Australian Canegrower - January 2024 by CANEGROWERS

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF AUSTRALIA'S SUGARCANE INDUSTRY

January 2024 Price $16.00

FLOODING IMPACT REMAINS UNCLEAR Spicy solution to unwanted pests

Reaping the rewards

Behind the harvest in pics

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.

www.canegrowers.com.au

News briefs

Crush complete

Impact of TC Jasper in FNQ

CANEGROWERS webinars

CEO update

From the Chair

New premier brings industry experience

The 2023 harvest wrap-up

The full impact for the industry is yet to be seen

A new initiative in 2024 specifically tailored for growers

It’s January: will things be different?

The new year is a good time for reflection

Processing cane for a varity of products

Project Raw

Growing a champion crop

Regional round-up

Developing diversified product streams may be viable

Capturing the essence of the harvest with photography

For a Bundaberg family it’s all about farming practices

Policy updates

Legal updates

Classifieds

Rainfall report

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 Adrian Darveniza and youngest son Hamish inspect the deluge on their South Johnstone farm. Photo supplied by the Darveniza family. Read more on page 6

NEWS BRIEFS

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

NEW PREMIER BRINGS INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE There was a major shake-up in Queensland politics during December, with Annastacia Palaszczuk resigning after eight years as Queensland Premier and being replaced by Deputy Premier The Hon Steven Miles. It was a baptism of fire for Miles, who was sworn into office just days after ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper made landfall in far north Queensland, leaving thousands of people in coastal communities without power and bracing for unprecedented flooding (read more on pages 6-7). Miles has a long history of working interacting the cane industry, dating back from his time as Environment Minister, a position he held from 2015 to 2017 and more recent discussion as Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development. “As Environment Minister Miles took a very proactive and engaging approach to working with the industry,” CANEGROWERS CEO Dan Galligan said. “He attended a number of meetings with grower representatives, even addressing the Policy Council in 2017, where he signed a commitment to speak more positively and cooperatively about the industry. In reality we may not have always agreed on

FUTURE OF AIR TRAVEL IN SAF HANDS

CANEGROWERS has met with senior executives from Virgin Australia to asses the airlines ambitions in relation to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). It is clear that to meet the objectives in terms of emissions reduction and low emissions fuel airlines such as Virgin need access to reliable supply, ready to be put into their jets. The Queensland sugar industry is well placed to support the development of a domestic SAF industry and Virgin was keen to hear of the inroads the industry has made

Then-Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles signs a commitment to talk more positively about the sugarcane industry in 2017. Pictured with CANEGROWERS Director Joe Morano, CEO Dan Galligan, and former Chairman Paul Schembri.

issues of policy, but the new Premier has always “shown up” and been willing to talk to CANEGROWERS. Most recently doing so when addressing the Policy Council late last year to discuss Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Council rating practices: “I’m confident he will continue this sense of honest engagement in his new role and that he will support the industry’s desire to become an important part of Queensland’s emerging bioeconomy. I look forward to working with him in the months ahead.” Mr Galligan also thanked the outgoing Premier for her service over the past eight years. “It hasn’t always been an easy job, especially over the past few years since COVID hit, but Premier Palaszczuk has given it her all and particularly over the last two years shown a renewed interest in working with the industry. “Eight years is a long time in such a vital public service role, and she should be acknowledged for her commitment to the State. I wish her all the best for the future.” associated with the Sugar Plus road map and more recent analysis on the potential role the industry can play to meet demands of the aviation sector. Discussions focused on collaborating further on the policy needs that government must deliver on if the development of a SAF industry is to come to fruition. Further discussion between CANEGROWERS, Virgin and other partners will be planned for next year.

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

CRUSH COMPLETE By the time this edition of Australian Canegrower hits mailboxes the 2023 Queensland sugarcane crush will be done and dusted for another year, with Plane Creek the final district to cut-out for the season. Northern region mills crushed a little over 10 million tonnes of cane, with harvesting crews getting the entire crop off before Tropical Cyclone Jasper hit and wreaked havoc across the region. The Burdekin and Central Region both crushed around eight million tonnes of cane, while the Southern Region cut and crushed another two million tonnes. CANEGROWERS Chairman Owen Menkens said that while the season was an improvement on last year, when crushing ran into January for the first time ever, mill performance was still a major issue in some regions. “2022 was an aberration,” Mr Menkens said. “Crushing into January is unheard of in the industry, but we had a perfect storm of poor weather, poor mill performance, and worker shortages. “This year worker shortages weren’t as much of an issue, and the weather was kinder—at least until Jasper struck—but unfortunately, mill performance is still a huge issue in some areas. Rocky Point and Plane Creek are the most notable, but they are far from alone.”

While on paper the 2023 crush went smoothly, in reality most districts were managing a smaller crop than usual due to the late finish last year. “If we were dealing with a 30 million tonne crop, which wouldn’t be unusual in a normal year, we could find ourselves in a much different situation right now,” Mr Menkens said. “As it was, the crop was just over 28 million tonnes. This was due to the late finish last year, which left this year’s crop with less time to mature.” With the crush now complete, Mr Menkens called on mills to properly address their ongoing performance issues. “We are at a crossroads in the industry, where we want to evolve and become not just a world leader in the export of sustainably produced raw sugar, but also a major player in the emerging bioeconomy, but to achieve this we need our milling partners to play their part by investing adequately in their staff and infrastructure to ensure they are capable of crushing the crop inside the optimal window and possibly taking additional through-put as the industry expands to provide feedstock for the future bioeconomy.”

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

FAR NORTHERN DELUGE BY RENEE CLUFF

Six cane growing regions have been impacted by record-breaking flooding in the wake of ex Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Mossman, Cairns and Innisfail districts bore the brunt of last month’s rain event, with some areas recording more than two metres of rain in six days. Australian Canegrower spoke to Mossman CANEGROWERS Chairman Matthew Watson as the situation was still unfolding. “The caretaker at our farm in the Daintree had to be rescued,” he said. “The whole family was trapped on the roof of the house for six hours. My uncle in Lower Daintree was also trapped on his tractor. Lots of machinery has gone under and there is a lot of plant cane that has been washed out. We lost power, telephones and internet. All we had in terms of communication was the radio.” In Cairns, the water reached 40-percent higher than the flood levels of the previous record set in 1977. CANEGROWERS Cairns Chairman

Stephen Calcagno said the rain delivered extensive flooding to cane fields. “There has been a lot of young cane inundated,” he said. “It’s fair to say a lot of that young cane will be lost. We had that wet June to August so we couldn’t get the cane off in that period and that set us back about three months. There’s an ongoing impact now.” It was a similar situation further south. Innisfail CANEGROWERS chairman Joseph Marano said high rainfall totals in his district are not unusual, however the December event flooded areas that hadn’t been inundated before. “There’ll be losses across the district, but we can’t put a number on it yet,” he said. “We definitely won’t have a record crop in 2024.” Water also went through the Australian Sugar Heritage Centre at Mourilyan,

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

which houses the CANEGROWERS Innisfail office and the Australian Sugar Heritage Museum. “There are some places pretty bad off,” Joe said. “I think people were shocked by how high it came up. “But other districts are worse off than us.” At the time of going to print, miller MSF Sugar was still assessing impacts to its infrastructure, however its three factories in South Johnstone, Gordonvale and on the Tablelands were not damaged. South Johnstone Mill Manager Barry O’Brien said he hadn’t seen flooding like it before.

“We get a lot of floods, but this is the biggest I have seen” “Most of our damage will be around lines, washouts and debris on bridges but that’s all stuff that can be sorted out before the next season.” To a lesser extent, Tully, Herbert River and Tableland districts were also affected by the widespread rain event.

Left: Australian Sugar Heritage Museum (credit Carolyn Jones) Right (clockwise from top): Farmland around Innisfail Aloomba cane fields (credit Fergus Darveniza) The Darveniza family’s front yard (credit Darvenzia family) Matthew Watson’s Daintree farm (credit Charmaine Norris)

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

CANEGROWERS WEBINARS Join our exclusive CANEGROWERS webinars starting in 2024. In the ever-evolving landscape of agriculture, business and technology, staying ahead is not just an advantage—it’s a necessity. That’s why CANEGROWERS is thrilled to offer a series of webinars tailored to your sugarcane farming business.

CANEGROWERS 101 Whether you’re a seasoned grower or just starting out, our 101 themed webinars are designed to provide information and insight on topics relevant to your business.

Tech trends for tomorrow’s farms Discover the latest technological innovations transforming agriculture. From agtech to AI-driven analytics, the tech themed webinars will help demystify cutting-edge technologies and give you a glimpse of what’s here and what’s next.

Sustainable agriculture Sustainability is not just about the environment. Explore Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and sustainability drivers that are influencing sugar buyers and hear about the latest research and projects that may offer diversification opportunities for your business.

Over the next 12 months, CANEGROWERS will be providing webinars on topics such as Cane Supply Agreements, cane payment formula, sustainable aviation fuels and artificial intelligence. Stay tuned for more information and registration details for the first webinar in late January 2024.

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

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

IT’S JANUARY— TIME TO TAKE A BREATH? BY DAN GALLIGAN, CEO, CANEGROWERS

In reality the gap between Christmas and New Year is just a week. Yet almost everyone in the economy gallops towards the end of the year in a flurry to get everything done before this artificial deadline looms. The leveller in our need to complete tasks based on the calendar is the weather. Mother nature couldn’t care less what the calendar says, and the end of 2023 proved that in spades. When we saw a very early in the season cyclone cause not the usual mass destruction through wind but instead via the trailing devastating and relentless rainfall that smashed communities and industries across far north Queensland. For many this could feel like the last straw as we see the obvious strain on the faces of people who have been busting their guts working their way out of the COVID-led downturn only to have it all washed away. Last year was extraordinary for our industry. Despite record high prices, strong trade results in premium markets like the UK and USA and continued support in our traditional ports of South East Asia, we were hampered by high input prices, workforce shortages and competition for land and resources from other agricultural commodities and renewable energy developments. So how does it feel to use a short couple of days to take a breath in January and look ahead to 2024. Will things be different? The only safe answer is yes. Things will be different we just don’t know how. We can’t forecast the challenges ahead like we forecast the weather. We can however plan for and build our capacity to respond to challenges and deliver on opportunities. We need to do both. As there was last year but perhaps even more so this year, I see opportunities. The local government and state elections for 2024 provide an atmosphere for new horizons for our industry and communities. Incoming political leaders will need to be courageous to make this a reality. Councillors looking to take a seat in local governments need to consider

what they will do to prioritise agricultural land and practices in planning decisions, how they will maintain a good budget but smooth out the impacts of rates decisions and what proactive role can they play to coordinate and underpin biosecurity responses. The Queensland Government has an even greater chance of doing great things for the future of our industry. Policies around sustainable aviation fuel, land use planning, water and energy prices sit well within their sphere of influence.

