Industry News
Poll pressure on Science Chief over scientific duel on Great Barrier Reef
Farmers facing a rising tide of red tape based on the Reef Regulations Amendment Act 2019 are demanding the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) step up for a head-tohead debate on its home turf of Townsville, North Queensland.They have taken the unprecedented step of taking to the local...
SRA to build industry knowledge on interactions between on-farm practice and water quality in the Central Region
Sugarcane growers in the Mackay and Plane Creek areas of Central Queensland will have the opportunity to gain a clearer understanding of the complex relationship between farming systems and water quality, through a new project that is about to commence. This new project is led by Sugar Research...
India to maintain sugar export subsidies for third year in a row: sources
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is set to maintain sugar export subsidies for a third year in a row in a bid to reduce surplus stocks and ensure domestic prices don’t fall below a government benchmark, three sources involved in policy making told Reuters.FILE PHOTO: Workers harvest sugarcane in...
New model offers roadmap for farm advisory services
A project driven by a southern Queensland sugarcane growers’ organisation has developed a framework to guide the future of farm advisory services and workers. “We wanted to work out at what makes a good extension officer and why some farmers adopt new practices while others don’t,” CANEGROWERS...
Sweet Support for Those in Need
Some 5 million Australians have experienced food insecurity in the last 12 months and the number of people seeking food relief from charities is increasing.It is the human reality behind these figures that drives the network of local, state and national Foodbank staff, volunteers and partners to...
Sugarcane farm weeds to be targeted with robot to reduce herbicide use
A weed spraying robot which can detect and spray priority sugarcane weeds is being developed with a view to reducing herbicide use in North Queensland. James Cook University is overseeing the development of the robot, in a bit to cut herbicide usage on cane farms in Great Barrier Reef catchment...
AquaTill Demonstration
The Bundaberg AquaTill, how Bundaberg gets through cane trash! The AquaTill demonstration implement is now ready for action and its ability to slice through cane trash has been proven. In the 2020 harvest season the Landcare and SRA funded project will focus on proof of concept to: 1. Placement of...
SugarWrap rolls out sugarcane alternatives in Woolworths
Melbourne business SugarWrap has launched a range of sustainable sugarcane-based products for households. Consumers can buy the new range including eco-friendly zip lock bags, bin bags, freezer bags made entirely from sugarcane-based Bio-PE and corn PLA renewable products. SugarWrap said the...
Scientific head-to-head duel on Great Barrier Reef
The raging debate over the health of the Great Barrier Reef and the impact of unchecked science on farmers will step onto an online stage to face a massive mainstream audience on Thursday 8 October. Throwing down the gauntlet for a scientific duel to Dr Paul Hardisty, CEO of the Australian...
Energy Savers audit shows increased efficiency & major savings for Mackay farm
By CANEGROWERS Mackay A cane farm at Seaforth near Mackay could see increased production yields and major energy cost savings, thanks to recommendations of an audit conducted by CANEGROWERS Mackay through the Energy Savers Plus Program Extension. The audit is one of 180 farm energy audits...
Reef Assist creating regional jobs and protecting the environment
JOINT STATEMENT Premier and Minister for TradeThe Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Minister for the ArtsThe Honourable Leeanne Enoch The Palaszczuk Government today announced a $10 million Reef Assist funding boost to...
Sugar harvest in North Queensland hits halfway mark
The sugarcane crushing season is nearing the halfway mark in North Queensland, with Wilmar's eight mills having processed over 45 per cent of the estimated crop. Wilmar's mills had last week processed 6.82 million tonnes of cane of the estimated 15.07 million tonne crop. Cane supply and grower...
Collaborative partnership to help industry control greyback cane grubs
Sugarcane growers have a new tool in their toolbox to manage one of the industry’s primary crop pests, Greyback Canegrub. The new publication, the Greyback Canegrub Management manual, provides comprehensive information on managing this significant pest, which affects all sugarcane growing...
From rainforest to Reef
Jesse Bowman grew up on the north coast of northern New South Wales. Surrounded by both natural rainforest and agriculture, he developed a passion for environmental management and sustainability. Shortly after completing his Bachelor of Environment Science/Marine Science and Management in 2019,...
LNP’s plan to overhaul reef regulations in Queensland
Queensland's draconian reef regulations would be overhauled if the LNP wins power in the upcoming state election. LNP Leader Deb Frecklington this week promised to work alongside farmers and environmental groups to strike a balance to ensure agriculture can thrive while protecting the Great...
Scholarship available for engineering students in sugar mills
ENGINEERING students have the chance to work in Australian sugar mills under a unique scholarship program. The Australian Sugar Industry Scholarship enables Australian undergraduate engineering students in their final two years of study to gain experience during three paid placements in the sugar...
Sclerotial Sett Rot Disease
SRA has published a new information sheet on our website on a recently identified disease of sugarcane - sclerotial sett rot (SSR). SSR was first identified in 2016 at the SRA Woodford Pathology Farm on sugarcane setts sent for disease resistance screening trials. Up until now, it has not been...
Webinar: Engineering Sugarcane biomass for production of fuels and other bioproducts
Topic and Speaker: Join Katrina Hodgson-Kratky, PhD Candidate, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland presenting on her current research. Meeting future demands for renewable fuels and other bioproducts is dependent on the use of biomass...
Delivering smarter irrigation
Dairy Australia is partnering with the cotton, sugar, grain and rice industries in a project to deliver the benefits of new efficient water use technologies to Australian farmers. Over half of dairy farmers nationally use irrigation and farms in some regions rely totally on irrigated water. 'Smart...
New custom-molded, compostable oyster trays made from sugarcane created in Australia
Bondi Junction, New South Wales, Australia-based sustainable packaging developer BioPak has created the world’s first custom-molded oyster tray using sugarcane, with the help of its industry partner Blue Harvest. A number of seafood farmers across Australia have been working with BioPak on...