6 July 2015 - Canegrowers

Transcription

Canegrower
AUSTRALIAN
The
Th
he flagsh
agship
hip of the
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he sugarcane
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industry
industry
6 July 2015 Price $8.95
Growers sugar marketing issue recognised
Rural Water Use Efficiency on farm story
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CONTENTS
06.07.2015
CHAIRMAN'S COMMENT
3
The last month has been a period of
much activity and challenges for the
industry. The marketing dispute between
growers and milling companies, while
not resolved, appears to be heading
for government legislated outcome.
Paul Schembri
CANEGROWERS Chairman
Cover: The 2015
harvest is well and
truly underway, with
Queensland mills
firing up for crushing
season.
INDUSTRY NEWS
2 New Aussie sugar industry calendar launched
3 Chairman's comment
Opposite: Pioneer
sugar mill at Brandon,
south of Townsville in
north Queensland.
4 Industry news: Marketing row comes to a head
8 Industry Spotlight: Trans-Pacific Partnership - Time for US to
do the right thing
9 SRA Snapshot: SRA announces 2015/16 investment agenda
Guest Editors
Suzi Moore & Wayne Griffin
Design, subscriptions, advertising and classifieds
Neroli Roocke, Suzi Moore
Articles appearing in Australian Canegrower do
not necessarily represent the policies or views of
CANEGROWERS
Published every second Monday by
CANEGROWERS
Level 6, 100 Edward Street, Brisbane,
Queensland Australia
ABN 94 089 992 969
Postal Address: GPO Box 1032, Brisbane,
Queensland 4001 Australia
Telephone: 07 3864 6444; Fax: 07 3864 6429
Email: info@CANEGROWERS.com.au
Website: www.CANEGROWERS.com.au
CANEGROWERS/Members Card Hotline 1800 177 159
AUSTRALIAN CANEGROWER ISSN 157-3039
Volume 37, Number 13
Printed by Screen Offset Printing
202 Robinson Road, Geebung, QLD, 4034
Subscriptions
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Within Australia
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10 Regional round-up
WHAT’S NEW
13 QSL: IPS and how it affects your returns
14 Smartcane BMP: Cane growers embrace BMP statewide
ON FARM
16 Dewatering bores to address a rising groundwater problem
19 Irrigation Futures project at halfway point
20 The kidney disease epidemic among cane cutters in Central
America
MEMBER SERVICES
22 Classifieds
24 Rainfall Report
$140 inc GST
$220
6 July 2015
| Australian Canegrower
1
GUEST EDITOR’S DESK
It’s nice to be back in the hotseat
for a couple of editions, while
our editor, Neroli Roocke takes
a well-deserved vacation.
Joining me as co-editor this fortnight is
our newest recruit at CANEGROWERS
Queensland, Wayne Griffin. A former
journalist now communications specialist
all the way from Ireland, Wayne has
joined the sugarcane industry during
one of the biggest weeks for growers
in the sugar marketing debate.
Just hours after the Senate findings
and draft code into sugar marketing
were released last fortnight; the milling
sector predicably came out strongly
decrying any need for government
intervention. The country’s largest
miller, Wilmar, tendered a revised
proposal to growers, which appeared to
address growers concerns, but on closer
inspection was essentially a repackaging
of the existing offer on the table.
The new proposal put forward by Wilmar
uses the terminology that growers have
been using and, concerningly, looked
as though it was closer to the mark.
As growers discovered that all was not
as it seemed, they have come away
feeling disappointed and disillusioned.
It seems unfortunate that it’s playing out
this way. These kinds of tactics make a
commercially negotiated outcome more
difficult to achieve and just escalate
pressure for government intervention
to reinstate protection for growers.
This edition, from page 16, we feature
an innovative grower project, trialling
a technology that is showing early
promising signs that it may help address
the concerning salinity and rising
groundwater issues in the Burdekin.
The project is funded by the proactive
Rural Water Use Efficiency – Irrigation
Futures program. The RWUE-IF project
is half way through and with the help
of projects such as this one, has been
achieving what it set out to achieve.
Co-Editors
Suzi Moore & Wayne Griffin
New online calendar for Aussie sugar industry
The Australian sugarcane industry
now has its own dedicated
online calendar, detailing events
happening across the industry.
The new calendar is available
at www.canecalendar.com.au. It
has been developed by Sugar
Research Australia and has been a
collaboration across the sugarcane
industry’s representative bodies.
The aim of the calendar
is to give growers,
millers, and the entire
industry a single
point where they can
view and search for
upcoming activities
and events that are
relevant to them.
The calendar will define
events by their format,
such as grower shed
meetings, grower field
days, industry advisor
updates, or industryspecific events.
People using the
calendar can search
by event type
or by region.
2
Australian Canegrower
| 6 July 2015
There is also an ‘add to calendar’
feature, where people can keep track of
events via their own Outlook calendar.
For this to be successful, it requires
contributions from all of industry.
Submit any local events to Andrea
Evers on 07 3331 3333 or by emailing
aevers@sugarresearch.com.au. 
80 years of
cane toads
It's 80 years since entomologist
Reginald Mungomery's
fateful decision to import
102 South American cane
toads into Queensland to
combat the cane beetle.
Within days of their arrival in
1935, the 51 female and 50 male
toads (one male didn't survive the
trip) had begun breeding. Within
weeks, Mungomery had thousands
of toads ready for release.
Of course, it didn't take long to
realise toads can't jump high
enough to eat the beetles they were
introduced to eradicate. Despite
this discovery, and a growing
concern about the ecological
impact the toads could have on
the environment, no "clean-up"
operations were undertaken to deal
with the expanding toad population.
Eight decades on and the poisonous
cane toad, now ranked 17 on the
world's Top 100 Worst Invasive
Alien Species list, has spread as far
south as Port Macquarie in NSW
and through the Northern Territory
into Western Australia, wiping out
native species along its path. 
CHAIRMAN'S COMMENT
A step closer on marketing
By Paul Schembri
CANEGROWERS Chairman
The leader of a prominent agricultural
industry in Australia said to me recently
that the Australian sugar industry
seems to never sleep, such is the
amount of headlines that emanate
from the sugar industry. Whilst not
entirely true, nonetheless it does
indicate how the sugar industry has
such a visible and imposing presence.
The last month has been a period
of much activity and challenges
for the industry. The marketing
dispute between growers and milling
companies, while not resolved, appears
to be heading for government legislated
outcome. From this editorial I want
to publicly acknowledge the work
undertaken by Senators Matt Canavan
and Barry O’Sullivan in fighting hard
to ensure the grower voice was heard
in the corridors of power. I particularly
acknowledge George Christensen
MP, Federal Member for Dawson,
who has been resolute in ensuring
that cane growers maintain market
power in a deregulated industry.
It is unfortunate that Wilmar sought
to elevate this dispute to a matter of
foreign investment and sovereign risk.
CANEGROWERS has never characterised
this dispute as a matter of foreign
investment and foreign control of our
industry. That foreign investment was
and is welcome. It is simply a matter of
growers being squeezed out by mills
exercising their regional mill monopoly
market power. Restoring balance will
ensure growers can continue to make
investment decisions that will benefit
themselves and the industry as a whole.
When the Queensland Government
of 2006 deregulated the industry,
Memorandums of Understanding were
signed by the miller sector, the growing
sector and the Premier of the day, Peter
Beattie, on the continuing principle that
growers would remain firmly involved
in marketing of sugar. At the time this
was achieved through the involvement
of industry-owned not-for-profit,
QSL, but this intent was overturned
when Wilmar unilaterally announced
their intention to break away from the
industry-owned model and channel
marketing through their own corporate
business arm. This has increased
market power to the milling sector who
exercise regional monopoly status.
“I want to publicly acknowledge the work
undertaken by Senators Matt Canavan and
Barry O’Sullivan and George Christensen MP
in fighting hard to ensure the grower voice
was heard in the corridors of power. ”
Paul Schembri CANEGROWERS Chairman
The Senate Inquiry Report released
recently, confirms that a light form
of government intervention is
required, without which grower
market power will reduce. The Senate
Inquiry had a simple, yet powerful
recommendation – there is a need for
the industry to develop and implement
a mandatory Code of Conduct.
The Senate Inquiry is a product of
an all-party committee, made up of
representatives from the Liberals,
Nationals, Labor and the Greens.
This report has all-party support
and we are keen to have further
discussions about its implementation.
The Federal MP for Dawson, who
chairs the Federal Government’s
Taskforce into raw sugar marketing,
also released his committee’s
report and recommendations. His
Taskforce also released a draft code
of conduct for the sugar industry.
In making its recommendation, the
Senate Committee acknowledged the
separate work of the Sugar Marketing
Taskforce as providing a foundation
upon which a code could be established.
Where is this marketing dispute
headed? We do not rule out having
further discussions with milling
companies. However, the bottom line
for CANEGROWERS and the ACFA is
a model, where growers can have a
choice of the marketing channel for their
production. There is a lot more water
to flow under the bridge on this issue!
Membership value important,
now more than ever!
These are tough times for growers and
it is a fierce struggle for farmers to keep
their heads above water. We would say
the enormous amount of work being
done on broad variety of complex issues
are excellent reasons to maintain a
strong CANEGROWERS organisation.
CANEGROWERS is only as strong
as its people, and our people are
our members. CANEGROWERS is
known for punching above its weight
and this ability has historically been
underpinned by our relatively high
membership levels and grower support.
The current discussions around future
marketing arrangements underpin the
true value of having a strong collective
voice for the industry. Notwithstanding
this one large issue, there are a myriad
of others; crippling electricity prices,
trade and market access, the position
of sugar in the diet of the consumer,
explaining our environmental credentials
and the real canary in the mine shaft of
declining productivity and profitability.
We need to work together on these
issues and a strong and financially
resourceful CANEGROWERS
network is the best way to drive
profitability outcomes for farmers.
CANEGROWERS will be working
hard over the coming months with
our districts to not only prosecute
successful outcomes for growers on
all these issues, but also reinforce
and explain the very strong value
for money membership returns
that we strive to deliver.
Obviously the more we stick together
and work collaboratively across
the industry and with all farming
groups, the better the outcomes
we will achieve for all. 
WANT MORE NEWS, VIEWS
AND PHOTOS?
Find CANEGROWERS on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/
CANEGROWERSAustralia
6 July 2015
3
INDUSTRY NEWS
Millers told a code for sugar marketing is needed, but
they refuse to listen
By Suzi Moore, Communications
Hours after the Senate findings and draft code into sugar marketing was released last fortnight; the milling sector predictably
came out strongly decrying any need for government intervention. The country’s largest miller, Wilmar, tendered a revised
proposal to growers which looked good on the surface, but on closer inspection simply repackaged the existing offer on
the table.
The new proposal put forward by Wilmar uses the terminology that growers are using and, disconcertingly, at face-value
appears to address growers’ concerns. CANEGROWERS and ACFA warn this is far from the case and that these kinds of tactics
make a commercially negotiated outcome more difficult to achieve. It reinforces the need for government intervention to
restore market balance between growers and millers.
It has been a big fortnight in the
sugar marketing debate. The two
broad-ranging federal reviews into
the marketing of Australian sugar, one
by a multiparty Senate Committee
the other by a Taskforce appointed
by the Federal Government, run
independently of each other, both
with extremely comprehensive and
wide-ranging consultation processes,
arrived at the same conclusion.