This will be a big year and issues will come at the industry that cannot be predicted. All things can be managed with the right focus on collaboration and taking a long term view. We are industry with a bright future, it will not be delivered with a panicked run to the finish line but instead we need measured, calculated speed, bringing people along with us and gathering those around that see a vision for a future that we can all share in.

ARE YOU READY FOR TOMORROW

HOW MUCH TIME HAVE YOU SPENT WORKING ON YOUR BUSINESS RATHER THAN IN YOUR BUSINESS? As we start the new year, perhaps it is opportune to take time out to think strategically about your business. What are the risks your business will face over the coming year? The next year after that? The next five years? A lot can happen! While it is not possible to plan for every eventuality, it is worthwhile to consider and prioritise your efforts to make changes, even small ones, that will improve your business’ ability to endure, and to minimize the stresses and strains along the way. CANEGROWERS Business Essentials workshops help you identify, assess, and manage business risks such as drought, cyclones and flooding by developing strategies and actions to address these risks.

The Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) has grants and loans available to assist primary producers to implement plans to mitigate drought. This will require that you have a business plan. The Business Essentials workshops are designed to help you develop your plan for this purpose.

Visit www.canegrowers.com.au or your CANEGROWERS district office today to find out more! Workshops starting in February 2024. Given the current dry conditions as well as the dry outlook due to El Niño drivers, the workshops will be provided FREE of charge.

For example, if you identify drought as a key risk, there may be actions that can be implemented before drought takes hold, and which will reduce its impact on your business.

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

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

SPICY SOLUTION Chilli spray has been successfully used to deter unwanted pests from eating sugarcane. Summertime fires followed by unusually dry conditions in the Bundaberg region last year left little natural feed for local kangaroos. So, they went for the next best thing: young sugarcane. Chairman of Bundaberg CANEGROWERS, Mark Pressler, was among the farmers whose crops were being decimated, until a neighbour offered an unlikely solution. “The roos were really flogging the ratoon cane and they were starting on the Spring plant cane too,” he explained. “Where we farm is close to town, so shooting wasn’t an option. A neighbour rang and said he’d sprayed chilli two years ago and the roos just cleared out.“ Mark hired the help of a drone spraying company to deliver the fiery, but natural, deterrent. Sure enough, it worked.

Drone sprayer in flight

“I put it on about 10 days before it rained,” he said.

Mark treated 12-13 hectares of both ratoon and plant cane. The biggest challenge was getting the timing right.

“The roos just didn’t come back.”

“It hasn’t got a long life span and I had to let the cane come up enough to make sure the spray was on the shoots,” he said. “They were eating the ratoon cane on the other end of the plant cane, but I wanted the plant cane to come up enough for it to work.”

“I don’t think it’s poisonous, but it probably burns.” It was a relatively cheap option too, with the spray costing around $240 for 20 litres that are diluted with water.

The solution was delivered by Oztech Drones, which is already known in the region for spraying a few thousand hectares of cane land every week with a mixture of insecticides, herbicides and fertilisers.

Business owner Jamin Fleming said that like any other application, safety precautions are needed for the chilli spray. “You need your protection,” he said. “But it’s all natural—it’s just chilli.” Jamin said he’s since fielded calls from other growers interested in the approach. “A few guys have asked about it and want to look into it in 2024,” he confirmed. For Mark Pressler, it’s a no-brainer. “When the chips are down and it’s dry, you suffer from all sorts of pests,” he said. “I will definitely do it again.”

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FROM THE CHAIR BY OWEN MENKENS, Chairman, CANEGROWERS

The new year is upon us, and it is a good time for reflection as well as looking to the year ahead. At the time of writing, it looks as though Plane Creek plans to continue crushing beyond Christmas which is very difficult for the growers involved. My heart goes out to those growers, contractors and mill workers who were asked to work over the Christmas period. Mill performance remains the biggest issue facing the central and Rocky Point areas. Hopefully the mills can invest wisely in their operations to prevent a loss of staff and reduced productivity in the crop produced over coming years. 2023 was certainly a challenging year for our industry with the STL insourcing decision happening early in the year, the sudden crash in the world price being the significant story at the end of the year trumped only by the devastation we saw from the flooding in far north Queensland. We also saw some extremely wet conditions in most areas mid-year, which created issues for the crush as well as planting. The crop was much smaller mainly due to the late finish from the previous year and it is this trend that must be halted. A crop of under 29 million tonnes for Queensland is a long way short of where we should be as an industry. Luckily CCS levels were a lot higher, which helped maintain the overall sugar production. But in reality it is a lost opportunity when we consider the high sugar price on offer through the year. The 2023 sugar price surged above $600 in January and continued to strengthen through the year reaching $953 in October. The forward prices also surged reaching $845 for

2024 and $735 for 2025. These prices were unprecedented and certainly gave the industry confidence going forward. The main reason behind the surge was a deficit in the world market with lower crops in India, Thailand and Europe as well as pressure on Brazilian exports. Speculators also joined the party, pushing the spot price ever-higher. Many were saying that $1,000 may be around the corner. In early December though, the speculators left the market which resulted in a 6c drop in the world price and the 23-price falling to $722 at time of writing. This was based on drier conditions in Brazil allowing them to export more than anticipated and the Indian Government restricting the use of sugar juice in their ethanol program. Growers should not panic though as the fundamental reasons for the surge are still there. There is still a world deficit and India’s ethanol industry continues to soak up their sugar exports and the Thai crop is still below average. Speculators can be our friends as well as our enemies in the world market and we witnessed that this year. Hopefully we can have a better year in 2024 with a bigger crop and good prices. I look forward to the year ahead with its interesting challenges as well as some possible opportunities. I encourage all growers to log onto the member portal during this quieter period. You will need your member number provided with this magazine. The portal includes market updates as well as many other practical tools to help your farming business.

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the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

MORE THAN RAW SUGAR PROCESSING CANE FOR A VARIETY OF PRODUCTS BY PROFESSOR BERNARD SCHROEDER Centre for Agricultural Engineering, University of Southern Queensland Cassowary Coast Reef Smart Farming Project

Australia can learn from conversions of sugarcane mills overseas to develop its own diversified product streams. Good quality raw sugar has been the backbone of the Australian sugar industry and its international reputation for many decades. Environmental credentials have more recently emerged as an important additional factor. On-farm best management practices (BMPs) have contributed markedly to the viability of our industry through profitable sugarcane and sugar production in combination with environmental and social responsibility. Over the past decade, I was heavily involved in the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (ISSCT)

Prof Bernard Schroeder

and honoured to have held the position of Agricultural Commissioner and Chair of the Agronomy Section within that global organisation. Having attended ISSCT Conferences, and Agronomy, Agricultural Engineering and Extension Workshops in various sugarcane-producing countries, and being an invited guest, advisor and/ or conference delegate in others, I gained insights into sugar industries worldwide, especially in the nuances of sugarcane production and farming systems in different environments and circumstances. Due to the inextricable link between sugarcane farms and sugarcane mills, I became increasingly aware of integrated approaches of agronomy and agricultural engineering, and advances in processing sugarcane after harvest. I have often been reminded of the high regard many people have of the Australian sugar industry. I heard positive comments about the efficiencies of Australian sugarcane growers and milling operations, and praise for Australian research and development (R&D) organisations such as the Sugar Research Institute (SRI),

and the former BSES Limited which became Sugar Research Australia in 2013. Despite an overseas perception that the Australian sugar industry is a ‘well-oiled’, forward-thinking, and progressive entity, there is evidence that other countries have surpassed our endeavours in being at the forefront of innovation and capability. This is particularly the case in growing and using sugarcane for purposes other than raw sugar production. The Australian sugarcane industry’s Sugar Plus roadmap has already set targets for alternative products made from sugarcane to become mainstream. We can possibly take learnings from overseas sugar industries to help achieve those goals. Based on what I saw and heard overseas, I have often wondered if some of our current Australian sugar mills could be converted to ‘sugarcane processing units’. One option could be modification of a current single mill to deliver diversified products as illustrated in Figure 1. Another option could be the conversion of three current proximally located mills into an integrated processing facility (Figure 2).

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

I realise that any movement towards either of these possibilities will require strategic redirection, large amounts of capital investment and disruption over extended periods. However, examples of integrated cane processing plants with diversified products are already realities elsewhere, in countries that previously looked to us for inspiration, guidance and technical input! An example of pulp and paper production within integrated sugarcane milling operations is a reality at the Ledesma Agro-industrial Company at Jujuy in Argentina, which is just one site I have been fortunate to tour. At this mill, sugar cane trash is made into reems of paper that are used by many other industries to feed photocopiers and printers.

Figure 1. An ‘imaginary’ Australian mill converted to a single sugarcane processing plant based on a model of the operations at Kaset Thai International Sugar in 2015

Figure 2. Imaginary conversion of three current proximally located mills into an integrated processing facility CONTINUED NEXT PAGE ‣

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

PRODUCT DIVERSIFICATION Raw sugar, biofertilisers (mill mud and ash) and the use of bagasse as a factory power source are mainstays across the global sugar industry. However, many companies are value-adding by manufacturing a range of other products. Here’s what some of them are making.

Cosan Headquarters: Brazil

Imagine Australia once again at the cutting edge of sugarcane technology both in the field and the factory, setting international trends and leading innovation. We have done it before! Imagine diversified product streams from Australian facilities including raw sugar, pulp, paper and cardboard, ethanol, energy/electricity, bio-plastics, and fertilisers. These are all possible via existing technologies! Advances in technology, research and development (R&D) and extension and adoption (E&A) would support a viable, prospering and governmentchampioned industry that exceeds economic, social, environmental and cultural achievement criteria. It is within our capabilities—where there’s a will there’s a way. Sugarcane is so much more than just a feedstock for raw sugar! 

