.8

Tully Sugar Mill

684.2

583.2

557.6

Cardwell Marine Pde

379.5

520.8

438.2

Lucinda Township

163.4

306

507

Ingham Composite

315.8

456.6

500

Abergowrie Alert

282

161

307

Townsville Aero

111.6

203

410.6

Ayr DPI Research Stn

83.6

144.8

584.4

Proserpine Airport

952.6

Mirani Mary Street

157.4

278

700.6

Mackay MO

180.4

79.6

677.8

Plane Creek Sugar Mill

754.8

Bundaberg Aero

168.6

88.2

Childers South

233.4

143.8

Maryborough

180.4

147.4

101.4

Tewantin RSL Park

156

332

48.4

Eumundi—Crescent Rd

37.4

Nambour DPI—Hillside

266.4

298.8

126.1

Logan City Water Treatment Plant

119

72.6

Murwillumbah Bray Park

638.5

63.8

Ballina Airport

37.6

263.2

72.6

New Italy (Woodburn)

110

140.4

Zero indicates either no rain or no report was sent. These rainfall figures are subject to verification and may be updated later. Weather forecasts, radar and satellite images and other information for the farming community can be accessed on www.bom.gov.au. Weather report sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology Recent Rainfall Tables.

CLASSIFIEDS

7T Tractor 200 auto command, super steer, GPS ready, 5549 hours, great condition, farm work only. $110,000. Ph: 0427 503 738. Rover 52 inch mower, zero turn, Kawasaki motor, 19 horsepower. $4,000. Ph: 0427 503 738.

12t self-propelled 6x6 elev infielder. VGC. Mackay. Ph: 0438 606 578. 6t side tipper on Leyland tandem. GC. Mackay. Ph: 0438 606 578.

3 Point Linkage Cane Topper. Ph: 0417 542 783 for price.

Massey Ferguson 8110 4-wheel drive with cab, 135hp, only 2,636 hours in good condition. $55,000 incl GST. Ph: 0438 606 578.

Pegoraro 120 inch rotary hoe in good condition. Ph: 0417 542 783 for price.

BUNDABERG—ROCKY POINT

4000 litres of 50/50 diesel/petrol mix suitable for firebug burners or parts washing. Ph: 0411 196 860. Southern cross LAH 7 stage turbine pump. Ph: 0407 595 218. Water meter never used Siemens brand (no before or after the meter pipework required) 150mm Flanged, Table D/E Ph: 0411 196 860. 6 and 8 inch cast iron flanged Gate Valves. New never used. Ph: 0411 196 860. 1973 Ford 5,000 2wd with 4ton Newton side tipper $11,000 +GST .3m niemeyer nr1411 Power Harrows $5,600 + GST. Ph: 0437 184 822. 2 fan stripper $500. Moller single chain planter $4,000. Roberts 6T goose neck trailer $5,000. Grubber & box $300. Hodge upright planter $3,000. Ph: 0408 776 336 OR 4959 1765 after 7pm. Celli Tiger spike hoe, 2.5m wide with hydraulic crumble roller and oil cooler. VGC. Mackay. Ph: 0438 606 578. Don Mizzi 741 model on Fiat 750 special turbo plus MF102 half-tracks to suit. Mackay. Ph: 0438 606 578.

SUPPLIER OF AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST AGRICULTURAL DRONE

BROUAV D72L-8

▪ Pay load 72Kg ▪ Spray 2Ha in 5min, 10m Swathe ▪ Spreading 15m swathe $55,000 includes: ▪ 8 x batteries ▪ 2 x chargers ▪ spreader

▪ spare blades ▪ spare water pump

Delivery included

CONTACT SHANE MOYLAN 0417 910 395 agspraydrone@gmail.com www.agspraydrones.com.au

Quinco side dresser fert box, Bonel side dresser fert box, Croplands boom sprayer, Bonel plant cutter, Don stick planter, 3 row folding cultivator frame, 3 row plant cutaway, 5 row plant marker 1.8 ctrs. Ph: 0473 989 961. FALC 3600 RU Rotary hoe with twin bed formers, was set up for strawberries. Selling now as surplus to needs. $25,000 + GST Ph: 0447 714 015. Howard HR100 inch Rotary, Napier 24 plate offset discs, Yeoman 11 tyne chisel plough and other excess equipment. Ph: 0417 617 084. No Till Vacuum planter fitted with disc openers and John Deere planter boxs, will plant 3rows at 2 x 400mm at 1.6 m centers, has water tanks for inoculant, row widths can be adjusted. Soybean plates included. $16,500 incl GST. Ph: Alan 0409 632 656. 2011 John Deere 3520 wheel cane harvester, very tidy machine. Ph: 0413 584 728. Gessner 2 row bed former. Excellent condition, always shedded, no further use $17,000 ONO. Ph: 0422 118 466.

