6 July 2015 - Canegrowers
Transcription
6 July 2015 - Canegrowers
Canegrower AUSTRALIAN The Th he flagsh agship hip of the th he sugarcane g industry industry 6 July 2015 Price $8.95 Growers sugar marketing issue recognised Rural Water Use Efficiency on farm story www.canegrowers.com.au/page/insurance WE PROVIDE SOLUTIONS CANEGROWERS INSURANCE Insurance designed by CANEGROWERS for cane growers At CANEGROWERS, our business is protecting your business. That’s why we have developed CANEGROWERS Insurance, to ensure our members have access to the best possible personal and commercial insurance products on the market. CANEGROWERS Insurance products are tailored to meet the specific needs of growers and their families. Our dedicated team provide a personal on-farm service, taking all the complications out of finding the perfect insurance solutions for members. CANEGROWERS is an Authorised Representative of NAS Insurance Brokers. AFS Licence No: 233750 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: [email protected] 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 Yearly subscriptions for 25 issues (postage included) Within Australia Overseas (AUD) 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 [email protected]. 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 | Australian Canegrower 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 Australian Canegrower | 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 2 TWO OF THE BEST FROM HOWARD -ACHINEILLUSTRATEDINCLUDESOPTIONALCRUMBLEROLLER -ACHINEILLUSTRATEDWITHAOPTIONALPACKERROLLER AH SERIES ROTAVATORS PANTERA From $59,990*EX GST $65,989INC GST From $30,850*EX GST $33,935INC GST s MANDMMODELSAVAILABLE s (0GEARBOX s 'ALVANISEDTOOLBARSTYLEFRAME s 5NIQUE@(OWARDSINTEREDBRONZEFRICTIONCLUTCH s #(!).SIDEDRIVEINOILBATH /PTIONALZONETILLROTORAVAILABLE s s s s s s -ODEL!( 0ICTUREFORILLUSTRATIONPURPOSESONLY .ONFOLDINGMODELSMALSOAVAILABLE 199 Australis Drive, Derrimut VIC 3030 W: www.howard-australia.com P: 03 8353 3600 E: F: 03 8353 3699 MMMODELSAVAILABLE (0GEARBOXDEPENDINGONMODEL MTRANSPORTWIDTH $UOCONESEALS 'EARLATERALDRIVESINOILBATH (IGHCLEARANCEBETWEENROTORANDTOPOFCOVER [email protected] -ODEL0ANTERA# Phone 1800 888 359 A Division of PFG Australia Pty Ltd, ABN 820 9303 7533 6 July 2015 | Australian Canegrower 5 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 Australian Canegrower | 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 | Australian Canegrower 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 Australian Canegrower | 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 | Australian Canegrower 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 12 Australian Canegrower | 6 July 2015 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 | Australian Canegrower 13 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! 14 Australian Canegrower | 6 July 2015 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 | Australian Canegrower 15 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 16 Australian Canegrower | 6 July 2015 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 | Australian Canegrower 17 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. 18 Australian Canegrower | 6 July 2015 “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 | Australian Canegrower 19 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. 20 Australian Canegrower | 6 July 2015 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 | Australian Canegrower 21 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 [email protected]. Next deadline is ?? MONTH 2015. JOHNNY FARMING COMPANY Australian Distributor Belshina Tyres & Chinese Imports Tractor Tyres Earthmoving Tyres Truck Tyres Cars & 4WD Tyres DROVER EQUIPMENT AUSTRALIA UTV’s, ATV’s & AG BIKES FOR SALE - 1 X 4040 John Deere 2WD Air Cab in good condition - 1 X 2Tonne Silkwood Implement Side Dresser on wheels with colters - 1X 3.6 tonne Case Excavator - 1 X 17 tonne Hitachi Excavator - 1 x Kubota 9540 FWD Tractor Ex Con - 1 x John Deere 5520 FWD V/G Con - 1 X Kubota 6040 FWD Tractor Ex Condition - 1 x 2009 Trimble Auto pilot to suit a John Deere 3510 Harvester - 1 X John Deere 4520 – FWD VGC - 1 X Ford Aero Max Prime Mover with Hydraulics - 1 X 2013 5tonne 3 row adjustable VWRROVSOLWWHUZLWKFRQÀGRUWDQN 07 4068 5499 OR 0418 988 601 email: [email protected] www.rbengineeringnq.com.au See website for more details P: 07 4952 2577 M: 0412 535 887 www.johnnyfarmingcompany.com.au E: [email protected] 133 Schmidke Road Mackay 4740 JOHNNY FARMING COMPANY New Hydraulic Heavy Duty OFFSETS 3 metre width, 28 discs, All bath bearings $11,000 plus GST ($12,100 incl GST) Other size offsets available are 1.8m, 2.2m, 2.5m, 3m & 3.4metres. 3 point linkage offsets available also New Heavy Duty SLASHERS 2.1 metres width $3,300 incl GST Other sizes available are 1.2m, 1.5m & 1.8m Johnny Farming Company Phone (07) 4952 2577 or 0412 535 887 (John) or 0407 638 674 (Andrew) 133 Schmidtke Road Mackay Qld 4740 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 22 Australian Canegrower | 6 July 2015 Graham Twyford Machinery Sales Pty Ltd Specialising in Used Cane Harvesting Equipment Sales 2010 MASSEY FERGUSON 7475 4WD Tractor 135 HP. 3,130 Hrs. Fitted with Single Axle Carta elevating trailer. Double door. Very Tidy Unit. 2011 MASSEY FERGUSON 5465 4 WD Tractor 120 HP. 1,967 Hrs. Fitted with 6 tonne Side Tipper BSM type. CAMECO 1995 TRACK HARVESTER Cat 325 HP Eng. 12’’ x 6 Blade Diff. Chopper 95mm Blade. Good Tracks. Shredder topper. READY TO CUT. CAMECO 1997 TRACK HARVESTER Cat. 325 HP Eng. Recent Eng. Rebuild. 4ft 6’’ Cleaning Chamber. Transmission pumps overhauled, new plastic 4ft 6’’primary hood. Standard Topper. New track sprockets, Good Tracks. 2005 JD 6920 4WD Tractor 150 HP 5,264 Hrs. Coupled to a HBM Billet Planter 1,000 L. water tank on tractor. Complete Unit. NEW! 4 SLAT OPEN BUTT ROLLERS Suit JD 3510/20 and CASE. Helps Drop Dirt. Enquire NOW! NEW PLANTING TIPPERS Triple Side Tippers on trailer remote hydraulics. Immediate Delivery. IN STOCK NOW 12, 10, 8 & 6 BLADE DIFFERENTIAL CHOPPER DRUMS Suit ‘05 to current 3520 CAMECO/JD. Tungsten Hard Faced on Wear Areas. New seal plates, Clamping Bars & Dowels with kit. Graham Twyford 48 Central Park Drive, Paget, Mackay Mobile: 0418 742 696 Phone: 07 49 526 668 Email: [email protected] Web: www.gtmachinersales.com.au WHAT’S NEW MEMBER SERVICES Mossman –Tully D 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 | Australian Canegrower 23 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 24 Australian Canegrower | 6 July 2015 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 | Australian Canegrower 25 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