Top: Prof Bernard Schroeder conducting soil pit field trips with Innisfail growers recently Right: Paper production within the integrated sugarcane milling operations at Ledesma Agroindustrial Company in Argentina in 2018

Makes: Ethanol and alcohol for fuel, perfumes, beverages, paints, chemicals and plastics. Bagasse/ trash pellets for use as a fuel (replacement for firewood/coal/ LPG for powering, heating and cooking), as a raw material for pulp and wood alternatives, and to produce activated carbon.

AB Sugar Headquarters: England Makes: Animal feed, ethanol, specialised alcohols (for use in liquor, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food preserving), industrial alcohol (methylated spirits, solvents and thinners), lactulose (laxatives), furphural and furphyryl alcohols (for solvents, resins, wood treatments, food flavouring).

Balrampur Chini Mills Limited Headquarters: India Makes: Ethanol along with industrial cleaning spirits and Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA—mainly used for liquor).

Ledesma Agro-industrial Company Headquarters: Argentina Makes: Paper and notebooks, alcohol (for liquor, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and industrial applications), and ethanol.

Kaset Thai International Sugar Headquarters: Thailand Makes: Paper pulp, industrial alcohol and ethanol.

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QSL GROWER PRICING UPDATE

Your Trusted Partner Current as at 18 December 2023.

Sugar Market & Currency Influence

Commentary

Outlook

Brazil has continued to produce strong crushing and production numbers as unseasonal dry weather persists. As of 31 November, the Centre-South had crushed 620 million tonnes of cane to produce 40.8 million tonnes of sugar. The percentage of cane going to sugar remains historically high at 49.3%, Brazil as sugar is paying a large premium compared to ethanol. As the Brazilian crush approaches completion, it is estimated they will produce more than 42 million tonnes of sugar. The Indian Government has been advised that it should ban the production of ethanol from cane juice in order to increase production of sugar. After exporting 17 million tonnes over the last two years and India experiencing drought conditions, the 2023 Indian cane crop is suffering and India is desperate for increased sugar production to avoid having to import. Despite high sugar prices, land under cane does not appear to have increased in Thailand due to higher returns available from other crops. As the 2023/24 season crush begins, approximately 8.5 million tonnes of Thailand sugar is expected to be produced. The ICE 11 Commitment of Traders report as of 5 December showed a huge reduction of 63,500 contracts, Speculators down to 102,000 net long. End-of-year profits are likely being protected and stop losses are being triggered, which has led to a snowballing sell off. Another increase in the cash rate by the RBA, coupled with softening US inflation data, has seen the AUD strengthen in recent weeks. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has settled but remains a risk to Currency markets and will be monitored by investors. 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 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)

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. • 20 February: Last day to achieve or roll pricing to the March 2024 ICE 11 contract through the Individual Futures Contract or Self-Managed Harvest Contract.

• 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 12.12.23 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.

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

SUGARCANE INFLUENCES THE ARTS BY ROBYN DEVINE

Marni Hine has worked for 12 seasons as a haulout driver in the thriving Burdekin district and over this time she has expanded her passion for photography and storytelling by shining a light on harvest time. At the Burdekin Theatre in May, Marni held an exhibition of her photography, called Project Raw, as part of the Burdekin Shire Council’s Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival. With the success of this show Marni is keen to further expand on Project Raw and continue to showcase the industry and area. “I intend to develop a book from the exhibition and call it Raw, as in the product is raw sugar, and raw has so many different meanings to it,

it will take into consideration the occupations and work that people do in order to grow the raw product, it seems fitting,” Marni said.

“There are so many different kinds of stories to tell, I tried to keep it simple as far as possible and focused on the one season of crushing.”

“The people that do this job are really incredible and unique.”

Initially Marni had an idea in her mind of the specific style of portrait she wanted the exhibition to explore. Coming from a fashion background, she wanted to portray the growers and contractors as individuals in their own style. Instead, Marni become a documentary photographer. Rather than it being about the photography or the photographer it was impossible for it not to become about the people and the environment. The portraits then were of the growers and contractors in their paddocks or vehicles.

Project Raw developed with input from The Delta Yarns, a not-for-profit group that explore and celebrate the Burdekin’s history, diversity, artistry, and idiosyncrasy. Christine Clark, a founder of Delta Yarns, suggested that Marni apply for a Regional Arts Development Fund grant from the Burdekin Shire Council and when she was successful, she said that was a ‘carrot in front the donkey moment’ that lead to the implementation of Project Raw. “I took my professional camera along to work and asked people there if I could take their portraits, as this is what the story is all about.” Marni said.

Marni Hine

“There is lineal and lateral history in the industry, as the job brings people from all over the country as well as the world. And then there is also generational history.”

“I designed a preset to keep the contrast of it all very similar, to be very punchy and bright because that is what Australia is. The country has a harsh light that can be very beautiful because of how high contrast it is.” Marni said. “At different times of the day, depending on when people where available, I got different lighting situations. Sometimes

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

ambient and flash would be mixed and sometimes it was just daylight”. “Although I was born and raised in the Burdekin, I really knew nothing about cane growing up, surprisingly the industry is very much in the background despite it being all around you. I fell into working as a haulout driver when I returned to the Burdekin after 22 years away and I love it. Working in the industry has helped me appreciate where I am from a lot more.” Being a part of the industry no doubt earned Marni the trust of the subjects she photographed, since the experience of the photo shoot is very personal, providing an honest and raw close-up view of what happens on a day-to-day basis during harvest. Thus, providing a snapshot of the beauty, the challenges and the realities of the industry and the particularly picturesque Burdekin. “This project has become especially meaningful to me because of the people I have worked with. Adrian Boccalatte is pictured in one of these images along with his two sons, Ken and Mark and a blue healer. Mr Boccalatte spent his entire life farming his property with his sons in Home Hill and sadly passed away doing what he loved. He never stopped working in the shed or in the paddocks. Mr Boccalatte left behind his loving wife, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. The 2023 season was his last harvest. Adrian Cesare Boccolatte was 88 years old.” Search for the hashtag ProjectRAW on Facebook and Instagram to follow the story of the Growers and Contractors in the Burdekin from a Haul Out/ Photographers view.

Top: Mark Boccalatte, is a farmer and contractor supplying Inkerman Mill Middle: Chanelle ’Nelly’ Bargewell, is a haulout Driver that supplies Invicta Mill Bottom: Adrian Boccalatte with his two sons Ken and Mark just one of the many amazing people Marni worked with during her time as a haulout driver

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

CHAMPION GROWERS

MORE THAN A TROPHY—IT’S A WAY OF LIFE BY ROBYN DEVINE

A strong sense of family, a deep understanding of soil types and the courage to diversify has shaped Bundaberg growers Bob and Wayne Baldry into champion growers.

Third-generation sugarcane grower Bob Baldry has been working on the farm since leaving school at 14, now in his eighties he remains an integral part of the farm. His son, Wayne, acknowledges the great legacy both his family have made to the district. Bob has witnessed some major changes in the industry since his grandfather grew flowers on another farm in the Bundaberg region before Bob’s father started growing cane on the current family farm. “When I was still going to school, in the August school holidays, it was spring planting, everyone chipped in,” Bob said. “You would cut the cane into billets, then you’d chuck them in a hessian bag and put it in the waterhole overnight, ready to plant the next day. We had three horses pulling the planter and dad used to sit on there and drop the billets in one by one.” Bob can remember far enough back when all the cutting was done by hand—Bob has seen it all during his time on the farm and enjoys mixing the old ways with the new. Wayne’s sense of fun shines through as he acknowledges the value of the old machinery, albeit its lack of modern comforts.

Right: Wayne, with his mother Carol and father Bob Baldry is proud of his family’s legacy to the district

“The irony is when we have a bad strike in planting, if you have had a copious amount of rain,” Wayne explained.

“We still have the drop planter to use, it’s on a spring load, you use your feet to dig it into the ground and drop the billets in one by one, to fill the gaps with what may have failed. “It’s not the most comfortable ride as its on cast iron wheels but it does still get used, once every five or six years if you get a bad strike.” Bob had 50 acres and at that time in the industry it was considered a big farm, now that’s only a hobby farm. The Baldrys have gradually expanded to 300 acres. Bob’s wife Carol didn’t grow up on a farm, she worked in an office but that didn’t stop her becoming deeply involved in the farm’s day-to-day operations. “Carol worked with me all my working life,” Bob said. “She used to pack rockmelons from October to Christmas every day of the week.” Wayne explained there wasn’t money in just growing cane, so it was lucrative to diversify crops. “If you didn’t diversify then it wasn’t viable, we have done a lot of crops during our time, rockmelon, watermelons, cucumbers but we transitioned away from small crops, it’s too hard, sometimes you make money but other times you don’t, and you need extra staff during the busy times,” Wayne said. CONTINUED PAGE 26 ‣

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

Wayne Baldry and his father Bob work hard to ensure their farm is highly productive—it’s a way of life