WANTED WTB—4.5’’ Layflat hose in good condition. 200250 metres. Ph: 0419 952 119. 3-row stool splitter Confidor Applicator in good condition. Mulgrave area. Ph: 0415 386 322. New Holland 8970 Tractor suitable for wrecking. Contact 0419 710 280 or tctownley@bigpond.com. Trailco TP 125 Hard Hose Irrigator or larger. Contact 0419 710 280 or tctownley@bigpond.com. All panels for Fiat 780. Ph: 0438 421 217. Mackay / Sarina area. 1x Ford 6600 or Ford 7600 two-wheel drive tractor. Ph: 0439 591 455. Trailer with side tippers suitable for billet planter. Ph: 0448 482 213 before 7pm. 6 FT 3 Point linkage grader blade in reasonable condition. Ph: 0478 228 375. Area Bundaberg. Trailer with side tippers suitable for billet planter (Mossman-Tully). Ph: 0448 482 213 before 7pm. WTB 11-12ft roller—Herbert Rover area. Ph: 4776 1386. Chasing some unwanted plow discs to use on a fire pit project. Ph: Simon 0448 744 013. Wanted—crumble roller to suit Howard HR40 90” rotary hoe or two 50cm steel depth wheels. Ph: Alan 0467 786 464.

MF165 H/C 212 Engine 8 Speed original 4225 HRS Remotes ROPs Canopy $12,500 inc GST. 2x Two Row 3PL Faun potato planters set up to lay trickle tape while planting $3,000 + GST each. 30 RJ Hydrant sealing caps, good condition $80.00 each. Two row potato harvester—Grimme D.L 1500—sorting table—canopy $40,000 + GST. Ph: 0427 597 363 or 0408 062 830.

Wanted hi-clearance spray tractor. Must be a trike and must have air con cab. Send photos and information to 0407 639 985.

New Holland T6070 Tractor, $185K neg Challenge FEL, Quad Remotes, excellent condition, 450 hrs. Ph: Justin 0415 626 715.

Wanted—Water tank trailer, about 5000 Litres. Ph: 0417 784 642.

Brand new Howard AH4000/255 2.5m Heavy Duty Rotary Hoe w/wheels $44k inc GST. Rocky Pt. Ph: Greg 0421 277 126. 2 x Single axle Hi lift tipper bins, one 8 tonne and another one 7 tonne $12,000 each plus GST. Ph: 0413 584 728. Plant cane cultivator 2 x 1.6m row w/ 3 weeder rakes and tines $2,200 incl GST, Land plane w/ 4m. hyd. tilt blade $4,400 incl GST, 2x1.6m. row cultivator w/ 10x 30ml. tines $2,200 incl GST .4 wheel trash rake $ 1650 incl. GST. Ph: 0408 761 463.

Wanted permanent purchase Lower Mary River Water Allocations on Mary River, Tinana Creek and Channel Pipeline sections of the scheme. Ph: 0427 930 696.

Wanted 6 Cylinder Turbo Cat Motor. Ph: 0417 193 385. WTB Tractor with FEL 100-140 HP up to $50k. NQLD Area. Ph: Peter 0427 760 449. Double 5 or 6 tonne side tipper with load sharing hitch. With or without tractor. Ph: 0418 379 253. 14 tonne elevator bin and tractor 50klm box or more. Preferably JCB. Ph: 0400 794 857. Wanted 2 X 2ND hand tractor tyres. 14.9—23 to suit Massey 35. Ph: Michael 0419 952 119.

WORKING TOGETHER

Growing your business | Growing your industry UNITED WE STAND For more than 90 years CANEGROWERS has represented the interests of the sugarcane farmers of Queensland. Through times of challenge and opportunity, CANEGROWERS has helped family farms and the whole industry to grow and prosper. CANEGROWERS is known and respected for its strong voice locally, nationally and internationally—the collective voice of many farmers has a powerful impact.

Australian Canegrower - February 2024

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