There is a need for a mandatory
Code of Conduct for sugar.
No stone was left unturned in the
two investigations, each conducted
over the many months that lead
up to this point. All parties with an
interest in sugar marketing had the
opportunity to make formal submissions
and a formal presentation of their
case. That’s a lot of feedback to get
through. But get through it they did,
and after a short extension, both
reports were tendered. Both carried
the same strong message: There is a
need for a mandatory code for sugar
to address the imbalance in market
power between millers and growers.
Just hours later, presenting its new
model to a group of growers who were
chosen to represent the CANEGROWERS
collectives who supply Wilmar, Wilmar
gave growers yet another reason to
feel like a mandatory code was
the only way to break the impasse.
On the surface it looked like significant
steps had been made. On closer
inspection, it was discovered that
what was being put forward was
little more than a repackaging of
what was previously on the table.
The grower negotiation team came
away saying they felt deflated. They
welcomed the fact that Wilmar now
concede that growers have an economic
interest in the sugar produced. But
remained deeply disappointed that
Wilmar is continuing to deny growers
a say in the critical business decision,
who sells and prices growers economic
share of the sugar. It seemed like
a case of smoke and mirrors.
The report made it sound like growers
are anti-foreign investment, even
though the growers have been clear
all the way through this debate that
they have welcomed the much needed
new investment in their mills. Growers
are only fighting to keep their longstanding rights over choosing the
marketer of their share of the sugar.
The proposal and Wilmar’s public
statements, issued even before
the meeting concluded, has raised
serious concerns about trust in future
negotiations and trust is exactly
what is needed to go forward.
The Financial Review article report
appeared to insinuate that the foreign
minister was warning that attempts
to regulate the sale of sugar would
jeopardise Australia’s international and
free trade agreement obligations.
Here’s a quick summary of how
events of the week played out.
Something doesn’t add up here.There is
something broader at play. Something
is not quite right. The comments by the
Foreign Minister stood in contrast to
those of her own party members, a Code
of Conduct for sugar marketing having
been promoted by Federal Government
backbenchers as well as the Opposition
LNP Government in Queensland.
Wednesday 17 June: Lateline
story, followed by article in
Financial Review the next day
ABC-TV’s Lateline followed by the
Financial Review runs a story on the
sugar marketing dispute, revealing
that Wilmar has been pushing hard
Mr George Christensen
Mr Christensen said he didn’t expect Wilmar to be
happy about the code process advancing but stressed
he had urged an industry resolution to reached.
“While you’re holding a gun to growers heads and saying
‘here’s a take it or leave it contract, you will take our
demands and our demands are that you will have no
more say in the marketing arrangements which determine
your price - your pay - for your product,” he said.
4
| 6 July 2015
amongst Australia’s political ranks
against the grower moves to have
their rights reinstated. It appears a
letter has been leaked between the
federal trade Minister Julia Bishop
and the Queensland Government
Minister for Agriculture, appearing
to be a thinly veiled warning against
the State Government intervening.
KAP Leader and Federal Member for
Kennedy Bob Katter came out in
immediate defence of growers saying
“Clearly she is more reactive to the
pecuniary interests of corporations like
Wilmar Sugar than of her own back
bench,” Mr Katter said. “Corporate
agreements do not override the will
of the people... It’s called democracy,
not corporatocracy,” he says. Farmers
would be left no choice but to
accept the price allocated. ►
INDUSTRY NEWS
STUMBLING BLOCKS: TWO MAJOR POINTS OF DIFFERENCE
Grower Pathways
Wilmar’s Revised Proposal
5 key points
8 key points
Recognise Economic Interest (EI)
sugar
1.
1.
Cane price linked to net sugar price
3
2.
Growers receive full economic benefit
3
3.
Grower access to transaction details
3
2.
Clearly define GEI and MEI sugar
4.
Grower Nominal Sugar Exposure (NSE) equals GEI
3
3.
Enable genuine choice for
growers and millers, in pricing
5.
Growers independently manage their sugar price
exposure
3
6.
Growers choice of pricing mechanisms
3
2
4.
Enable genuine choice for
growers and millers, in marketing
7.
Mill choice not grower choice over sales and marketing
of sugar
5.
Dispute resolution process
8.
Growers rights
•
•
Post-contractual
Pre-contractual
•
Full independent audit
3
•
Formal “contractually documented” measures including
dispute resolution process
3
•
Pre-contractual dispute resolution, mediation not arbitration
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Queensland Senator Barry O'Sullivan
Queensland Senator Barry O'Sullivan says millers have shown themselves
unwilling to budge on how raw sugar exports are sold into the market.
“Just as the ACCC has been called upon by CANEGROWERS and the
Queensland Government to investigate Wilmar Sugar’s proposal, the
Foreign Review Investment Board should also investigate whether
this company is operating in a manner that is entirely consistent with
the undertakings it made... We should all approach this company’s
public statements with caution.” Senator O’Sullivan warned.
Friday 19 June: Julie Bishop formal
clarification
development of a mandatory Code of
Conduct for the marketing of sugar.
The next morning Julia Bishop takes to
the Financial Review, having a clarifier
printed saying she says she is neither
for nor against the proposal. At midday,
George Christensen takes to the airways
with Craig Zonca on ABC’s Country
Hour saying that he has been assured
by the Federal Trade Minister that the
correspondence was akin to a form
letter always sent in these instances.
“This validates the enormous concern
by Australian cane growers. It is a
significant step forward for growers
in this pivotal debate with millers,”
said Chairman of peak group
CANEGROWERS, Paul Schembri.
This has commentators speculating
about who leaked the letter and why,
but no one gets a chance to dwell on it
for too long, the action is far from over.
The following week the debate will be
driven in a whole different direction.
Wednesday July 24: senate
report released
The broad-scale senate investigation
finally hands down its comprehensive,
unanimous bipartisan finding that
there is a case for a mandatory
code of conduct in the marketing
of Australia’s sugar.
For the first time since the
issue arose, the voice of the
growers had been heard.
In their report, the Senate Inquiry into
the current and future arrangements
for the marketing of Australian sugar
found that if nothing is done, growers
will lose power in the market and
value chain, and action is needed.
CANEGROWERS says, in essence, the
report recognised that the nation’s cane
growers are subject to a significant
market imbalance against them
and in favour of the large corporate
mills they supply. It’s a message that
Australia’s cane growers have been
shouting from the roof for over a year
now, but as is often the case when
taking farmers take up a case against
a large corporate they supply, have
been having trouble being heard.
The Senate committee found that the
federal government’s Sugar Marketing
Taskforce is best placed to progress the
6
| 6 July 2015
Thursday 25 June: Code
of Conduct released
The very next morning, the
proposed mandatory Code of
Conduct was released.
Both the Senate Inquiry and
Code of Conduct Taskforce are
in fierce agreement about the
need for a mandatory code.
Peak groups CANEGROWERS and the
Australian Cane Farmers Association
(ACFA) say that the code cuts right to the
heart of the issue by giving cane farmers
the choice of how their economic share
of the sugar is marketed. It also puts
in place a dispute resolution process to
ensure growers are heard and have a fair
process in dealings with any pre or post
contractual issues with their local mills.
CANEGROWERS and ACFA say that it
is a testament to the taskforce and the
unrelenting work of the Chair, George
Christensen, that such an extensive
and broad ranging consultation was
conducted. “It is not an easy road
when you are bridging a gap with large
corporate interests. We commend the
dogged focus of the Christensen led
taskforce in consulting so broadly and
being courageous enough to make the
tough but sensible and justified call,”
agree the Chairs of CANEGROWERS and
ACFA Paul Schembri and Don Murday.
“Growers will take an enormous
amount of confidence that the
loss of their power in the market
and value chain could be restored
through this action,” they say.
Mr Schembri says explains to the media
that left unaddressed, current proposals
by the nation’s three largest millers
would deny growers the opportunity
to choose a marketing company for
the sugar in which that they have an
economic interest, leaving all marketing
decisions to be made by the mills.
“While growers are essentially
locked in to supplying sugarcane
to their local mill, they want some
say as to who sells their economic
share of the sugar that has been
extracted from that cane,” he says.
“The imbalance which would be created
against the nation’s cane farmers is
worthy of government intervention
to ensure growers have access to a
competitive marketing environment.
CANEGROWERS will continue to work
closely with every side of politics and
every stakeholder involved ensuring
that the basic rights of cane growers are
enhanced,” Mr Schembri told the media.
Thursday 25 June: Wilmar issues
release, worded as if growers
concerns have been met.
Shortly thereafter, Wilmar, whilst
still in the midst of negotiations with
the grower team puts forward their
revised proposal. Even though mills
would not be any worse off by taking
on board the terms of the draft code
just released, and even under pressure
that there is now broader recognition
that there is a need for a code, it
appears that their offering is nothing
short of a rebadging and repackaging
of the offer already on the table.
Cane growers supplying Wilmar mills
were left shell-shocked that Wilmar
appeared to be continuing to tell
growers that they can not have choice
in marketing, even though the senate
inquiry and code of conduct taskforce
made it clear that it is needed to rectifyy
the commercial imbalance against
gainst
the nation’s cane growers. ►
NSW Nationals Senator John Williams
NSW Nationals Senator John Williams said the
code was needed because cane growers have no
choice in where they deliver sugar cane to.
“The committee understands that growers are anxious
about the future and wants to see the milling companies,
particularly Wilmar, come to the table and engage
in positive negotiations with cane growers.”
INDUSTRY NEWS
Speaking from Townsville where
negotiations between Wilmar and
the CANEGROWERS collectives
supplying them had just wound
up, CANEGROWERS Collective
Chairman, Steve Guazzo, confirmed
that all Wilmar had done was to
repackage their previous offer.
He says in Wilmar’s press release,
issued before the supposed goodfaith negotiations were even
finished, Wilmar continued to
misrepresent the growers’ position.
“Wilmar’s actions reinforce
CANEGROWERS strong support for
the mandatory Code of Conduct as
proposed by the Federal Government’s
Sugar Marketing Taskforce as
recommended by the Senate Inquiry,”
Mr Guazzo said on behalf of the grower
negotiating team upon inspecting the
offer and Wilmar’s press statement.
Gold standard? more like
fools gold say growers
“The release made it appear that Wilmar
had made considerable concessions,
but what they’ve in fact offered is mere
puffery and is little more than what was
previously on the table,” says Mr Guazzo.
“Wilmar have not moved on
grower choice in marketing. They
have offered growers no choice
and no arbitrated pre-contractual
dispute resolution ability.
“While Wilmar has agreed to
recognise the term grower economic
interest (GEI) sugar, they failed to
allow growers choice over how it
is marketed – basically the main
tenant for having GEI recognised.
“The growers’ model is for title to
remain with mills, even where growers
choose an alternative marketer for GEI
sugar. Nonetheless, under the grower
model, mills will have an ability to
access GEI sugar and take it to market.
“The mills would be no worse off
under what’s being proposed by
the growers and they will have
an opportunity to improve their
position by their choice and working
cooperatively with growers.”
Mr Guazzo says what Wilmar
was describing as their goldplated benchmark is nothing
short of fool’s gold.