“Now I’ve got the macadamia trees in, I don’t need a lot of staff as I can handle 10,000 trees on my own. “You do get busy between growing 7,000 tonne of cane and the mac trees, it can get a bit frantic, but at least I don’t have to manage staff.” As all growers are aware regular changes in a commodities’ market impacts the decisions made on farm and the decrease in the current value of macadamias means the positive global sugar price is attractive for Wayne, although he is fully realistic about the volatility of the industry. “At the moment if you look at what sugar is doing the prospects are good, but we have seen this high price before, obviously not like this—it’s out of the ordinary. But who is to say in five years’ time where it will be, these things always adjust.” Wayne joked if he could find a way to plant cane around the macadamia

trees he’d do that too to take full advantage of the current sugar price. “With sugar, the variability of weather comes into play as well as what is happening in the other sugar producing countries, we will have to wait and see,” Wayne said. “We will keep watering, go as hard as we can while the prices are this way.” The Baldry farm is split between the rich vibrant legendary red soil of Bundaberg, often classified as one of the best growing soils in Australia, and the grey loamy soil of the low country providing challenges for farming practices. “The only reason we get any good crops out of the low country and make money out of it, is because of what we do, not because of what that country is, whereas the red soil is half the work, and we get twice the profit,” Wayne said. “We are trying to farm on country that is salty, we are close enough to be in a riparian zone, on the edge of the river

with the coastline just over the horizon. That is the end of the line as far as water starting to leave the farm. It’s not very good country at times, we cop a lot of rain and wind. “Salt also gives us a hiding down on that country, I planted mac trees where we had trouble growing cane and I’m having a similar problem with the trees, but they make me more money than cane did. “I just don’t grow that beautiful big tree that we have up on red soil, I grow a squat little fellow that still produces but he needs a lot more love. It’s no different to cane, it’s half the work on the red soil.” The hard work and deep understanding of the farm’s soil types and the ability to change farming practices according to soil types and the cane’s needs has seen Wayne and his father acknowledged with the District Champion Award at the Bundaberg Sugar Industry Dinner and 2022

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

Season Productivity Awards with an average of 16.83 ts/ha. The awards represent the high standard of cane production in the district and the key is to encourage growers to reach for the best outcome for their farm. The Baldry’s have hit the mark two years in a row. Wayne is philosophical about the awards. “Productivity is the key to making money, awards are great, but the reality is you do this because it makes you money and makes you viable. It’s good to encourage the district to have a high standard,” Wayne acknowledged. “It comes down to what you learn over your country as well as being in control of the farming practices. For example in our low country we still burn standing cane because we have trialled not burning but when you get six inches of rain, lodging goes stagnant and then it becomes a drainage issue. We have learnt it doesn’t work if we want to make money from it, so we still burn. “The biggest issue for me is regulation from outer parties about how we are going to produce sugar and the implementation of Reef procedures coming to the area from the north, that’s one of the reasons I want to get out of cane farming. “I think it’s going to be difficult to have a regulation on how much nitrogen you are allowed to apply on blocks, it’s not going to be easy on certain years when rainfall comes into play. We don’t apply fertiliser because it’s cheap or it’s fun to do, we do it because that’s what makes us viable. “With the implementation of the Reef regulations I have tried numerous organic fertilisers on cane, but they don’t work as they don’t have the N enough. “This year we’re using urea based fertiliser as we are unable to access our regular CAN fertiliser due to supply issues. We till the fertiliser into the ground, it has been the perfect product for our place.

“We are trialling some slow release products, that appears to be where the future of fertiliser is going, but the trouble is its new to us, I’m back at square one again, needing to understand when the application period is and when to irrigate, around all our known weather variables. “Using our normal fertiliser products I know already how much I need and when to apply to get the right tonnage and CCS on this place and the results verify that, but when I go to a new product it all becomes guess work again. “We’ve always grown green manure cover crops and I’ve probably walked a spray line over about 150 acres of ground this year because it’s the way we water in the fertiliser lightly and quickly. We do it early before any potential rainfall events that can be three inches in two hours, so we keep control of that nitrogen. “I have complete control of everything I do on this place until I get 12 inches of rain in two days, then I don’t have control, but no grower can have 100% control when you get weather events like that.” Wayne said his weed management was the same thing. “Dad will drive over the top of the block and if he sees a weed then he hops out and chips it out. When I go through using butterfly arms for broadleaf weed I’ll go at a speed that I can see if there is weed in the area, and I’ll just turn it on when I need to. By using the correct amount of application and using it at the right time I have control.” Wayne said implementing the practices required by the Reef regulations was time consuming and he feels that in the long run growers may need to pay someone to deal with that part of the business. Wayne said the challenges also arise when trying to placate the different regulators. “It’s conflicting when they argue they don’t want things leaving the farm

but then we are not allowed to hold it. Right at the back of my place I want to put in a sediment trap, to claim water and reuse that water on farm. At the moment you are only allowed build up to 18 mega-litre holes, they can’t be adjoined they need to be a separate hole. If you build those holes as a sediment trap to stop things leaving there is a moratorium on it, because you are stopping overland water flow.” Wayne accepts that his time growing sugarcane is fast coming to a close, but he has enjoyed the lifestyle. “I’m getting out, the future opportunity is to hopefully sell and get out. I’m a bit jaded. We’ve gone pretty hard here and it’s not just about making money, it’s about having pride in what you’re doing. You have to enjoy what you do as a farmer. I always liked the flexibility of the lifestyle but if you are not enjoying it the way you used to—then it’s time for a change.”

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

STRENGTH THROUGH TEAMWORK PROVIDED BY CAROLA BRADSHAW Program Coordinator—Lower Herbert Water Quality Program

Positive relationships, regional coordination and local onground support have driven management practice changes for improved water quality in the Lower Herbert through the Lower Herbert Water Quality Program. The Herbert is one of the highest priority river catchments for the reduction of dissolved inorganic nitrogen losses in the Reef 2050 plan. Responding to this challenge, growers in the Lower Herbert have worked together to adopt and refine farm management practices that improve the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of their farms through the Lower Herbert Water Quality Program (LHWQP) and its delivery providers. Since the program commenced in 2020, over three hundred growers in the Lower Herbert district have adjusted their farming practices, increased their knowledge of modern technologies and equipment, and gained assistance from industry experts and leaders to improve their nutrient management plans and budgets through greater innovation, integration, and collaboration across the range of Herbert projects. Program Coordinator for the LHWQP Carola Bradshaw said having a regional

Herbert Cane Productivity Services Limited’s (HCPSL) extension agronomist and project coordinator for Project CaNE Adam Royle and his team

coordinator working on-ground helps to deliver community and stakeholder engagement as well as assisting to change the narrative media is projecting on the cane industry by representing the growers and their stories. “Building trust and relationships in the region is the key to success. The results and the large number of growers participating in the LHWQP has proven that growers are valuing their land, the environment and the natural assets especially living in the Lower Herbert. The results speak for themselves and the more we can push these positive results to media, the better.”

Extension agronomist from Herbert AgriServices and LiquaForce’s platform LANDHub Leanne Carr said that growers go the extra mile to make a difference and having an extension officer helping them every step of the way ensures they are meeting and exceeding program targets. Fourth generation Herbert grower Robert Lyon said by industry working together to identify what’s coming off-farm and potentiality impacting our local waterways shows that we are concerned and proactive in managing change. “We are all working together as an industry. We are being proactive in trying to reduce our footprint so that

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

we continue to use our social license to operate,” said Mr Chris Bosworth, a fourth-generation cane farmer in the Herbert District and Chairman of CANEGROWERS Herbert River. Herbert Cane Productivity Services Limited’s (HCPSL) extension agronomist and project coordinator for Project CaNE Adam Royle said that trust is key to working with growers and it takes time to build relationships. “We work closely with several partners associated with Project CaNE including the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries and TropWater to convey their messages to growers. Building those relationships and trust is the only way you can get that information to flow both ways, so it is critical,” said Mr Royle. The Program is on track to prevent 140 tonnes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen from entering the local waterways each year.

While important, it is not just about meeting program targets though; it is being passionate about the sugar industry and the fact that growers are working together and share their knowledge for a stronger future. The $16.2 million program is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation with coordination support provided by CANEGROWERS Herbert River.

Top left: Extension agronomist from Herbert AgriServices and LiquaForce’s platform LANDHub Leanne Carr taking soil and leaf samples in the Lower Herbert Bottom left: Abergowrie grower Robert Lyon explaining his involvement in the Lower Herbert Water Quality Program during a farm visit to representatives and advisors of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation at the Regional Partner Forum in March

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SMARTCANE BMP LINK TO SOIL HEALTH BY KATE REARDON

Ask any cane grower how important soil health is to their operation and their answer is simple— it’s critical, as it is the foundation of a healthy and productive sugarcane crop.

Soil health is key to upholding longterm soil fertility and ultimately improving farm productivity, profitability, and sustainability. With fertiliser applications representing one of the largest variable expenses, growers are keenly interested in improved returns on fertiliser investment by striking the perfect balance between nutrient removal and replacement, nutrient use efficiency and ultimately, crop productivity and soil health. A healthy soil is likelier to have an active biology community and structure to meet crop demand and minimise losses to waterways and the atmosphere. While cane is a hardy plant, it needs healthy soil to maximise its yield potential across the crop cycle. Providing adequate nutrients, especially N, P and K, has long been the focus of soil management for sugarcane growers. However, soil and nutrient management has changed significantly in the past 20 years, greatly improving the efficiency of crop production.

Nutrient management plans have become more accurate and specific, focusing more on ensuring all plant nutrients are in adequate supply, in other words, giving the crop balanced nutrition. The SIX EASY STEPS nutrient management program is the foundation of the Australian sugar industry’s nutrient and fertiliser guidelines to manage soil health in sugarcane crops. This program is comprehensive, integrated, sciencebased and is recognised by industry and government as best management practice through Smartcane BMP. For the Smartcane BMP program, Soil Health and Nutrient Management is the foundation module, as soil health reflects the whole farming system. The program’s nutrient management practices based on the use of the SIX EASY STEPS program provides a proven way of improving soil health and achieving balanced crop nutrition.

Furthermore, Smartcane BMP is recognised by the Queensland Government, that certification in Smartcane BMP meets regulatory requirements for both N and P management and managing erosion risk. Therefore, accredited growers are not the focus of compliance activities, including on-farm visits. Regardless of a grower’s farming system, soil health is the key framework for producing a healthy and

productive sugarcane crop. Adoption of farm-specific nutrient management practices, based on the SIX EASY STEPS, will safeguard soil health and productivity. Smartcane BMP helps growers demonstrate the sustainability of their soil and nutrient management, ensuring the production of Australian sugar is of the highest environmental standards. So, if you were unsure before, it’s safe to say sugarcane soils are healthy soils! 

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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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the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

CANEGROWERS REGIONAL ROUND-UP SUPPLIED BY CANEGROWERS DISTRICT OFFICES* *These reports reflect the period up to Wednesday 13 December 2023

MOSSMAN The weather in November remained favourable for the late finish to the Mossman Mill 2023 crushing. The average monthly rainfall in November was about one-third the normal monthly average. There were a few showers in early December which helped settle the dust and got the plant and ratooning cane off to a good start for 2024. There was some concern about the amount of rainfall to come with the development of Tropical Cyclone Jasper in early December.

Harvest week—22

Indications are that, even with wetter months during the early crushing, over 10 % of the total area will have been planted in preparation for the 2024 season, even though 2024 is not yet secured.

A total of 137,249 tonnes of FNM Tableland contracted

TABLELAND

Harvest week—28

Mossman Mill crushed a total of 379,843 tonnes of cane for a mill average of 11.75CCS. Of this tonnage 189 tonnes were condemned. While the tonnes were down across the region, similar to across the state, we did manage to end with a slightly higher average CCS than 2022.

Tonnes to date— 379,843 (Completed)

cane was Toll-crushed for a mill average of 13.55CCS. Towards the end of crushing the usual stockpiling of bagasse began and was completed by the time the mill completed its washdown. The area assigned to Mossman Mill on the coast is now 7,153 ha and 5,764 ha was harvested in 2023 crushing.

CANEGROWERS Mossman continued to work with the Administrator and held regular growers’ meetings in December to keep growers updated. On 6 December Mr Chris Cooper, CANEGROWERS Legal Counsel, also attended a meeting with the Administrator and Bargaining Agents, he then attended a coastal grower meeting on 7 December where growers voted positively on the actions CANEGROWERS Mossman wanted to take as their Bargaining Agent. The result of this meeting highlighted coastal growers continued commitment to the successful operations of Mossman Mill and the valueadd future for the mill and the shire.

The last bin for the 2023 crushing in Mossman was tipped at 3pm on Wednesday 22 November and the last whistle was set to sound for 127 seconds representing the 127 years the Mossman Mill has been operating.

CCS to date—11.75

Stockpiling bagasse for 2024 and Mossman grower meeting on 7 December

By the time this edition goes to print, we will all know if the work done over the weeks between 20 November and late December was successful.

The CANEGROWERS Mossman office will be closed between Christmas and New Year and re-opened Monday 8 January 2024.

We wish all the best to our members and growers for the 2024 year.

CCS to date—13.78

Tonnes to date— 758,260 (Completed)

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

CAIRNS The 2023 crushing season is now complete for all growers, with Mulgrave Mill finishing on Sunday 3 December and the South Johnstone finishing three days later.

Harvest week—26

CANEGROWERS Cairns Region held its AGM recently. After the business of the AGM growers took the opportunity enjoy a cold drink and a BBQ. A shout out to the Gordonvale Lions Club for running the BBQ and to the Gordonvale Bowls Club for providing an excellent venue.

CCS to date—11.99

Tonnes to date— 1,175,223 (Completed)

Babinda and Mulgrave offices closed on Friday 22 December and reopened Monday 8 January. Four Babinda farmers having a brief break from the business of farming and taking time for a chat and a coldie

Harvest week—25

CCS to date—11.58

Tonnes to date— 1,316,680 (97.78%)

The South Johnstone Mill finished crushing on Wednesday 6 December, which was a good outcome considering the wet weather delays experienced at the start of the season.

at MSF’s Mulgrave Mill. The average CCS for the year was a disappointing 11.61 units. Mill performance was, once again, excellent with delays to crushing caused almost exclusively by wet weather stoppages.

Cyclone Jasper north of Cairns. Fortunately, the Innisfail District was spared the worst with only mild conditions experienced.

sector, feral pig populations continue to increase and spread causing significant financial and environmental impacts.

In total, the factory crushed 1,316,680 tonnes with an additional 171,635 tonnes from the contracted area crushed

Typical Far North Queensland summer downpours commenced mid-December, coinciding with Tropical

Growers continue to voice their frustration over the limitations of Council’s feral pig baiting program. Whilst the assistance from the Cassowary Coast Regional Council to date is much appreciated by the growing

CANEGROWERS Innisfail will continue to work closely with Council representatives to improve bait availability and implement a coordinated approach to feral pig management.

Harvest week—28

CCS to date—12.73

12.45 peaking in week 15 at 13.52 and week 29 at 11.19. CCS will finish the year with the mill average at 12.72.

The 2024 crop has reacted very well to the rainfall with plant and ratoons looking exceptional for mid-December. The area will have additional rain fall from Cyclone Jasper as it passes to the north of the Tully district.

INNISFAIL

TULLY The 2023 crush is almost done for the Tully district. As at 12 December, current tonnes through the rollers was 2,526,383 with approximately 8,990 tonnes remaining, relating to 99.6% of area harvested. The estimated yield for the season in May was 93.9 tonnes per hectare, with the end of season actual yield at 86.3 tonnes per hectare. Although this was a lower yield result than anticipated, it is still higher than the long-term average of 84.7 tonnes per hectare. At the start of the season, 26 May, week 1 average CCS was

Wet weather was the biggest impact to the 2023 crushing season with 678.789 hours lost supply due to rain. A majority of this lost time came in weeks 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the season, with 10 continuous days lost during this period. Mill related lost time totalled 375.292 hours with a major break down late in the season. Much needed rain fell across the area in late November after a dry spell was starting to impact the crop.

On 12 December, Tully Variety Management Group held their end of season wrap up. There were more than 60 attendees from Tully and Ingham, with the usual attendees from Innisfail and Cairns absent due to the threat of Cyclone Jasper. Season and variety updates were supplied from Greg Shannon from Tully Sugar Limited, Peter Sutherland

Tonnes to date— 2,466,719 (89.37%)

from Tully Cane Productivity Services, Ian Spezialli from Tully Sugar Limited, John Edwards from Tully Sugar Limited and Bryce Macdonald from Tully Cane Growers Limited. CANEGROWERS Tully thank the Tully Variety Management Group for their contribution to the cane industry, in particular Peter Jackson for providing a venue for the end of season function. CANEGROWERS Tully Board and staff acknowledge the dedication and hard work from all the personal and families involved in all aspects of the sugarcane industry.

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HERBERT RIVER

Harvest week—24

CCS to date—13.00

The last day of crushing for the 2023 season in the Herbert River was Sunday 26 November at Victoria Mill at 9.50am.

CANEGROWERS Herbert River continues to work with Sugar Research Australia (SRA) and Herbert Cane Productivity Services Ltd (HCSPL) to explore options and solutions in addressing and managing rats in the Herbert River district. HCPSL and SRA jointly held a Rat Management Information Meeting on Wednesday 29 November that was well attended and the strategies and options in managing rats was discussed.

CANEGROWERS Herbert River will hold a number of sessions for members throughout the 2024 off season and these will include workshops on Relative CCS, the Grower Portal and how to compile a N & P budget.

Harvest week—27

CCS to date—14.72

Macknade Mill finished the day before, processing the last cane at 5.27am on Saturday 25 November. The season went for twenty-three weeks, with the final count of 3,993,792 tonnes crushed. The Herbert River mills average CCS for all cane crushed for the season was 13.02.

BURDEKIN The Burdekin officially finished its 2023 season on 3 December 2023 with Pioneer Mill being the final mill to crush the last of its cane on that day. The crop was well below the original estimate of 8,400,000t, on a positive note though the CCS at 14.72 was higher than the budget of 14.47, with area harvested up on last season at 68,090.6 hectares with yield of 118 t/ha. The majority of growers were happy with the finish date following the late finish of 2022, our thanks go to growers, contractors and Wilmar for making this happen. The 2024 crop is looking very promising with an increase in both area and early plant, if we get the right amount of rain at the right time, it will flourish. Growers are already talking up a bigger crop for 2024 season, 8,400,000 to 8,500,000 tonnes, but we have a wet season and cyclone season

We would like to thank all our members for their support in the 2023 season and look forward to the 2024 season. Also a thank you needs to go out to the harvesting crews and the cane auditors as it was a challenging year on both fronts.

Tonnes to date— 3,993,793 (Completed)

HCPSL and SRA jointly held a Rat Management Information Meeting for growers in the district

Tonnes to date— 8,027,832 (Completed)

to get through first before we start to count our chickens.

then we will know we have some issues.

to influence outcomes for irrigators and the district.

Wilmar has advised they will spend $80.7m over the 2024 maintenance season, with $26.7m in maintenance and $54.0m in capital expenditure, which is reassuring. Pioneer Mill will be the major beneficiary, followed by Kalamia, Invicta and Inkerman and both Pioneer and Kalamia require an evaporator replacement each. Although, Wilmar stated that Pioneer achieved 86.8% availability rate, it didn’t feel like that and Invicta Mill struggled for the 2023 season.

Cane grubs are making their presence felt again, and an emergency use permit has been issued by APVMA, if growers need to apply Imidacloprid on late ratoons. This permit allows applications in December and January and is in force from 28 November to 31 January.

For growers looking to change harvesting groups for the 2024 season, Wilmar has uploaded the Changed Grouping Application Forms on GrowerWeb. Please note that Wilmar will need these forms to be completed, signed and lodged by 28 February. We know of a number of harvesting groups retiring and/or changing hands, growers need to ensure they have had the discussions on group changes as early as possible so Wilmar C, S & T can have discussions on what is feasible or not.

That said, Wilmar has reviewed their 2023 mill stops to coordinate maintenance efforts to improve availability for 2024 season. If we do have a larger crop for the 2024 season, then all Burdekin mills need to be running at full capacity to get the crop off and if Wilmar consult about a May 2024 start,

CANEGROWERS Burdekin (CBL) participated in the Sunwater Community Advisory Committee at Clare to receive an update on the Lower Burdekin Groundwater Project and the Environmental Impact Statement for the Burdekin Falls Dam Improvement and Raising Project. CBL also attended the initial meeting of the Burdekin Water Plan Working Group in Townsville with a range of stakeholders. 2024 will be the year of water with the QCA Price Path Review and the Burdekin Basin Water Plan Review underway, two critical platforms

2024 season is shaping up to be a good year, the sugar price is still good and enables growers to choose to hedge a portion of their revenue at profitable prices. We wish our members all the best for 2024 and look forward to working with you.

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

PROSERPINE

Harvest week—26

CCS to date—14.53

Proserpine Mill tipped its final bin on 9 December, the 1.7 million tonne crop (83t/ha) was slightly below early season expectations.