CANEGROWERS remains adamant that
growers need mills to listen to and work
with them. “They are not listening to
growers now. “Their tactics appear to be
trying to lead growers and the media
to believe that they are delivering on
growers demands. We want real results
and to make sure corporate interests
are denied the opportunity to leverage
profit from the pockets of growers.
“A code is only needed to protect
people when they have no power in
the business relationship. This kind of
action is only underscoring that there is
a clear commercial imbalance here.” 
Queensland LNP Senator Matt Canavan
Senator Canavan said codes of conduct existed in other industries
like wheat exports where growers had limited market choices.
“The position cane growers find themselves in is very similar to
the position grain growers find themselves in, in having only
having one export facility, often to go through,” he said. "The
code is a very reasonable and moderate change and I hope the
government will consider it and I hope Wilmar will also consider
it because the best outcome would be that we get a commercial
negotiated outcome that allows the sugar industry to go forward.”
6 July 2015
7
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
Time to “do the right thing” for sugar in the TPP
By Warren Males,
CANEGROWERS Head - Economics
The key impediment which had
been preventing finalisation of the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
trade deal has now been removed.
The US Congress has approved
Trade Promotion Authority (TPA).
TPA allows President Obama to
conclude trade deals, including the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and
take them to Congress for an up-ordown vote without amendment.
This is a big deal. It should ease the
finalisation and passage of TPP.
Strangely, for the world’s leading
economy, with trade a key driver
of its prosperity, trade bills are
contentious pieces of legislation. For
many, the job and wealth creating
opportunities of trade, arising from a
more dynamic economy and growth
prospects, are outweighed by strong
protectionist arguments of a few.
Needless to say, segments of
the US sugar lobby are amongst
the few. But there are some
who want to see change.
Considerable uncertainty currently
lies over US sugar supply. Earlier this
month, to avoid a crisis in this year’s
sugar supply, the USTR reallocated
157,937 metric tons raw value (MTRV)
of the original import quotas (TRQ) for
raw cane sugar from countries that are
unable to fill their previously allocated
raw sugar TRQ quantities to countries
that are able to supply the sugar.
As part of the reallocation, Australia’s
access to the US in the current US
fiscal year (ending 30 September
2015) increased by 24.0% (21,739
MTRV) to 109,141 MTRV.
While US sugar beet and sugarcane
producers are clear and strong
beneficiaries of the US sugar program,
the program is delivering little, if any,
benefit to US sugar refiners struggling
to source raw sugar to process.
This adverse supply situation is a
consequence of the US-Mexico
Sugar Suspension Agreement (SSA)
that followed a US International
Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that
Mexico was dumping subsidised
sugar onto the US market.
The SSA guarantees access for Mexican
sugar equal to “US import need”
after accounting for all other sources
of supply as calculated by USDA,
presently about 1.5 million MTRV.
There is no sound reason why
unsubsidised Australian sugar should
have lesser access to the US market
than Mexican sugar, which has been
ruled “subsidised and dumped”.
The DoC investigation could result
in Mexican sugar being subject to
full anti-dumping and countervailing
duties. In such a situation the US
would need to turn to other suppliers
to meet its sugar supply needs.
These are just two of the scenarios that
lie ahead for US sugar supplies. Under
each there is scope for very significant
improvements in access to the US
for Australian raw sugar in the TPP.
Winston Churchill is reported to
have once said, “You can always
count on the Americans to do the
right thing, but only after they
have tried everything else.”
Until now, for sugar in the TPP, the
US has been trying everything else.
As the TPP negotiations draw to
a close, it’s now time for them
to do “the right thing”. 
Reflecting their frustration at the
impact of Mexican sugar and the
Quick facts: USA-Australia
SSA on their businesses, Imperial
Sugar and Amcane have asked the
US Department of Commerce (DoC)
to complete its investigation into the
subsidisation and dumping of Mexican
sugar and challenged the terms of
the SSA. They say the SSA limits their
access to raw sugar for refining.
USA
Season
Australia
2015
sugarcane, Mmt
2015
29
30-35
31
3-4
3.4
4.5-5.0
4.5
26-32
30
nil
nil
beet sugar, Mmt
4-5
4.5
nil
nil
total sugar, Mmt
7.5-8.5
7.9
4.5-5.0
4.5
gross value of
production, US$bn
5.7-6.4
6.1
1.1-1.9
1.5
cane sugar, Mmt
beet, Mmt
beet area harvested, kha
464
nil
335
380
Behind the scenes, there are
different views within the US
sugar industry and broader US
business community on how sugar
should be treated in the TPP.
cane farms
666
4000
beet farms
3913
nil
cane mills
17
24
beet mills
15
nil
Some argue that if the US is looking
for other countries to remove their
heavily protectionist supply managed
cane sugar refineries
10
3
| 6 July 2015
Season
22.5-29
cane area harvested, kha
Longer term US sugar supply
pressures are not easing.
8
systems for products like dairy in
Canada and rice in Japan, then the US
should be prepared to show leadership
and improve access to its own heavily
supply-managed sugar market.
Sources: USDA Agricultural Census 2012; USDA Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook;
CANEGROWERS; Australian Sugar Milling Council
Industry Spotlight sponsored by Smartcane BMP
SNAPSHOT | SRA
By Neil Fisher, CEO
Sugar Research Australia
SRA announces
investment agenda
SRA Executive Manager for Development Dr Peter
Allsopp checks out the forthcoming variety for the
Herbert, SRA3, with local grower and CANEGROWERS
Herbert River Deputy Chairman, Michael Pisano.
Sugar Research Australia (SRA) has just
announced its research investment
agenda for 2015/2016, which will deliver
research and development outcomes
that provide direct benefits to sugarcane
growers and millers. We are investing
$17.5 million in research for 2015/2016
and are prioritising the research on four
impact areas that need urgent attention
for the Australian sugarcane industry.
These critical impact areas are Yellow
Canopy Syndrome (YCS), conventional
and genetically modified plant breeding,
harvesting efficiency, and adoption.
Our industry faces ongoing challenges
that require substantial research
investment, but these issues need
immediate attention and solutions.
The $17.5 million investment includes
$4 million via SRA’s contestable
funding pool for projects starting
in the 2015/2016 financial year,
with these projects strongly
prioritising the four impact areas.
This includes two significant projects
to tackle the YCS problem, including
a project to examine the root systems
of affected plants, and a project to
examine leaf sucrose and the link to
diseases and physiological disorders.
SRA’s investment is funded by the
statutory levy of 70 cents per tonne of
cane, to which growers and millers each
contribute 35c per tonne of cane. This
investment in research is supported by
matching funds of about $5.5M from
the Federal Government and $4.15M
from the Queensland Department
of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF).
More information about the
new projects is available on the
Sugar Research Australia website,
www.sugarresearch.com.au.
SRA Board's northern
visit informative
The SRA Board met in mid-June with
SRA investors in Cairns, Innisfail and
Ingham. The regional visit format
for SRA Board meetings continues
to be an important means for Board
members to meet directly with
growers, millers, and other parties,
including CANEGROWERS, productivity
boards and industry organisations.
It was also an important opportunity
for the Board to discuss current
research and other activities directly
with staff at the SRA facilities
at Meringa and at Ingham.
Each evening the Board met with local
growers and millers at a function,
where Chairman Paul Wright AM
gave a presentation on current SRA
activities. The event in Ingham also saw
a presentation by Dr Peter Allsopp,
Executive Manager – Development,
to explain SRA's enhancements to the
Herbert plant breeding program.
Nearly 200 SRA investors attended
across the three functions.
Herbert region growers
and millers to benefit
from plant breeding
program improvements
SRA has announced significant
enhancements to sugarcane breeding
in the Herbert region. SRA’s breeding
programs across the industry
continue to bring new and improved
sugarcane varieties through the
development pipeline for the industry.
An important part of that process is
working with local industry needs.
The enhancements to plant breeding
in the Herbert include a stronger
emphasis on selecting varieties
with good pachymetra resistance
and with lower flowering, to ensure
varieties are being developed that
maximise returns to industry.
SRA varieties trials will also be changed
so that potential varieties can be tested
in a range of different conditions to
see how they perform. SRA will also
ensure that varieties ratoon well, by
working with Herbert Cane Productivity
Services Limited to harvest some
varieties under commercial conditions.
There will also be changes at the
SRA farm, including additional
staff, and the purchase of new
and refurbished equipment.
These changes will deliver positive
outcomes to Herbert region growers
and millers and will have broader
benefits across the industry.
It will help SRA continue to have new
varieties moving through the pipeline
to become a commercial reality in the
paddock. Together with the Herbert
initiative of Target 85, we expect to
see local yields increase significantly.
Herbert region grower Michael Pisano
has welcomed the enhancements.
“I congratulate the Board and
management of SRA on having the
foresight to make these enhancements
to the breeding program in the Herbert,”
Mr Pisano said. “The resources that are
being put towards the problems we
face in the Herbert is something that
the local industry strongly welcomes.”
New industry calendar
SRA has developed and launched a
new online events calendar for our
industry, which you can read more
about on page 2. I encourage all
industry participants to get involved
in making this calendar a success. 
6 July 2015
9
INDUSTRY NEWS
CANEGROWERS Regional round-up
By CANEGROWERS district offices
Mossman
At the end of week 6 (June 21), Mossman
Mill processed a total of 161,018 tonnes
of cane, for an average of 10.85CCS.
The mill was stopped for most of
week six due to wet weather and a
24-hour stop for boiler leak repairs. In
week seven the wet weather has hung
around, so more delays are likely.
Tully
Rain, rain and more rain. After what was
a dry wet-season, Tully has reverted to
a wetter June, with over 230mm of rain
for the month to date. The proposed
mill start on June 10 was forced back
because of showers and rain across
most of the district. The mill started
crushing on June 19, with intermittent
supply. The crop is continuing to
grow and estimates are for a crop in
the order of 2.5 million tonnes. Early
CCS has been promising given the
conditions, and prior to the recent
rain most of the crop was standing.
Innisfail
Crushing has again been put back
due to the high rainfall that has been
experienced in the last two weeks.
At time of writing, crushing at South
Johnstone Mill was scheduled to
commence on Tuesday June 30,
but this was subject to last minute
revision, with more rain expected.
With the very low world sugar prices,
growers will need to maximise the
CCS of their cane. Rushing into wet
paddocks is also not good for ratooning
crops and many growers have suffered
in the past with poor ratooning as a
consequence. Under the Cane Price
Formula used to calculate the division
of the values received for sugar, mill
owners are guaranteed the first four
units, so for them it is not a concern if
the CCS is deflated due to wet weather.
After investing millions of dollars
(which they do every year) growers
are eager to remove the crop and are
aware that further delays will impact
on the finish date later in the year.
There have been further meetings with
MSF Sugar representatives regarding
the future of marketing and pricing.
A presentation of the initiative of
the growing sector - Pathways to
Market, Grower Choice GEI - was
made at the most recent meeting,
however MSF Sugar have remained
firmly entrenched in their position
to market all the sugar from 2017.