Cyclone Jasper nearing landfall in the north. Although the final crop was below the previous season’s 1.85 million tonnes (94t/ha), it was still well above the earlier 2017-2021 five-year average of 1.53 million tonnes (73t/ha).

rain for the next harvest and that sugar prices continue to remain strong moving forward.

This was not surprising given largely dry conditions over the late autumn to early spring period. The lack of growth in late harvested ratoons fell short of earlier ratooned areas, which also impacted on the final crush-out figures. Fortunately, late harvesting would not be a repeat of the 2022 crop with the mill finishing the 2023 crush just before rains started to fall, the result of

Cane quality held well with provisional CCS measured at 14.52 units for the season, close to a full unit higher when compared to 2022. The final few weeks of CCS results remained high due to the ensuing dry conditions that had previously triggered a local fire ban. With the crush complete, it is now hoped that summer brings with it the much-needed

The milling season faced various mechanical issues, rain stops (early on) and external factors such as QR line closures and electricity supply failures. Although the mill performed well over a select number of weeks, it also experienced sporadic challenges with weekly crush rates fluctuating between 57,000 and 95,000 tonnes from August up until the end of crush. This is something requiring focus going into the 2024 season. Despite these challenges, an early December

Tonnes to date— 1,702,587 (Completed)

close was welcome following an initial short off crop after what seemed like a ‘double season’ for both mill staff and harvesting groups. CANEGROWERS Proserpine would like to thank all its members for their support and those that made the 2023 season possible, including all harvesting groups and mill staff and we look forward to working with you again during this season. Please note that CANEGROWERS Proserpine office will be closed from Monday, 25 December until Friday 5 January 2024.

MACKAY

Harvest week—28

CCS to date—13.61

Tonnes to date— 4,867,306 (91.12%)

PLANE CREEK

Harvest week—26

CCS to date—14.14

Tonnes to date— 1,212,155 (86.58%)

At the time of writing millers in Mackay—Plane Creek were running the gauntlet of crushing up to the Christmas and New Year’s period.

temperatures in November and December, and emerging northern rainfall onset impacting CCS. A full crush wrap will be published in the February Billet.

Mackay Sugar had scheduled a ramping down crush end between 19 December and Christmas Eve, while Plane Creek was looking at a Christmas—December 30 finish.

Area committees have been meeting with millers and have been public in speaking against issues that are reducing the efficiency of the harvest over three years now.

Wilmar Plane Creek and Mackay Sugars three mills at Racecourse, Marian and Farleigh each had their own performance issues to varying degrees across the 2023 crush, which had resulted in the crush running beyond optimal season lengths, with very high

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.

CANEGROWERS Mackay AGM held on 29 November 2023

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BUNDABERG

Harvest week—25

CCS to date—14.75

The Bundaberg Cutout Party was held on Thursday 7 December and was well attended by growers and industry representatives.

Mineral Development Licence (MDL) 3040.

please contact the department on QMDBMetering@rdmw.qld. gov.au to let them know that you have engaged a CMI and advise why your works were unable to be completed by the deadline.

This was a great opportunity for everyone to catch up on the past season. Representatives of Bundaberg CANEGROWERS Ltd attended the MDL3040 Community Forum held at the Moore Park Beach Community Hall on Sunday 3 December to receive updates from Minister for Resources, Hon. Scott Stewart, Member for Bundaberg, Tom Smith MP and Member for Burnett, Stephen Bennett MP on the progress of Fox Resources’

ISIS The Isis District is looking picture perfect with the cane responding well to the late November and December rainfall. If this weather continues, we are looking at a substantial 2024 crop. We recently held our AGM and saw a good roll up of growers eager to hear the latest news from CANEGROWERS Chairman Owen Menkens.

Bundaberg CANEGROWERS is opposed to any mining activity on farmland and is concerned that the proposed coal mine will threaten prime agricultural land and vital water supplies. The Bundaberg Region relies on agriculture for its economic strength and any threat to our irrigation supplies is not acceptable.

Tonnes to date— 989,198 (Completed)

Groundwater users in Area A were required to have groundwater meters revalidated by 30 November 2023 to be compliant with the relevant legislation. This work needs to be conducted by Certified Meter Installers (CMI). If you haven’t already done so,

Groundwater users in Area B have until 1 December 2024 to have their meters re-validated by a CMI. To ensure growers have their meters validated by the deadline please contact your preferred irrigation company once you have received details in a letter from the department and ask to be placed on the waiting list, with priority given to those in Area A. By being placed on the waiting list, the meters should be re-validated before the due date in 2024.

Harvest week—21

CCS to date—14.86

Hon Scott Stewart addressing the MDL3040 Community Forum

Planning for our 2024 season is underway and growers will be kept informed via email, newsletter and meetings where required. If you are not on our email list and would like to be, please contact the office on 4151 2555 or send an email to bdb_office@bdbcanegrowers. com.au.

Tonnes to date— 737,238 (Completed)

Owen presented retiring Isis Productivity Chairman Tyler Bengtson with a cane knife acknowledging his nine years’ service on the Board. We also formally introduced new board member Letita Taylor to the grower community. Letita attended her first board meeting last month. We are still working closely with growers assisting them with electricity tariff comparisons and lodging rebate applications under the QBEST program reimbursing growers for the installation of variable speed drives. Our first piece of work for 2024 will be to commence a review of the Cane Analysis Program.

Top: Cane looking picture perfect around the district Bottom: Peter McLennan CANEGROWERS Isis Deputy Chair, Owen Menkens QCGO Chair, Anthony LaRocca Isis Productivity, Simon Ricciardi CANEGROWERS Isis Board Director at CANEGROWERS Isis AGM Left: Owen Menkens and Tyler Bengtson Photos credit Jo Hall

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

Tonnes to date— 346,408 (Completed)

MARYBOROUGH

Harvest week—21

CCS to date—14.34

This report is well in advance of January distribution date but hopefully we have seen some more wet weather in the area to keep the crop improving as it has over the December period.

usage for 2024 season. If you

Tony and Hector will be updating growers around the rules of entry and measuring methods to identify the winners come harvest time. The benefits to your hip pocket are great this season with soybeans currently experiencing high prices and the well-known spin off to your cane farm is the improved performance of your blocks when they return to cane.

Reminder of the need to update your farm maps with the mill. All growers were sent an email on 8 December advising of the need to update their block

haven’t been able to sit down and update, either on the portal or printing the map and returning it be email, now is the time to update. Help prepare for 2024 by taking some time now. Maryborough Cane Productivity Services (MCPS) has been working with Nutrien Ag to conduct a soybean yield competition in 2024.

Reminder our manager, Cameron Waterson is on leave

Harvest week—16

CCS to date—13.59

At the end of week 16 the Rocky Point Mill has crushed a total of 203,783 tonnes of cane at an average CCS of 13.61.

Because of the dry conditions

It was disappointing to have a reduced crop because of the late start and finish from the previous season. Had there been a normal crop in the paddock, it would have been a boost for growers with the current high sugar prices, after the last two disappointing years.

It is anticipated that the 2023 harvest will finish during the week commencing 18 December, shortly later than expected due to a blown cogen boiler tube at the time of writing.

on average, growers’ original estimates fell by up to 23%, however there was some good sugar on offer. We have seen the CCS fall since the middle of November, following some much-needed rain ie CCS in week 16 was 12.27 vs season to date of 13.61.

Many growers are now preparing ground to plant soybeans. At least with the

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Early planning has started for the MCPS Bus tour to happen in late April. Also some more support coming for the district through two new SRA roles in Entomology and Agronomy in the new year.

Tonnes to date— 203,770 (76.89%)

ROCKY POINT

experienced during the year,

through all of January and returning on 29 January 2024. Tony McDermott will still be operating from the office from 3 January 2024.

earlier finish this year there is a better opportunity to get the ground ready. More meetings are arranged with the FAST team for the distribution of further fire ant bait. This round will require those growers that are a party to the agreement to spread bait across all harvested and fallow ground. This will take some resources to execute.

To start the conversation please contact us:

Alison: 0408 227 236 Kathy: 0499 772 953 We@WorkplaceEdvantage.com.au www.WorkplaceEdvantage.com.au

WE’RE ON THE GROUND

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

BUSINESS ESSENTIALS IS BACK IN 2024 AND ITS FREE! CANEGROWERS Business Essentials provides growers hands-on tools via a series of workshops suitable for all skill and confidence levels, and this year will be provided FREE of charge.

“Despite the fact that I’d been heavily involved in the industry for 40 years as a representative of growers with CANEGROWERS, I feel that you can never know enough, so that was my primary driver.

Workshops can be attended by both people responsible for working the paddocks, as well as those managing the office, finances, and admin to cement the connection between production and profit.

“But there’s also a second thing that the program gives you and that’s confirmation and reassurance that the views you’re working off are correct. And that’s so important.”

Mackay grower Paul Schembri recommends all farmers attend the Business Essentials program to increase business skills.

Paul said he did the online aspects of the program in the week leading up to the in person workshop and the tasks weren’t onerous.

“Principally you can never know enough about the management of business and in our circumstance its cane farming and all the allied aspects of that,” Mr Schembri said.

“Obviously the face to face just added further detail and context, plus there is the positive opportunity of the interaction of others. In the wider discussion it’s good to have

your questions answered, whatever they might be. “It’s important for growers to understand Business Essentials is not an exam, you’re not going to be tested. You will be with your fellow growers. It’s just to provide support. As a consequence of the workshop, I moved on to do a farm resilience plan with CANEGROWERS Proserpine District Manager Brendon Nothard. “This is a Business Essentials 101, that is focused on the average farmer who may have sets of skills acquired over time, but this program confirms the things you are doing and provides support to manage your business.” For more information visit the CANEGROWERS website.

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the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

HAVE YOU BEEN ASKED ABOUT YOUR FARM’S GHG EMISSIONS? Sustainability & Environment BY MICK QUIRK It’s unlikely but may not remain so. Why? Well, it has to do with the meeting of two worlds— corporate financial disclosure and measuring greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Does it matter? Yes, because each country’s government is driving various policies to address climate change. And this increasingly affects how international and Australian financial sectors operate and is already influencing which businesses will need to account for, and publicly report, their greenhouse gas emissions. This, in turn, may lead to these businesses trying to impose reporting requirements on their suppliers and clients, including farmers, and even influence how these businesses treat different suppliers and customers.