Herbert River
Cane crushed to date at time of
writing was 6,922 tonnes averaging
9.49CCS. The lowest test was 3.2CCS. 13
harvesting groups had started working
at time of writing. Mud on roads has
BURDEKIN CANE FARM WITH CROP
AUCTION
23 July at 11am, Anzac Memorial Club Burke St Ayr
LOCHINVAR ROAD, BARRATTA, QLD
Under instructions from
Bill Buckby and Robert Hutson
as Receivers and Managers
CROPPING
0407 169 414
3 pumps
Shed / living
amenities /
cold rooms
The four mills have settled and are
crushing well. At the end of week two,
over 515,000 tonnes of cane had been
crushed for the season. Showers have
had minimal impact on crush. Average
CCS for the region has increased from
12.39 in week one to 12.84 in week two,
which is slightly higher than for the same
time last year (12.41). However, some
growers have experienced very low CCS
and there has been concern expressed
that the crop is not yet ripe. The lack
of arrows seems to support this view.
The below average rainfall in the region
and the general catchment of the
Burdekin River has resulted in current
water levels in the Burdekin Falls Dam
being lower than usual (75% compared
99% the same time last year). Lower
Burdekin Water has released a public
notice stating that if below average
rainfall continues, it is highly likely
there will be reduced water allocation
entitlements for the coming year.
*Approx
colliers.com.au
10 Australian Canegrower | 6 July 2015
Burdekin
Growers have been advised to consider
take this into consideration when
making decisions regarding crop cycles
planning and on-farm management
practices. More information will
be available in July, after SunWater
makes its announcement, and this
will be reviewed on a monthly basis.
Angelo Castorina
50.37* Ha
land area
been reported as an issue. At the time
of writing, the loading was expected
to achieve 5,000 tonnes. Under the
terms of the Cane Supply Agreement,
the indicative supply entitles Wilmar
to advise growers to not harvest
until there is a sufficient supply for
continuity of operations. Harvesting
contractors were being advised by
Wilmar not to start harvesting until
advised and to “consult your growers”.
Wilmar acknowledges it will be liable
for Late Cane under the terms of the
CSA, where there is greater than 22
hours delay from scheduled pick up to
crush. You are advised to avoid badly
YCS affected cane and consult HCPSL
for advice regarding the best time of
harvest. Extraneous matter and tops
which reduce CCS should be minimised.
Continued page 11 ►
INDUSTRY NEWS
Proserpine
The 2015 Proserpine crush commenced
at 4:00pm on Tuesday 23 June.
While light rain delayed the start by
a few hours, there were a sufficient
number of harvesters capable of
maintaining a sufficient supply to
kick start the season. The pre-season
estimate of 1.76 million tonnes was
initially thought to be optimistic,
however the recent rain and warmer
than normal June temperatures has
seen the crop continue to grow. Most
of the district has been affected by
YCS and it will be interesting to see
what impact this has on the preseason estimate. With less than 4,000
tonnes crushed on the first day, early
indications are that severely affected
blocks are returning low purity and CCS.
The district is currently experiencing
light showers and this will undoubtedly
affect supply over the next week.
Isis
The Isis crushing season commenced
in June, with a crop estimate of 1.3M
tonnes. In the first week, Isis Mill
processed 13,486 tonnes of cane for
an average CCS of 12.10 There was a
short delay in crushing due to showery
weather. The second week has seen
39,751 tonnes crushed, with a seasonal
average CCS of 12.08. The highest
individual CCS recorded for the week
was 15.11 units from second ratoon
Q240. Isis Productivity Limited held a
series of shed meetings around the Isis
supply area over a two-day period to
inform growers on a variety of topics.
A Farmers-Teaching-Farmers Bus Tour
was attended by 40 growers on June
10. The event highlighted Australian
Government Reef Programme projects
addressing irrigation efficiency, water
quality and run off reduction.
Maryborough
MSF Limited commenced crushing on
June 23. This was one day later than
planned due to rainfall over the district
in the previous week. At the time of
writing, the mill had crushed 11,296
tonnes of cane at CCS level of 12.44.
The estimate for the season is 830,000
tonnes, however this could increase
as the district has received favourable
rainfall and warm weather during the
early part of winter. A reminder to
growers seeking “Reef Rescue” funding
to lodge a submission of interest with
the CANEGROWERS office urgently.
Mackay and Plane Creek
For Mackay Sugar, Farleigh and
Marian mills were offline for the entire
week ending June 21, due to wet
weather halting harvest operations.
Racecourse Mill crushed 8,287 tonnes
of cane on Saturday June 20. To date,
242,153 tonnes of cane has been
processed in the Mackay region.
Wilmar Plane Creek commenced
operations on June 23, with an initial
stoppage impacting on the first day.
New South Wales
The 2015 harvest season at both
Harwood and Broadwater mill areas
commenced on June 10. Showers in
both mill areas, especially Broadwater,
has affected cane supply. 40,889 tonnes
of cane, at an average CCS of 9.44
(almost half a unit below budget), was
harvested in the first week and a half
at Harwood. 28,983 tonnes of cane at
an average CCS of 10.0 was harvested
at Broadwater Mill. The Harwood crop
is currently harvesting at 114% of the
grower estimate. The continuing threat
of showers is keeping growers vigilant,
with firing of cane in an effort to keep
the fleet of harvesters fully operational.
Condong Mill commenced crushing on
June 22, however rainfall in that area has
resulted in disruptions to the harvest. 
Accelerating success.
Reach more people - better results faster.
DEVELOP AND DIVERSIFY
FARMING/GRAZING/ECO TOURISM
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST closing 16 July 2015 at 4pm
SPRINGVALE STATION, VIA LAKELAND, QUEENSLAND
GRAZING
Rawdon Briggs
0428 651 144
56,595* Ha
4,500* head
cattle
Developed
Development
water storage potential for
1,700* Ha
Stacey Quaid
0418 773 258
colliers.com.au/15471
*Approx
colliers.com.au
6 July 2015
| Australian Canegrower 11
QSL
SIGN UP FOR MARKET UPDATES AND QSL NEWS AT WWW.QSL.COM.AU
ICE No.11 Prompt Futures Contract
Market Update
19.5
18.5
By Shaun Tupou, Treasury Analyst
17.5
Current as of 29 June 2015
16.5
Market Commentary
15.5
Sugar
14.5
Despite a previous week of consecutive life-of-contract lows, raw sugar futures
staged a respectable recovery over the past week. Flat prices bounced for the
most part, with the soon-to-expire JUL15 contract no exception. It bottomed
out at 11.17 c/lb for the week’s low on Tuesday, followed by a jump in flat prices,
seeing the front of the board making double-digit gains and losses across the
next two sessions. The last session found the week’s high of 11.85 c/lb which
closed at 11.67 c/lb – 55 points up on the week. Spread activity mirrored the flat
prices somewhat, as front month spreads widened before closing in at week end.
13.5
12.5
11.5
It was a choppy fortnight for the Brazilian Real as it strengthened to 3.03 versus
the US dollar. The remainder of the fortnight saw a slow unwinding of these gains
as the Real closed at 3.12. With this slight weakening at the end of the fortnight it
appears that sugar has disproved the statement that it’s happy to trace the Real
down and divorce itself at any upside.
Australian Dollar (AUD v USD)
0.97
0.95
0.93
Fundamentally, the latest UNICA report for June and weather forecasts for
Brazil and India have led the headlines, with a slight decrease in their cane crush
outlook.
0.91
0.89
0.87
After a momentous increase in shorts for the Non-Index Funds in the week
before, the latest Commitment of Traders report showed a marginal increase of
4000 lots. Non-Index Funds now sit 100,000 lots net short.
0.85
0.83
0.81
The past fortnight has seen raw sugar futures bounce across a rocky 74-point
range. Flat prices traded life-of-contract lows before the staging a modest
recovery. Amid a technical landscape with potential for some upside, the current
physical surpluses should find resistance from producer selling. Possible market
weakness however remains to be seen. Specs already hold a considerable short
position and much more selling at these levels appears unlikely. Going forward,
we will watch the JUL15 contract expiry for more clarity.
0.79
0.77
0.75
QSL Forward Fixed Price Contract (A$/mt)
520
Currency
500
It’s been a choppy fortnight’s trade for the AUD as limited local events have left
market movements up to USD fortunes and Greek headlines. Following the FOMC
announcement, the AUD pushed to a fortnight high of 0.7847. Dovish commentary
assisted the USD push lower against its major crosses, as commentary held much
of the market’s attention.
480
460
440
Going forward, the markets will continue to be directed by the US and more
importantly, developments on Greece. Locally we have building approvals,
commodity indexes, trade balances, retail sales and securities inflation data
amongst an array of US data, which is of note.
420
400
380
With a darkening landscape for Greece, we may see the AUD come under
downward pressure against the majors who will look to firm against the EUR.
360
2015
2016
2017
Data source: QSL Daily Market Report (Futures
and Currency) & QSL Daily Indicative Prices
While all care is taken in the preparation of this report the reliability or accuracy of the
information provided in the document is not guaranteed. 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.
QSL
QSL: WORKING FOR YOU
IPS and how it affects your returns
By Bryce Wenham, QSL Finance
International Pol Scale
Manager – Supplier Relations
MIN DEGREES
MAX DEGREES
PERCENTAGE PRO-RATA FOR EACH DEGREE
In this column last month we looked at
some of the different factors growers
needed to take into account when
using QSL’s forward pricing systems,
and why the market prices quoted
on the QSL website don’t translate
directly into growers’ returns.
96.00
97.00
1.50%
97.00
98.00
1.25%
98.00
99.00
1.00%
99.00
99.30
0.30%
These factors included:
•
The difference in closing times between
the ICE 11 and currency markets and the
subsequent impacts on conversion rates.
•
The costs applied by financial
institutions to execute our pricing
orders via Over The Counter swaps.
•
Mill pricing deadlines and their
relation to the pricing available
in a moving market.
•
The difference between quoted prices
and a constantly moving market.
•
Local fees and charges applied by
your miller, eg. administration fees
(note: QSL itself does not charge fees
for its services, with all QSL operating
costs included in the Shared Pool).
This week we’ll be covering another
important element in the forward pricing
equation – the difference between the
actual price and the price per IPS tonne.
WHAT IS IPS?
The Polarisation level, or pol, of sugar is
a measure that reflects the amount of
recoverable sucrose present. For example,
sugar of 98 degrees pol would contain
about 98 % of recoverable sucrose.
Sugar on the ICE 11 raw sugar futures
market is priced on the basis of 96 degrees
polarisation, but the actual pol of sugar
sold can vary from this. To account for
these pol differences, the International Pol
Scale, or IPS as it is more widely known
within our industry, was created by the
Sugar Association of London (SAL). This
scale, shown below, defines the incremental
price premiums and penalties applied to
sugar above 96 degrees polarisation.
The ICE 11 contract system uses this IPS
scale to adjust the price paid for sugar
when a parcel of greater polarisation
than the standard 96 pol is delivered by
the seller to the buyer. This adjustment
is also reflected in most Physical Sales
contracts under the SAL rules.
HOW IPS IS APPLIED
Raw sugar shipped to a customer is
analysed to determine the average
polarisation of the cargo. If the average
polarisation was, for example, measured
at 98.95 degrees polarisation, the FOB
price of the cargo would be adjusted
upwards by 3.7% (1.5% + 1.25% + 0.95%),
reflecting the value of the polarisation
above 96 degrees. Both the physical and
polarisation premiums are distributed to
QSL’s Suppliers through our Shared Pool.