Like other national governments, ours has committed to ensuring large businesses and financial institutions provide greater transparency and accountability when it comes to their climate related plans, financial risks, and opportunities. How can this affect you? Sustainability related financial disclosures reflect information about the broader resources and relationships the reporting entity depends on across its value chain. If the entity that mills or markets your sugar is receiving finance from a large bank, it will likely need to start reporting their own emissions and those from the energy they purchase (referred to as Scope 1 and 2 emissions, respectively). They may also need to report the emissions from the farms that supply them (Scope 3 emissions). Hence, the possible requests for your information.

The Government is introducing standardised, internationallyaligned reporting requirements for businesses to make disclosures regarding governance, strategy, risk management, targets and metrics—including greenhouse gasses.

It may also affect how financial institutions treat you, your mill, and your marketer—for example, it may start to offer better rates if a business can show how it is measuring and managing its emissions.

A three phased approach to phasing in these climate related financial disclosures is proposed, starting with the very large entities, referred to as Group 1 entities from 2024-25. Expanding in future years to progressively smaller entities, defined as Group 2 and Group 3 entities.

Addressing these issues will not be trivial, and we have advised the government to urgently review the proposed implementation timeframes for reporting scope 3 emissions.

The big banks already report annually on the emissions from entities that they finance and/or their level of financial exposure to major sources of emissions (e.g. thermal coal), as well as reporting how much of their money finances sustainable industries and asset types. They want to show they are a good corporate citizen. Why and how is this happening? Climate change is seen to be a material risk to the global financial system. This includes both the physical risks of climate change itself and the transition risks from moving to low-emission economies. And there is more pressure for entities that are large emitters, or that finance large emitters, to account for these emissions and publicly report them.

Will it all be meaningful? Having a financial audit process being applied to emission estimates derived from complex biophysical processes within variable landscapes will obviously have challenges with respect to providing hard data. Agriculture is not a one-type category (i.e., emission or sequestration), nor a point-source of emissions that can be easily monitored and/or metered. Expectations of governments and others should be based on this reality. So, there are lots of questions and concerns—we clearly need more thoughtful and empathetic consideration by government of whether agriculture should, or could, be integrated into climate-related financial disclosures by businesses. Otherwise, it risks just being a significant imposition on farmers so that corporates can tick a few boxes and perhaps get some financial advantage, while farms and the environment will be none the better.

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

What are the risks for farmers as this rolls out? The main risk is the proposed need for medium and large business to report their scope 3 emissions. So for businesses with agricultural links and clients, farmers will be a major source of their scope 3 emissions as they form part of the value chain. We have worked with the National Farmers Federation (NFF) to identify and communicate to government our concerns for the impacts on farmers from roll-out of emissions reporting. We have strongly opposed any requirement for business entities (such as banks, millers, fuel suppliers) to report their scope 3 emissions (from growers and other farmers) until these three points are addressed:

1. We can clearly understand the impacts on farmers of the cost and time commitment of the likely compliance burden and agreed costsharing arrangements have been reached. They must consider an alternative reporting approach that does not require every single farm business to report. For sugarcane, Smartcane BMP is a platform that can report on behalf of its participating growers.

2. GHG emission calculators for agriculture must be benchmarked for consistency and relevance for each ag industry, and we can be sure we are comparing apples with apples. Otherwise, the reporting is of dubious value. We are commissioning work on a sugarcane emissions calculator (based on an existing tool called Cane LCA) that will be consistent with Australian standards but be able to account for industry-specific issues and emission factors.

3. There is a standardised indicator and reporting code of practice for agriculture—we can’t have situations where farmers face different reporting needs from each of their chemical, fuel, machinery, and other farm input suppliers, and from their miller, their marketer, and their bank. What a shemozzle it will create. This is an area for all of agriculture to work together through the NFF to achieve a workable, common-sense approach.

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE, SOIL HEALTH AND TOOLS TO SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS Membership Engagement & Innovation BY MATT KEALLEY You may have heard of the term regenerative agriculture? Regenerative agriculture is considered an innovative and sustainable approach to farming that focuses on revitalising the health of the soil, ecosystems, and ultimately, the entire farming system. The key principles of regenerative agriculture include cover cropping, crop rotation, limiting soil disturbance, reducing chemical inputs and using integrated livestock management where appropriate. These principles are designed to improve soil structure, break pest and disease cycles, improve soil health and minimise erosion. This all sounds very familiar and in the Queensland sugarcane industry, we would call it best management practice. The importance of soil health As we know, soil health is fundamental for farming as it directly correlates with agricultural productivity and longterm sustainability. A healthy soil with a good soil structure creates a thriving microbial community which supports nutrient availability, water retention and better crop growth. In sugarcane, this is achieved by managing compaction, fallow cropping, growing rotational crops to break weed and pest cycles, retaining trash, minimising tillage, targeting chemical application and using nutrition recommendations from the SIX EASY STEPS methodology. This is all covered in the first module of Smartcane BMP— Soil health and nutrient management. Regenerative agriculture and sugar buyers Regenerative agriculture is a term that I hear more and more coming from the buyers of sugar such as Tate & Lyle, ASR and The Coca Cola Company. The needs for regenerative agriculture practices relates back to their sustainable sourcing, climate change and ESG targets.

For example, The Coca Cola Company uses a framework called the Principles for Sustainable Agriculture (PSA). The PSA describes Coke’s first principles for sustainable agriculture based on environmental, social and economic criteria. Soil management is one of these principles and encourages farming practices that improve soils, prevent degradation, minimise greenhouse gas emissions, protect soil biodiversity and enhance soil structure. The principle also encourages growers to implement a nutrient management plan based on an integrated nutrient management approach. The soil health and nutrient management module adequately covers this, and Smartcane BMP is acknowledged by Coke as meeting their responsible sourcing needs(1). Tate and Lyle, who buy sugar through the UK Free Trade Agreement and their parent company, American Sugar Refining (ASR) the world’s largest sugar refiner, have a 100% sustainable sugar commitment and a sustainability plan with an agriculture component. ASR has a focus on regenerative agriculture which includes minimising topsoil disturbance, keeping soils covered, maximising biodiversity, reusing crop by-products and reducing synthetic chemicals. They also encourage their suppliers to build capacity and to certify their agricultural operations against internationally recognised sustainability standards or ensure the local operations are verified by a third-party audit as part of ASR’s due diligence process. In September 2023, ASR completed social verification audits with Smartcane BMP growers and mills in Tully, Burdekin, Innisfail and Tableland. It’s comforting to know that the best management practices we have been undertaking for decades tick the box for buyers of our sugar. REFERENCES

1. https://www.cocacolaep.com/assets/Australia/SustainabilityInfographic_Australia_June-2022.pdf

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

How does CANEGROWERS support soil health through our member services? There are a number of programs, tools and resources available to growers on soil health. Check out these links below or contact your local agronomist or advisor for more information.

SMARTCANE BMP Module 1: soil health and nutrient management. Different regions, soils and weather means best-practice techniques look different for everyone. This module covers ways you can measure nutrients in soil and determine the right amount to apply. It also goes through use of fallow. This includes growing legumes to boost the levels of nutrients in the soil and to help break pest and disease cycles. smartcane.com.au

CANEGROWERS BUSINESS ESSENTIALS CANEGROWERS Business Essentials program provides hands-on tools for growers, provided through a series of workshops that are suitable for all skill and confidence levels. Workshops are tailored to improving the resilience of your sugarcane business including business tools and support for farm productivity. Workshops start in February 2024 and will be free of charge in 2024. canegrowers.com.au/page/resources/business-essentials

SRA’S SOIL HEALTH TOOLBOX Sugar Research Australia’s Soil Health Program invests-in, coordinates and delivers research to adoption projects aimed at improving the condition of sugarcane soils so that they are more resilient to stress and able to support productive, profitable and sustainable farming systems. sugarresearch.com.au/growers-and-millers/soilhealth

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT The SIX EASY STEPS nutrient management program is a comprehensive, integrated and science-based nutrient management program which recognises the range of districts, soil types and soil properties within the sugar industry, while promoting balanced nutrition and sustainability. sugarresearch.com.au/growers-and-millers/nutrient-management

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE WORKSHOPS CANEGROWERS membership with the Queensland Farmers’ Federation allows our growers to access member benefits and deals through QFF’s corporate partners. Resource Consulting Services (RCS) is one of these partners and they offer education and advisory services for onfarm management including workshops that look at regenerative cropping management methods to tackle current agriculture issues like declining soil health and climate variability. qff.org.au/our-corporate-partners/rcs-australia 

the official magazine of australia's sugarcane industry

FIXED TERM EMPOLYMENT CONTRACTS AND UNFAIR CONTRACT TERMS CANEGROWERS Legal Advisor BY CHRIS COOPER 1. New rules for fixed term employment contracts The Federal Government was concerned that some businesses and employers were using fixed term employment contracts as a deliberate way to avoid paying entitlements that would apply if the employee was permanent. Accordingly, new rules about fixed term employment contracts commenced on the 6 December 2023. A fixed term employment contract is a contract for an employee who is employed for a specified period of time, such as a fixed number of months or years or a season. These new rules will affect sugar industry employers who engage employees for a season or other period of time. The rules do not apply to engaging independent contractors or casuals. Key Changes: If you employ someone on a fixed term contract you must now give them a Fixed Term Information Statement in addition to the usual Fair Work Information Statement that should currently be provided. For example if you intend to employ someone for the 2024 season, you must give them these two statements when engaging them. There are now three limitations to using fixed term contracts. a. Term—an employer must not enter into a fixed term employment contract longer than 2 years. b. Renewal/extension—a fixed term contract cannot include renewals or extensions that make the potential term longer than two years. There cannot be more than one renewal or extension built into the contract. c. Consecutive contracts—the employee cannot be offered a new fixed term contract if their previous contract was for a fixed term, and they are doing mainly the same work and there is substantial continuity of work. Note the requirement for continuity of work which essentially means continuing from the

end of one contract into another. If an employee is only employed for one season at a time, and at the end of each season the employment ceases and the employee goes off and does something else and then is reengaged the following year for the next season then that will not be maintaining continuity and that type of engagement will be permitted to continue. There are also some exceptions to these new rules. These Include where a person with specialist skills is engaged for a specific task and a person engaged in essential work. If you are using fixed term contracts, I recommend you consider your employment processes. You may need to seek advice on the impact of the new laws on your operations and whether changes to practices and procedures and documentation should be made. Further information is available from the Fair Work Ombudsman.