Here in Queensland the vast majority of the
sugar produced is Brand 1, which ranges
between 98.6 and 99.05 pol. However, QSL
does on occasion make sales for other
types of sugar produced by Queensland
mills and in these instances the IPS scale is
applied to the tonnes of sugar produced
so that the producer’s share of returns is
equivalent to that of a Brand 1 producer.
This adjustment makes sure our millers
and growers share equitably in the value
earned for sales of sugar with pol levels
higher than the standard 96 degrees.
All QSL pool prices are paid on the basis
of IPS tonnes and the pool prices quoted
on the QSL website reflect this. However
this is not the case for the ICE 11 contract
prices quoted on our website and other
mediums. So when evaluating these
forward pricing options, it is important
to factor in the IPS conversion and other
elements previously outlined to come
to an approximate AUD/tonnes IPS price
which will give you a more accurate
ndication of your potential returns. 
6 July 2015
Driven by growers. Used by growers. Owned by growers.
RECORD KEEPING
Burdekin growers back BMP
By Matt Keally, CANEGROWERS
Senior Manager-Environment
As of last month, the Burdekin has
two farming entities through to the
auditing process in the three key
modules (soil health and nutrient
management - irrigation and drainage
- weed pest and disease management).
Now is the time to start!
I know now is the busy time. It is the
full-on for harvest, land preparation,
planting, herbicide application for
weed and grub control, fertiliser
application and irrigation. If you
keet records of those activities over
the next six months, you will be in a
great position to become accredited
in the Smartcane BMP program.
There are 13 growers currently
going through to the accreditation
process who have completed all
three self-assessments modules.
If you like keeping records in your
pocket, the 2015 Pocket Diary is for you.
In the past two weeks, there has been
a gradual increase in the adoption
of the Smartcane BMP process, with
six new online self-assessments
being completed. Three growers
are on track to complete all seven
of the Smartcane BMP modules.
If you prefer paper based record
keeping, the Smartcane BMP Block
record keeping booklet is available.
Pages from this booklet can also be
downloaded and printed off from
the Smartcane BMP website.
The BMP process is a valuable tool,
not only to check your own farming
systems progression, but to show the
wider community that cane farmers
in general are actively farming in a
positive and sustainable manner.
If you prefer to go online, the
Smartcane BMP Block record
keeping booklet is also available
as an editable PDF document.
There are four steps to becoming
accredited in a particular module:
Staying online, you can use the
Smartcane BMP online record keeping
tool within the Smartcane BMP website.
Step 2: Contact your local BMP
facilitator for an on-farm visit.
Finally if phone apps are your thing,
we have the Smartcane BMP record
keeping phone app. This has also been
updated to support tank mixes by
allowing multiple product to be linked
to an activity. We have also included
a favourites function which populates
an activity with operations from
previous activities, to save data entry.
Step 4: The BMP
facilitator completes a
pre-audit assessmentt
and sends it to
be audited.
I know record keeping is a tedious
process, but all you need to do is
start. And we have the tools to help!
The Smartcane app is free to registered
tcane BMP
Smartcane
ers.
growers.
se tools don’t
If these
work for you,
op
develop
your own
m. All
system.
you have
to do is
start! 
Burdekin grower Gary Spotswood's
low cost portable chemical shed.
Step 1: Complete the online Smartcane
self-assessment questionnaire.
Step 3: Start collecting evidence
so that the officer can upload it.
It has been recognised
ed
that there is a need
for improvements in
both record keeping
and chemical sheds
across the region.
Records can be
easily kept either
in block record
keeping booklets, a
pocket diary, drawn
on maps or even
an exercise book.
For the tech savvy, on-board tractor
GPS units and farm recording
software are available (for example
Farmworks, PAM, SMS).
Recently both CANEGROWERS and
Agdat created web based data
recording sites. Both of these websites
work well and are now available as free
apps on a smartphone (pictured below).
Contact BPS staff for more information
on how to obtain and use these apps.
In relation to chemical storage, local
grower Gary Spotswood has created a
low cost portable chemical shed from
an old IBC 1000 litre shuttle, which
has passed the horticulture industry’s
Freshcare accreditation standards.
BPS will have a prototype
B
sshuttle for growers to
vview at the office. Feel free
tto contact staff on (07)
4783 1101 or call Terry
4
Granshaw on 0437 553 149
G
for
fo any BMP inquiries. 
Productivity officers from the Mackay
Area Productivity Services (MAPS)
have been working one-on-one with
local growers to complete around
20 Smartcane self-assessments.
"
Productivity officers
accelerate grower
involvement in BMP
TThe knowledge
our productivity
that ou
officers have of the
officer
growers’ farming
practices meant they
were able to provide
insight for each question
and talk through
scenarios that would
have the best likely fit
with that farm’s current
practices.
The way it is being organised, says local
Smartcane BMP facilitator, John Turner,
is that each officer makes contact
with a grower, explains the process
involved, and organises a suitable time
to assist the grower with completing
the self-assessment documentation.
“The knowledge that our productivity
officers have of the growers’ farming
practices meant they were able to
provide insight for each question and
talk through scenarios that would
have the best likely fit with that farm’s
current practices," Mr Turner said.
“With the productivity officer taking
the grower through the process oneon-one, we’ve found it has greatly
reduced the time growers would spend
doing self-assessments on their own.
“MAPS started this one-on-one
process earlier in the year and have
already conducted over 100 selfassessments to date, while the
number completed individually or in
workshops in the area has only been
around 20 for the same period."
Mr Turner says the experience of the
productivity officers has made the
self-assessment process smoother,
easier and more informative.
He says that each officer naturally adds
information around each question,
making sure growers understand
exactly what is being asked of them.
53955
"
62152
Area Under Irrigated Cane (ha)
146584
Farm Area Total (ha)
Mackay Area Productivity Services,
productivity officer and Smartcane BMP
facilitator, John Turner (left)
“Our MAPS productivity officers will
take the local grower through each
Smartcane BMP question and provide
any necessary information to allowed
the grower to provide the most
accurate answer," Mr Turner said.
Feedback on this approach has been
very positive, with some growers
admitting it was the only way they
could have completed the questions.
SMARTCANE BMP
Smartcane BMP Farms & Areas
“With the harvesting season started the
workload of productivity officers has
increased,” says Mr Turner. “But BMP is
a local priority and any Mackay grower
interested in completing self-assessment
in Smartcane BMP, is encouraged to
contact their local MAPS officer." 
959
Farms in the system
Area under Dryland (ha)
Tablelands closes in on target
numbers for Smartcane BMP
John Barbetti, Smartcane BMP facilitator for
the Tablelands, reports there has been a great
response from cane growers in the local area.
Already 52 growers, from a local target of
60, have completed their self-assessment
in the three key modules of Soil Health
and Nutrient Management, Weed
Pest and Disease Management, and Irrigation Management.
As part of the self-assessment engagement, Tablelands growers have
been supplied with, and are now working through, their evidence list
working document. This document is designed to help growers understand
what evidence type is required, and develop their individual method
and priority for collecting and developing the necessary records.
Local growers have been relying heavily on their facilitator, Mr Barbetti
(pictured), who is pro-actively assisting in the process of collecting
and uploading evidence. The next step will be helping interested
growers on their way through the pre-audit process. 
6 July 2015
ON FARM
Burdekin cane grower Mark Hatch was one of the first
growers to sign up for the dewatering bore project.
SHORT & SWEET OF IT
• Burdekin cane grower
Mark Hatch is taking part
in a pilot project using
dewatering bores to
combat rising groundwater
levels in the region.
Conjunctive use dewatering
bores to address a rising
groundwater problem
By John Flynn
A pilot project in the Burdekin is showing promising early signs
indicating that dewatering bores could become an effective
weapon in helping combat rising groundwater levels.
• Rising groundwater is a
significant problem in
the Burdekin, which relies
entirely on irrigation for
cane production.
Funded via the Rural Water Use Efficiency – Irrigation Futures
scheme, five dewatering bores have been drilled on farms
connected to the Burdekin-Haughton Water Supply Scheme.
• Funded by the Rural Water
Use Efficiency - Irrigation
Futures Scheme, the project
is showing some promising
early signs.
The thick clay soil is typically sticky
underfoot as Burdekin cane grower,
Mark Hatch, examines a recentlyplanted row of plant cane.
In a stroke of good fortune, the mung
beans fetched a handy price at market;
not that Mark was banking on making a
short-term return from his fallow crop.
Thriving in the rich soil and bountiful
sunshine of the lower Burdekin, the
new crop is soaking in moisture
provided by furrow irrigation. An
abundance of nitrogen stored in the
soil, courtesy of a recently harvested
legume crop, is also giving the plant
cane a boost as it gets established.
On the neighbouring block, a mix
of water from SunWater’s irrigation
channel and a recently drilled
dewatering bore on the Hatch family
farm is pouring from plastic fluming
and along the rows, watering an
impressive Q183 ratoon crop.
►
This on farm story has been
brought to you by the
RWUE program
ON FARM
Maintaining soil moisture has kept
farmers on their toes during one of the
drier growing seasons in the Burdekin.
Bureau of Meteorology data from the
nearby Clare weather alert showed
just 360mm of rain dropping into the
gauge for the four months to the end
of April. May was bone dry. Mean
average rainfall for Clare in the four
months from January to April was
608.1mm, making Mother Nature’s
contribution to the cane growing
effort in 2015 about 60% of average,
or a couple of evening showers by the
standards of Tully/Innisfail growers in
the rain-fed wet tropics further north.
Burdekin River - irrigation in the region is fed by the Burdekin Falls Dam,
Queensland’s largest water storage, constructed in the 1980s.
“We’re very different, we’re fully
irrigated and rely on the irrigation, if
we didn’t irrigate we wouldn’t have
cane,” Burdekin Productivity Services
extension officer Marian Davis
pointed out during an inspection of the
dewatering bore on Mark Hatch’s farm.
“But we need to really manage that
irrigation so we don’t have bigger
problems being created by doing exactly
what we need to do to grow our cane.
“Irrigation management to reduce
deep drainage is really important in
the Burdekin to keep those ground
water levels as low as possible.”
Since the earliest years of farming in
the Burdekin delta, cane growers have
depended on water from the aquifer –
ground water – to nourish their crops.
As the cane growing areas in
Queensland’s most productive
growing region have expanded,
substantial irrigation infrastructure
has been constructed to supply an
increasing demand for irrigation water
to the farmlands of the BurdekinHaughton water supply scheme.
High in the catchment, the irrigation
system is fed by the Burdekin Falls
Dam, Queensland’s largest water
storage, constructed in the 1980s.
Water is released downstream to
the Clare Weir, where pumping
stations on both sides of the river
supply both the Elliot Main Channel
feeding the Leichhardt Downs area
and the Haughton and Barratta Main
Channels servicing farms between
the Burdekin and Haughton rivers.
Water released from the Clare
Weir also recharges groundwater
supplies in the Burdekin Delta.
Human intervention, according to
Marian Davis, has altered the hydrology
of the lower Burdekin in such a way
that the aquifer is being replenished at
a much faster rate than it can drain.
“We’re adding water constantly
through irrigation, through channels;
the river runs all the time now so
there’s a water head in the river and
we’ve just changed the hydrology
and environment around us and if we
keep adding water to the system we’re
bound to start increasing the ground
water levels as it drains,” Marian said.
“In this area we’ve noticed, since
the irrigation area was opened
up in the early 90s, there’s been
quite a rapid increase in the
level of underground water.
“If we get water coming too close to
the surface, we can get things like
salinization that we’ve seen in other
irrigation areas like the MurrayDarling where you actually get salt
areas appearing,” Marian said.
“Also, it impacts on farming activity.
If you’ve got water close to the
surface, it means it gets harder to
work the ground because it’s wet.
Continued Page 18 ►
Furrow irrigation - irrigation
management to reduce
deep drainage is important
in the Burdekin
“It would have started around
twelve metres and now it’s up
to around six metre in places or
much higher, so it’s starting to be
a real concern for production and
impacts on the environment.”
As experience in other irrigation areas,
both in Australia and internationally,
clearly shows, the risks to the
agricultural sector if the situation isn’t
properly managed, are obvious.
Elevation of the water table to the
point where it impacts on the root
base of crops could directly impact on
productivity for a variety of reasons.
6 July 2015
ON FARM
“I guess the pleasing thing that
we’ve seen over time since last year,
it’s dropped about 10 centimetres
from when we started.”
Results from the remaining
dewatering bores have been mixed,
but Marian Davis remains confident
that dewatering bores will be one
viable strategy in addressing the
considerable challenge of rising
groundwater levels in the Burdekin.
Additional dewatering bores are set to
be constructed in the Haughton district
through 2015, with the Rural Water Use
Efficiency – Irrigation Futures-funded
project set to continue until 2017.
Irrigation channel at the Hatch family farm.
“It just makes it really hard to
grow things, it impacts on your
crop production because the
roots are wet and general farming
activities become more difficult.”
It’s a situation which cane growers
in the Burdekin, working in
conjunction with the team at Burdekin
Productivity Services, are eager
to find practical solutions to.
One step in addressing what will
ultimately need to be a multi-faceted
agricultural/engineering solution, is the
installation of trial dewatering bores.
The idea is to draw water from the
aquifer via bore pumps - as opposed
to adding water to the aquifer when it
is pumped from irrigation channels.
Recognising the need for an industry
response before the rising water table
started impacting on crops, Burdekin
cane grower Mark Hatch was one of
the first to agree to the installation
of a dewatering bore on his farm.
“It was mainly because of the water
table rising and trying to do something
before it affects the yield,” Mark
told the Australian Canegrower.
“We’ve had a really dry summer,
so I’ve used it a lot, every time
I water I use it,” Mark said.
Watch this segment online
“I think I’ve used well over 250 megs
(megalitres) so it’s been really good.
“The electricity side of it hasn’t been
real good but it’s been a big help.”
What this trial needs to determine
is how effective the dewatering
bores are in reducing ground water
levels beyond the immediate period
when pumping takes place.
In addition to the dewatering bore,
three observation bores have been
drilled in close proximity to the main
bore on the Hatch farm; one just a
few metres away and two others at
distances of 50 and 100 metres.
Piezometer readings are regularly taken
from the observation bores to measure
the distance from the surface to the
water level. This provides accurate data
that helps determine what impact the
dewatering is having on drawdown of
the aquifer. The results can be displayed
graphically on a computer screen at the
Burdekin Productivity Services office.
“Your yield will drop and it’ll be very
hard to farm here because it’s heavy
clay soil and at the best of times it’s
wet and if the water table is high you
wouldn’t be able to work your ground.”
It’s too early to draw any firm
conclusions, but the dewatering bore
on Mark’s farm appears to have had
some impact on the groundwater level.
The bore was installed in August
2014 and has been one of the
better performing of the new
dewatering bores in the district.
“We can see when Mark starts watering,
the depth in that first bore drops quite
dramatically and then when he stops
watering that recovers,” Marian said.
“If we can get some good results from
this project we can certainly make a
good argument for expanding it and
getting permission to drill more bores
and pump more water and hopefully
reduce our ground levels over more of
the district than the relatively small area
we’re dealing with here,” Marian said. 
www.youtube.com/
canegrowers
Rural Water Use Efficiency
Irrigation Futures project halfway through
By Burn Ashburner, CANEGROWERS,
Senior Manager - Industry
The Rural Water Use Efficiency for Irrigation Futures project (RWUE-IF), funded by
Department of Natural Resources and Mines and managed by CANEGROWERS, is almost
at the half way point and has so far been achieving what it set out to achieve.
One objective was to assist in reducing
the rising ground water in priority
areas by offering incentives which
improved water use efficiency and
reduced deep drainage. To this end,
incentives have been approved for 12
growers totalling some $343,000 in the
Burdekin Groundwater Management
Area (BGMA). There are three growers
still in the process of obtaining
approval and the full budget to this
point of $380,000 is expected to be
fully subscribed. There is still the
opportunity to make an application,
as the new financial year is just
beginning. Interested growers from
the BGMA area are encouraged to
contact Marian Davis (0428 927 079)
from Burdekin Productivity Services.
The other priority area is the
Arriga basin in the Tablelands,
and five applications have been
approved and the total budget of
$100,000 has been allocated. The
next round of funding in this area
will be announced in due course.
As reported in this month's ON
FARM feature (page 16-18), another
part of the RWUE-IF project is a trial
dewatering project in the BGMA,
which has established five bores
for conjunctive use with channel
irrigation water. These first five
bores were established in areas
where the ground water level was
high and the need to lower it was
greatest. A total of $122,000 has
been allocated to this project
to date, with another $80,000
expected to be committed in the
next few months for another
three bores. The new bores have
been selected in a different area
and are higher yielding. It is
too early for definite results but
the important part of this is the
monitoring of the ground water
levels to see if there is any benefit.
A local technical committee has
been formed to determine the plan
of action for optimum effect.
The last part of the RWUEIF project provides funding to
support and establish information
systems. This will provide growers
with relevant information to
improve irrigation efficiency.
One of the information systems
being trialled is a new crop growth
model program called Irrigweb,
which can provide crop water use
and a soil moisture balance for
irrigation scheduling purposes. It also
provides the modelled crop growth
and yield, which can be compared to
the actual yield. This could be used
in irrigated or rain-fed blocks as a
benchmark to test against. Tablelands,
Burdekin, Mackay and Maryborough
are trialling this program and any
interested growers should contact
Productivity Services in these areas.
The other main use of the information
systems funding is for a series of
soil moisture probes and weather
stations or automatic rain gauges in
different locations and soil types.
The funding available for these
information systems goes to the
relevant Productivity Services in
the Burdekin, Proserpine, Mackay,
Plane Creek, Isis and Bundaberg
areas. To date $150,000 has been
committed to information systems.
The information from these is
used to determine the crop water
use and this is made available on
the relevant Productivity Service
website, or used in SMS’s to assist
growers in making scheduling
decisions. The project has also
provided DVD’s showcasing irrigation
stories, which will be available on
the CANEGROWERS website and
YouTube over the coming month. 
6 July 2015
ON FARM
The kidney disease epidemic among cane
cutters in Central America
By Robert Quirk, Tweed cane grower
Reprinted from Sugar Journal, www.SugarJournal.com
The first step in solving a problem is
to admit there is one. When I first met
Jason Glaser, from La Isla Foundation,
during the 2013 Bonsucro Annual
General Meeting in London, I must
say, I had my doubts that chronic
kidney disease could have been as
devastating to the population as it is.
A visit to El Salvador in late 2014
and a trip to a local hospital allowed
me to see the magnitude of the
problem, as so many patients were
ill from Chronic Kidney Disease of
non-traditional causes (CKDnT).
The head doctor admitted there were
too few dialysis machines to cater
for the number of patients visiting
the hospital each day. Consequently,
instead of three treatments per
week, he could only offer two.
Almost all of those with CKDnT who
were interviewed at the hospital were,
or had been, cane cutters. Even those
who can afford the care are restricted
to two treatments per week.
One of the solutions to this problem
is to lower the number of new
patients admitted, by reducing the
number of people falling ill to the
epidemic. Good outcomes take a
lot of time, effort and resilience the intervention team has these.
The Worker Health and Efficiency
(WE) Program is a workplace
intervention study made possible
through funding secured by Dutch
foundation Solidaridad, along with
Jason and his fantastically dedicated
team at La Isla Foundation.
that straps to the cutter’s back and does
not interfere with their body movement.
Ingenio El Angel (IEA), a local sugar
mill, is also involved and has put
money, time and their staff into the
intervention study to ensure it has the
most positive outcomes possible. While
others in the region were denying
that work practices had anything to
do with the epidemic, IEA said ‘what
can we do to help fix this problem’.
The cane cutters are also encouraged
to take regular breaks under shade
canopies provided by IEA.
IEA invited Paul Donnelly, world
champion cane cutter, and I to
visit El Salvador and advise on
how cane cutters could reduce the
amount of energy they use to cut
the cane, while still maintaining
production, or even improve on it.
By reducing the number of rows the
cutters place on each pile, we were able
to reduce their effort by around 30%.
Through a little more innovation and an
alternate cane loading machine, they are
confident this can be further reduced.
As part of the intervention each cane
cutter has been provided with two
CamelBaks, a water bottle developed for
the US army and long distance athletes
This innovation ensures that cutters have
adequate water at all times and, as a
result, their water consumption has risen
from two litres to six-eight litres per day.
The project also provided cutters
with a cane knife that was bent to the
specifications provided by Paul Donnelly,
based on the shape of his own knife,
developed during his cane cutting days
when he cut 50 tonnes of cane each day.
Some of the early outcomes
for the cane cutters:
• They are cutting more
cane in less time.
• They are drinking more water.
• They look forward to their breaks
under the shade canopies. IEA move
the canopies with the cutters to
reduce time walking to the shade.
• They no longer feel sick when
they get on the bus to go home.
• They have been able to stop using
pain killers.
►
ON FARM
One of the defining moments for
me was when local cutters said
that they will do whatever it takes
as “we do not want to get sick”.
The following organisations
are proud partners in the work
to help tackle CKDnT:
La Isla Foundation
La Isla Foundation aims to facilitate
research to identify the cause of the
CKDnT epidemic and implement
necessary interventions to support
affected workers and prevent future
generations from becoming ill.
Solidaridad
Solidaridad is an international civil
society organisation with more
than 45 years of global experience
in facilitating the development of
socially responsible, ecologically
sound, and profitable supply chains.
Ingenio El Angel (IEA)
IEA has provided a location for
the WE Program’s pilot study at its
sugar mill in El Salvador. IEA’s cane
cutters have generously offered their
participation, with mill management
providing logistical support for the
research. IEA is exemplifying industry
leadership in the fight against CKDnT.
AGDYSA
The Agency for Development
and Agricultural Health (AGDYSA)
is coordinating implementation
of the WE Program, providing
technical assistance to all parties.
CamelBak
Hydration backpack manufacturer
CamelBak provides steeply discounted
packs to the WE Program. The
packs ensure workers have constant
access to water while they work,
preventing chronic dehydration, a
factor linked to CKDnT onset.