2. Unfair contract terms New laws commenced in November that make it easier for small businesses including farmers and consumers to challenge unfair contract terms. The courts can impose significant penalties (in some cases up to $50m) on businesses that impose unfair terms in their standard contracts.

This article contains general advice only. The particular facts and circumstances of each case always need to be taken into account. The comments in this article are general in nature. 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.

JANUARY 2024 – VOLUME46/NUMBER 1

SHARING THE STORY OF SUGARCANE Project and Education Coordinator Shikira Kalatzis said efforts to connect with school communities and educators across the country to promote and develop curriculum-aligned teaching resources is a new initiative for CANEGROWERS. “Currently, the program includes creating teaching resources developed in collaboration with the Primary Industries Education Foundation (PIEFA),” Shikira said. “Young people need to know where food and fibre comes from and how it’s produced. Through the education program, CANEGROWERS also promotes the industry’s growth and advancements. “Our goal is to build the connection between industry and schools through education.” Keep your eye out for more on this throughout 2024!

Educate, Inspire, Connect, Attract and Support Partnership with PIEFA

CANEGROWERS District support

These resources aim to inspire and empower students to learn more about the sugar industry by providing them with engaging and accessible educational materials.

Many CANEGROWERS districts already connect with local schools and participate in educational events throughout the year. This helps create meaningful connections, bridge the gap between industry and schools, build awareness and understanding of the sugarcane industry.

Primary School Teaching Resource—Y5-8: One Plant, Many Products, targets years 5-8 science, design and technology and geography curricula with introduction to cane production, milling, sugar production and value-adding New teaching resources: a new teaching resource centred around sugarcane that is tailored for Year 9-10 students will be released in early 2024. CANEGROWERS is also working with PIEFA to develop a new sugarcane curriculumaligned resource that targets students in Years 11-12.

CANEGROWERS Market Research Building an education strategic framework CANEGROWERS has engaged Kimberlin Education to conduct market research to gather real data to gain primary and secondary teacher insight, knowledge and understanding of the education sector. A research report will then guide the development of an educational strategic framework for the sugarcane industry.

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 17 January 2024

MOSSMAN—TULLY 6T Newton Bulk Fertiliser Bin $2,500. Please call after 7pm or text 0402 686 714 or 0407 144 637. 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. 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.

* 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.

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

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).

Hodge Bulk bag lifter—$700 (plus GST). Ph: 0439 965 921.

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

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.

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

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, Hustler Super Z Zero turn mower, 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. 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. Rotocult 1 shot cultivator $7,000 ONO + GST. Ph: 0149 988 158. 2022 Case 9900 Harvester. Ph: Craig 0436 332 044. 2018 Case 8810 Harvester. Ph: Craig 0436 332 044. 1 of 2021 Case Puma 225 Cut with 16T GTB Razor Tippers All Articulated units. 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. Ph: 0412 968 434, 186 Ross Road Deeral. 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 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. 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.

47 MACKAY—PROSERPINE 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.

Rover 52 inch mower, zero turn, Kawasaki motor, 19 horsepower. $4,000. Ph: 0427 503 738.

Southern cross LAH 7 stage turbine pump. Please phone 0407 595 218.

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

4040 John Deere for sale. Ph: 4954 1174 for price.

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

Water meter never used Siemens brand (no before or after the meter pipework required) 150mm Flanged, Table D/E Ph: 0411 196 860.

4000 litres of 50/50 diesel/petrol mix suitable for firebug burners or parts washing. Ph: 0411 196 860.

6 and 8 inch cast iron flanged Gate Valves. New never used. Ph: 0411 196 860.

Rainfall Repor t

Brought to you by

RECORDED RAINFALL (mm) Month prior (Nov 2023)

Month to date (1 Dec–19 Dec)

Year to date 2023

Year to date 2022

Whyanbeel Valley (Mossman)

61.2

1952.8

5002.2

3554.8

Mareeba Airport

3.4

526.8

964.2

971.4

Cairns Aero

6.6

610.6

2345.4

2037.4

Mt Sophia

1207

4404

4086

Babinda Post Office

70.5

856.3

4870

4543.2

Innisfail

78.8

614.8

3867.4

3621.4

Tully Sugar Mill

84.1

271.2

3658.4

4010.3

Cardwell Marine Pde

99.1

376.6

1822.7

2064.3

Lucinda Township

32.6

160.2

1763.8

2224.6

Ingham Composite

29.2

315

1876.5

2122

Abergowrie Alert

21.2

282

1134.2

466

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

Townsville Aero

18.4

48.8

1085.4

1448

Ayr DPI Research Stn

1115.6

1012.8

AR 50” Rotary Hoe, fully reconditioned. HR 42 120” Rotary Hoe, fully reconditioned. Ph: 0407 643 441 for price.

Proserpine Airport

1467.6

1466.6

Mirani Mary Street

63.2

73.4

1575.3

1236.5

Bonel Plant Cutter for sale GC $450. Ph: 0428 782 202.

Mackay MO

40.8

1379.6

1072

Plane Creek Sugar Mill

65.6

1469.3

1408.9

Bundaberg Aero

77.6

34.2

527.8

1280.6

Childers South

104.6

56.2

574.7

1359.6

Maryborough

97.4

45.4

643.4

1290.6

Tewantin RSL Park

63.8

37.6

799.6

2548

Eumundi—Crescent Rd

2644.9

Nambour DPI—Hillside

141.8

89.2

797.7

2275.3

Logan City Water Treatment Plant

515

1620.6

Murwillumbah Bray Park

111.4

835.6

589.1

Ballina Airport

188.8

8.4

1217.4

2896.4

New Italy (Woodburn)

126.8

8.4

713.5

2579

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.

Hodge side dresser fertiliser box—with 4 Front Fertilizer Coulters, 2 Centre Rippers and Coulters with Crumble Rollers and Centre Drawbar. Also can be used as a soil buster. In the Mackay area. $11,000 + GST. Ph. 0408 874 974 or 0418 874 974. 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. Elevator chains for 102. Ph: 4954 1174 for price. 7T Tractor 200 auto command, super steer, GPS ready, 5549 hours, great condition, farm work only. $110,000. Ph: 0427 503 738.

LOCATION

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

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. 12t self-propelled 6x6 elev infielder. VGC. Mackay. Ph: 0438 606 578. 6t side tipper on Leyland tandem. GC. Mackay. Ph: 0438 606 578. Massey Ferguson 8110 4-wheel drive with cab, 135hp, only 2,636 hours in good condition. $55,000 incl GST. Ph: 0438 606 578.

BUNDABERG—ROCKY POINT

SPEARMAN

DIESEL FITTING P/L 3M WIDTH INCLUDES ROLLER

IN STOCK

Celli Tiger 190 Rotary Hoe 8 Maxwell Crescent Tolga Industrial Estate

0418 350 651 0419 725 781 spear@spearmandiesel.com.au

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

NSW Hodge 1 tonne fertiliser side dresser box for sale. In good condition. Have used this season. No future use. Good coulters and double disc openers do a great job. Hodge 2000 series. Comes with different sprockets etc. Ph: 0438 428 113.

WANTED WTB—4.5’’ Layflat hose in good condition. 200250 metres. Ph: 0419 952 119. Fert. Box ratoon side dress 2 row. Hodge plough. Mossman-Tully. Ph: 0427 119 553.

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.

3-row stool splitter Confidor Applicator in good condition. Mulgrave Area. Ph: 0415 386 322.

Howard HR100 inch Rotary, Napier 24 plate offset discs, Yeoman 11 tyne chisel plough and other excess equipment. Ph: 0417 617 084.

Trailco TP 125 Hard Hose Irrigator or larger. Contact 0419 710 280 or tctownley@bigpond.com.

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.

1x Ford 6600 or Ford 7600 two-wheel drive tractor. Ph: 0439 591 455.

New Holland 8970 Tractor suitable for wrecking. Contact 0419 710 280 or tctownley@bigpond.com.

All panels for Fiat 780. Ph: 0438 421 217. Mackay / Sarina area.

Trailer with side tippers suitable for billet planter. Ph: 0448 482 213 before 7pm.

2011 John Deere 3520 wheel cane harvester, very tidy machine. Ph: 0413 584 728.

6 FT 3 Point linkage grader blade in reasonable condition. Ph: 0478 228 375. Area Bundaberg.

Gessner 2 row bed former. Excellent condition, always shedded, no further use $17,000 ONO. Ph: 0422 118 466.

Looking for a late model billet planter to up grade my old one. Not trailer type. Mackay region Ph: 0408 190 493.

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.

Trailer with side tippers suitable for billet planter (Mossman-Tully). Ph: 0448 482 213 before 7pm.

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

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. Wanted hi-clearance spray tractor. Must be a trike and must have air con cab. Send photos and information to 0407 639 985. 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—Water tank trailer, about 5000 Litres. Ph: 0417 784 642. 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.

49 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.

WORK IN THE INDUSTRY POSITIONS: To see all the current Positions Vacant and Work Wanted advertisements visit: canegrowers.com.au/page/jobs If you are looking for workers let us know.

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Rotary Hoe Blades, Power Harrow Tines, Ripper Legs & Parts, Ripper Points & Sweeps, Discs & Coulters, Weeder Rakes, Coil Tines & ‘S’ Tines, Ride On Mower Blades, Slasher Blades, Mulcher Flails & Hammers, Harvester Points, Slip Down Points, Clamps & Wedges etc Huge Range of Quality Parts at Affordable Prices!

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Australian Canegrower - January 2024

Articles inside

From the Chair

It's January - time to take a breath?

Champion growers

Sugarcane influences the arts

Spicy solution

Far northern deluge