Occupational Safety & Health
Administration (OSHA)
Run by the United States Department
of Labor, the occupational safety
and health agency is providing a
trainer and training materials to
help implement their ‘Water.Rest.
Shade’ program in the cane fields.
Sweden’s Karolinska Institute
and Lund University, along with
Colorado University have helped
design the program as well as
implementing and evaluating it.
For more information about the project,
visit www.laislafoundation.org. 
Getting to know you
This column is about putting faces to the people you may hear from
m
or talk to in the CANEGROWERS office. This edition, meet Helle Cook.
ok.
What’s your role in
CANEGROWERS?
I'm the insurance representative with
CANEGROWERS, looking after the
insurance needs of members and
clients in the Rocky Point, Brisbane
and Sunshine Coast areas. As an
authorised representative of NAS
Insurance Brokers, I also look after
the CANEGROWERS Crop Insurance
scheme, handling claims, renewals
and policy administration. I work
part-time, three days a week.
What’s the most rewarding
part of your job?
I really enjoy assisting our
members and clients. It has been
very interesting to learn about
the industry and I enjoy meeting
insurance clients on their farms and
in their homes or businesses. I value
how varied my job is and I appreciate
the fact that CANEGROWERS is a notfor-profit membership organisation,
with any profits going back into the
organisation and its members.
What do you see are
the challenges?
Retaining and developing the
insurance business in a competitive
market can be a challenge.
However, a challenge can also be
seen as an opportunity. I choose
to focus on doing the best I can
in my role and being open to new
challenges and opportunities.
Where and what was your first
paid job and what did that lead to?
Helle C ook
My first job was delivering papers.
This lead to dish washing and
cleaning jobs and then some admin
work. At 18 I started a traineeship
in insurance (in Denmark) and I
have worked in this industry ever
since – apart from breaks for
travelling and for my three sons.
My roles have mostly been in
claims management and insurance
broking, first in Denmark and now
in Australia for the past seven years.
What do you like to do on your
days off and on weekends?
When I am not working at
CANEGROWERS, I spend two days
a week painting and studying for a
Fine Art degree. I also enjoy yoga
and
sometimes facilitate creative
workshops. On weekends I like to
enjoy time with my husband, our
three boys and Cookie (our Spoodle).
We often go to the local farmers
market, the beach or bush, camping
or just to the local coffee shops! 
6 July 2015
CLASSIFIEDS
*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 noncane growing activities. Advertisements must relate exclusively to cane farming activities,
e.g. farm machinery etc. Advertisements from non-members are charged at $11 per line
incl GST. Only pre-paid ads will be accepted.
FIRST 5 LINES FREE* FOR CANEGROWERS MEMBERS!
Book online anytime of the day or night at www.canegrowers.
com.au or email us at ads@CANEGROWERS.com.au.
Next deadline is ?? MONTH 2015.
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Beaulieu R.U.M.
Attention Canegrowers
The first step in achieving a high yielding cane crop
is a good strike and vigorous growth in the early stage of your crop.
This can be achieved easily by simply adding
5 litres of R.U.M per acre to your dip water.
For a cost of around $25 per acre
Can you afford not to give it a go?
For further information contact –
Burdekin & Northern Region call Wally Ford 0417 937 722
Mackay Region call Noel Jensen 0438 595 325
Childers Region call Peter Irwin 0428 427 212
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L
SO
FORD F350 Truck, 6 cyclinder, Petrol,
Steel drop side body with telescopic
hoist. Good tyres. Has only done 87,940
kilometres. No Rego. No Road Worthy.
1981 Model price $6000-00 + GST.
Mulgrave Area Ph: 07 40561160
IH tractor 766 turbo model mechanically
VGC, rear tyres 23-1-30 VCG, $5000 inc
GST 07 4066 9889
18,275 STL Shares @ 90 cents per share.
PHONE: 40554446
John Deere 3130, 100HP, 6CYL, ROPS,
VGC. Croplands 4 Fan Mister, 800L Tank,
suitable for Row Crops. Call 0407 597 179
Tyres plus rims JD 2650 12-4-24,184-30 80% tread VGC $2530 inc GST.
Norcast 150mm gatevalve x2 plus 90
degrees bends x4 plus 350mm long
straight x4,all with s/s bolts $990 inc GST.
PH:0418873672
Toft 6000 with Rotary Chop & Cat 3306DI
Motor, good Billet machine. Set of Bent
Growser Plates & Bolts to suit 7700 Cane
Harv Engine to suit MF102 Cane Harv.
0428 100 564
CASE 580E Backhoe, 4 in 1 front
bucket & cleaning bucket, new seals &
hydraulic hoses fitted, good condition
$18,000+GST 07 4065 4732 after 7pm
(Innisfail)
Howard Rotary-Hoe HR42, 120. VGC. No
rust, with new long shank blades. Fits
standard Quick Hitch. 80 genuine Howard
Rotary-Hoe blades (standard) (9862 &
9863) $6.50ea ono Ph: 0408770054 (all
hours).
FORD 7810 A/C 4WD 110HP 2700 hours
$24,000 + GST. Very good condition Ph:
0408 456 218
BALDAN HD offset 20 plate 32” disc drag
$15,000 + GST; 1.5 tonne Bonel bag lifter
on wheels $2,500 + GST Ph: 0418181646
HOWARD Rotary Hoe AH 2000, 3.7m. GC,
Conveyor Rubber dirt shields. $16,500 inc
GST neg. ph 0448656880
IH tractor 766 turbo model mechanically
VGC, rear tyres 23-1-30 VCG, $5000 inc
GST Ph: 4066 9889 (Tully)
2002 JD Side-shift Backhoe. 2way radio,
Ride Control, 4 in 1 loader with Forks.
Extender Hoe including 4 Buckets.
$30000. Ph 0418472282 or 0414985781
INTERNATIONAL IH35 32 disc offset with
new 26” diameter discs. Has greasable
bearing housings, Excellent condition,
$22,000 + GST Ph: 0468 359 762
Herbert River – Burdekin
Tractors/Machinery: Ford 5000, 86hp
recond. Head, good rubber, 2pac paint,
registered, tidy unit. $9500 inc gst.
Ford 8401, air cab, recond. Gearbox, new
hyd pump, tidy unit, registered, $13000
inc gst. 2 x 23-1-30 Good walls 5-10%
rubber. $110 each. Ph: 0428 880 771
HBM Planter Duro, Volvo S7 6x4, Isuzu
CXH 8x4, Scania P82 8x4, 1 x Louisville
Prime Mover with low loader 1994 – Call
Gary 0429 488 077
Ford 7700 Tractor. Motor has been rebuilt.
Done approx. 300 hours since rebuild.
Has problem at rear end. $6000.00 +
GST - Ph: 0429 771 620
JD 4630 auto steer, MF 290, MF 35x, Fergy
TEF20, MF2205 forks, JD760 Scraper LB4
laser guide, 1830C tipper, FJ Austin Hi ab
farm use, Krone turbo rotor 120”, stool
splitter, 3 row gear= 3 r-ripper c Tyne -3 r
ripper cultivator mark out -3 r hill up 1 1/4
“Tynes -3 r 1” Tynes - 3 r sweeps- 3r press
wheel -3 r strawberry, land plane, 1 row
cutaway x2, 1 row strawberry, 4 of Irvin
legs normal, Creighton Harvester, hodge
Stripper, 6 cane trailers, 4 row gaspardo,
1 row seedling planter, 4 tonne harvest
aide 6 m boom, wheeled disc, plough,
drain maker, folding harrows, Contact 07
4784 0133 or 07 4784 0166 Mob 0418 840
166
2 x JCB 3230 2009 Fastracs 6300 Hrs Been
Hauling Out. Excellent Condition. Only
Selling Tractors. 0417611539
Massey 178 New brakes, new gauges, new
remotes, just fully serviced, good rubber:
$8000 – Forklift mast with sideshift, lifts
to 4.2mtrs: $1200. Call Jason - 0428 394
004
Ford D Series Truck, 7T – Petrol Engine.
Good condition – no rust. $5,800 O.N.O,
Phone 0429 101 163.
HODGE Multiplier, shaft driven, limited
use, VGC Ph: 0410 320 233
Colorado Diesel 2009 4x4 LX Dual Cab.
100,000kms, towbar, bull bar, alloy wheels,
many extras. RWC Excellent Condition
$24,000 inc gst. Ph: 0407038010
2007 TM190 coupled to 1998 12 tonne
Carta Tipper, double doors.
Good
Condition. POA Ph: 0407 636 055
125 ACRE CANE FARM
LOT 17 SPRINGS ROAD, MAREEBA
- 125 Acre Cane Block
- 75 Acres of established Cane
- 50 Acres of grazing land and fully fenced which can be used for cane
- 2.7 Acre house block with power and water access to nearby creek
- 9 Span Pivot
- 75hp Pump
- 6" Main line to pivot
- Over 40 tonne per the acre yields
- 100 megs water
VINCE COSTAS
0419 926 691
$900,000 NEG
6 July 2015
MEMBER SERVICES
EXCAVATOR – JCB JS220, 2005, quick
hitch, crane lock valves, hammer/auger/
tilt piping, new GP bucket, UHF radio,
tight pins & bushes. $49,000+gst. Ph:
0419700761.
AIR COMPRESSOR – 130CFM Atlas Copco,
Deutz diesel engine, trailer mounted,
new tyres. $4,500+gst. Ph: 0419700761.
BUCKETS (NEW) suit Backhoe or 5T
Excavator:
1300mm
mud
bucket,
$800+gst. 650mm GP bucket, $600+gst.
Ph: 0419700761.
BUCKETS (NEW) suit 20T excavator:
600mm to 1050mm wide GP buckets.
From $1,900+gst. Ph: 0419700761.
QUICK HITCHES (NEW) - suit various
excavator / backhoes.
Prices from
$800+gst. Ph: 0419700761.
CASE 770 Offset 56 Disc, Hydraulic Fold
for Transport, Good Condition, $30,000
INC GST, Ph 0417 765 044
JOHN DEERE 8970, 400 HP with Linkage,
Good Condition, Ph 0417 765 044
2.5m Hydraulic Fold Side Slasher, P.T.O.
Driven. Good Condition. Ph 0417 765 044
EXCAVATOR – JCB JS220, 2005, quick
hitch, crane lock valves, hammer/auger/
tilt piping, tight pins & bushes, UHF
radio, new GP bucket. $49,000+gst. Ph:
0419700761.
AIR COMPRESSOR – 130CFM Atlas Copco,
Deutz diesel engine, trailer mounted,
new tyres. $4,500+gst. Ph: 0419700761.
BUCKETS (NEW) suit Backhoe or 5T
Excavator:
1300mm
mud
bucket,
$800+gst. 650mm GP bucket, $600+gst.
Ph: 0419700761.
BUCKETS (NEW) suit 20T excavator:
600mm to 1050mm wide GP buckets.
From $1,900+gst. Ph: 0419700761.
QUICK HITCHES (NEW) - suit various
excavator / backhoes.
Prices from
$800+gst. Ph: 0419700761.
Millable log – Red Ash 1.5m x 10m – any
offers, ph: 07 4958 5253
4T rear tipper with paddle, good for
planting - ph: 0413190868 or 0413317590
FORD TW30 2WD 8900 hours $8800 inc
GST 0428 529 216
Maclean 5 roller half tracks, new stone
guards, VGC $6500 plus GST Ph 0418
159 998
Case harvester back tyres and rims, 80%
tread, $2000 each +gst. Ph 0418 159 998
HODGE 2T Fertiliser Box $5,500 ono
0417 611 809
TRACTORS Fiat 615, Fiat 750, Inter 766
Ph: 4959 8433
KUBOTA M 9580 4WD. Cab. IC shuttle.
G.C. 4900 hrs. $24,000 inc GST Ph: 0419
557 599
GENSET 50KVA 3PHASE unit GEP50-7 on
skid fuel tank CAT 3054 C turbo engine
95hp $4,000. Ph: 0428 340 685
MASSEY 5460 125hp $WD air cab 560hrs
$65,000 0428340685
Rainfall Report
Recorded rainfall (mm)
Mackay – Proserpine
Shed Gantry 4400x3800x9mm $800.00 8
meter flat spray boom adjustable nozzels
$800.00 Fiat 600 make good spray tractor
or farm tractor rego $8800.00 Tyre
420/70R24 continental near new $900.00
5.90-15 planter rim & Tyre $80.00 all
price inc GST ph 0407773929
24hp 2 cylinder Southern Cross EDE
motor. All offers - Ph: (07) 4958 3125
60” Howard rotary hoe. Preferably with
AR gearbox. Ph: 0407 739 294
Trailhaul on 135hp Massey Ferguson
4WD. All in good condition $42,000 +
GST Ph 0418150151
3” Trailco Irrigator with near new 10 chain
of snap tight hose, good condition $8250
inc. GST. McLeod 7 Tyne Ripper with
crumble roller in good condition. $6250
inc GST - phone 0419705530
Rear Tipper, 5 ton, Electric over Hydraulic
Lift. 23.1 x 30 tyres. Good condition.
Always kept in shed. $8,000.
Ph
49590447/0412164647
Uni-Bar billet cane planter, dual row,
double disc opener. Good condition
$19, 000 +gst. Phone: 0402781765 or
0403318008. Rocky Point Area.
2014 John Deere 6170m, 310 hours, auto
steer fitted 520-85/42 rears as new $110000 plus gst. Call 0407595094
Fiat F130, 7107hrs good tyres,Trimble
steering kit, some rust in cab, $27500
ACCO 1810A, perkins motor had recon,
Atlas Hiab, diesel belly tanks with 12v
electric pump with meter, $5500 - PH
0417633077 Bill or 0408733793 James
Location
Mossman
7 days to 9am
22.06.15
29.06.15
Average rainfall (mm)
Year to date
Jan–May
0
0
1009
Mareeba AP
0.2
4
570
1724
717
Cairns
17
50
1290
1598
Mt Sophia
82
65
2749
2577
Babinda
0
0
1316
3261
Innisfail
61
119
1696
2714
Tully
72
74
1995
3154
Cardwell
10
11
1007
1655
Lucinda
28
12
679
1653
Ingham
10
22
773
1555
Abergowrie
9
24
906
1429
Townsville
0
2
244
868
Ayr DPI
0
0.6
348
712
Proserpine
21
6
590
1027
Mirani
12
6
597
1118
Mackay
20
14
623
1169
Sarina (Plane Ck)
12
3
739
1282
Bundaberg
12
10
570
610
Childers South
21
2
587
513
Maryborough
13
17
666
728
Tewantin
9
34
955
1034
Eumundi
8
21
1286
1095
Nambour
10
15
1360
1085
Woongoolba
30
22
1031
834
Murwillumbah
10
50
1217
1035
Ballina
33
95
1324
1146
Woodburn
8
2
759
878
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 provided by the Bureau of Meteorology’s Commercial Weather Services Unit.
WHAT’S NEW
CLASSIFIEDS
CAMECO 2000 track harvester, 5ft
primary extractor, leg base cutter box, all
new walking gear, $110,000 inc GST. Ph:
0407 714 172
12t self-propelled 6x6 elev. infielder.
VGC. 6t side/tipper on Leyland tandem
GC. Don Mizzi 741 model on Fiat 750
special turbo plus MF102 half-tracks to
suit. Mason 9550 4 row precision vacuum
seed planter GC. 0438 606 578 (Mackay)
Toft 7700 1989 updated, M11 cummins
engine(340 hp)Trail Bros adjustable chop,
swing out radiator,2 elevators long &
short, $30,000+gst. Phone 0418776156.
HBM billet planter, 4 years old, twin
disc opener and standard chutes, twin
elevators, suscon applicator,120 litre
onboard shirtan storage for dip, 1 man
operation with camera, lorsban tank,
$20,000+gst. Phone 0418776156
Ritchie 6 tonne tipper coupled to 100/90
Fiat $20,000+gst. Phone 0418776156
Roberts 6 tonne tipper coupled to
5150 Case 4wd $20,000+gst. Phone
0418776156.
Farm dispersal sale, Hodge plant
cutter, Hodge super plough, scoup,
plant trailers, don gough planter,
irvin hooded sprayers, ford 5000,ford
4000,chamberlain 4080,planting tippers,
too many items to list. Phone 0418776156
MF 105 cane harvester, vgc, $7700 inc
GST, includes second wrecked harvester
for parts. 2x variant irrigation guns, $330
each. Ph: 0428 367 078
Bundaberg - Rocky Point
990 David Brown with front end loader;
International 856 with front end loader;
Fiat 100-90 4WD; Isuzu Ute 4X4. All good
condition. Phone 0419 577 110.
Uni-Bar billet cane planter, dual row,
double disc opener. Good condition$19,
000 + GST. Phone: 0402781765 or
0403318008. (Rocky Point Area)
3m Maschio rotary hoe, as new condition.
Only 50 hrs work. $18,000 + GST. Contact
0427 696 541
Case 970 tractor low hours, rear
transmission over hauled , VGC $12000
plus Gst Ph 0431 290 004 or 0755 466 867
7 tyne HD Delta Ripper, 5 tyne Uni-Bar
Ripper, 3 tyne Hooper Ripper, > Hodge
4 furrow reversible plough, 100” Sicma
Rotary with crumble roller, 24 plate
Napier offset discs, 10x1¼” tyne scarifier
with fert applicator + rakes, 9x1¼” tyne
cultivator with leveller, high clearance
DB 995 spray tractor, 2 railco Irrigators,
80 lengths 4” aluminium pipes with Ajax
couplings + more. Ph 0418572469
1999 Case MX100,7250hours, 4wd,
Autofarm GPS steering kit, 3 remotes
$30000+ GST ono; whole stick harvester,
2 trailers and planter $2000+GST ono,
Isis area, ph. 04/16422875
Drop-deck, tautliner and flat top
extendable for hire. 07 4159 8174 or 0417
004 717.
K line speedtillers for hire, efficient tillage
implement, phone AgQuip hire. 1300 859
869 www.agquiphire.com.au
Mitsubishi 12 ton Truck with Fassi 3 Ton
Crane, in very good condition. MF175
Tractor in excellent condition. Phone 41
598 174 / 0417 004 717 Bundaberg Area.
HERBERT RIVER - Gday My name is
Matty I'm 27 years old looking for a bit
of weekend stick planting work in the
Ingham area I have experience and I am
willing to work long hours Sat and Sun
0455477778
mattyrussell290@gmail.
com
MACKAY - Skills in all air, electric and
mechanical tools. House keeping.
Licences include up to date CPR & Low
Voltage Rescue. 0402687016, Ruanep@
icloud.com
NSW
Property
Fiat 1300 ROPS tractor 130HP. Runs well,
no leaks, good 23.1-34 rubber $8800
including gst. 0266460207
Wanted to lease canefarm 5000 tonnes
and up on a long term basis, preferably
Mackay area. Do have considerable
farming experience. ph - 0409897557
INGHAM: Cane Farm for sale. Hawkins
Creek. Total area 48.3ha. CPA 46.6ha.
Shed, electricity and water. Genuine
enquiries Ph: 0407635175.
BUNDABERG: Cane Farm 99ha 14km to
Bundaberg. 180mgs water. Brick home.
Machinery sheds.Some red and grey
sandy soil. $890,000. Ph: 0437726547
BUNDABERG: Cane Farm 64 ha in 2
deeds CPA 31 ha. Supplying Isis Mill
100ML IWS water Heavy black/brown
soil 30mins to Bundaberg $599,000 Ph
owner 0427691921
HERBERT RIVER: Cane farm 60.73ha with
machinery and 4 bedroom dwelling
at 194 Lannercost Ext Rd, Ingham Ph.
40454321
WANTED TO LEASE: Cane farm; SarinaMackay area. Ph: 0419 771 504
Wanted
Tractor tyres, all sizes. 0418 775 698 all
hours.
Interrow cane stripper – call 0427627404
(Innisfail)
Elevated powerhaul, any condition. Call
0407 897 110 - Damian
1 to 2 tonne fertilizer box 0438751153
(Herbert River)
Diamond Harrows wanted. All Hours
0414 624 488 (Herbert River – Burdekin)
STUBBLE saver 3 row ground driven
0419 718 560 (Burdekin)
PLANTER: Wanted to buy Don Gough
or similar wheel driven stick planter.
Ingham area 0418 182 068
TYRES 18.4 -38 for JD 3130 Mackay area
0428340685
Wanted to buy - Tool Bar, 2 inch. Call
Darren 0414624488 (Herbert River Burdekin)
WANTED TO BUY- FOUR ROW FOLD UP
SCRAFIER ARCH BAR OR SOMETHING
SIMILAR PH 0428981379 (Herbert River
- Burdekin)
Work Wanted
Haul out operator, Mackay – Proserpine –
Marian region. Over 25 years experience
in cane industry. Call John 0400 397 264
Looking for a job to cart sugarcane from
Sunshine Coast area to Maryborough.
Have MC licence with over 30 years
driving experience. I reside on Sunshine
Coast but willing to live and work in other
areas Contact Graham Lang 0406698161
ANY REGION - Looking for work for
the 2015 season, willing to relocate.
Currently driving a cab 70 hours per
week I have a high work ethic and hours
will not be a problem, 47 years old with
HR,skid steer,earthmoving and forklift
tickets. Call anytime - Chris 0403269442
gigante3020@hotmail.com
CANEGROWERS
MEMBER OFFER
Do you want a FREE
electronic version of Australian
Canegrower delivered to your
email inbox every fortnight?
To receive your free electronic copy, email us on
editor@CANEGROWERS.com.au with your full
name and/or membership number, the name of
the person wishing to subscribe and the email
address you wish to subscribe to the service.
6 July 2015
We are following best practice…
We are reducing cultivation to
help increase profit…
We are always telling mates
about products that work…
www.bayercropscience.com.au
Bayer CropScience Pty Ltd, ABN 87 000 226 022, 391– 393 Tooronga Road, Hawthorn East, Victoria 3123.
Technical Enquiries 1800 804 479. Confidor ® is a Registered Trademark of Bayer.
BCH0332
We are Confidor
Peter Tibaldi
Cane grower & planting contractor
Mossman, Qld

6 July 2015 - Canegrowers

Transcription

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