Contents… - Australian Sugarcane issues/207djsug16...Robotics, Andrew Bate. See article Page 23. How will global warming affect can growing regions? On the scrapheap – nearly!

December 2016–January 2017 Australian Sugarcane — 1

DECEMBER 2016–JANUARY 2017

COVER Australian SugarcanePO Box 766, Toowoomba, 4350. Phone: (07) 4659 3555. Fax: (07) 4638 4520. Email: [email protected] – www.australiansugarcane.com.au DELIVERY ADDRESS: 120 Herries Street, Toowoomba, Qld. 4350

EDITOR: Brian O’Connell PRODUCTION MANAGER: Mick Allan ASSOCIATE EDITORS: David Dowling ACCOUNTS: Deb Meddleton Lloyd O’Connell NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER: Michael Cook (0428 794 801)

ADVERTISING: Phone (07) 4659 3555 Fax (07) 4638 4520 E: [email protected]

CONTENTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS are the responsibility of the advertisers. All statements and opinions expressed in Australian Sugarcane are published after due consideration of information gained from sources believed to be authentic. The following of advice given is at the reader’s own risk, and no responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of the matter published herein. No portion in whole or part may be reproduced without permission of the publisher. Copyright 2016.

Published by Berekua Pty. Ltd., 40 Creek Street, Brisbane, Queensland. Registered by Australia Post Publication No. PP100008014. ISSN 1442–5157.

PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY, APRIL, JUNE, AUGUST, OCTOBER, DECEMBER. AUSTRALIAN SUGARCANE ANNUAL

Robotic agricultural machines will open doors to new farming methods

and drive practice change within the sugarcane industry, according to

farmer and co-founder of SwarmFarm Robotics, Andrew Bate.

See article Page 23.

How will global warming affect can growing regions?

On the scrapheap – nearly!

Machinery of the Future FeatureIN

SID

E

Print Post Approved Publication No. PP100008014

DECEMBER 2016–JANUARY 2017Volume 20, No.7 $7.70

Contents… 2 Editorial 4 ACFA commentary 6 State of the Climate 2016 delivers latest science on changing

climate 8 How will global warming affect cane growing regions? 12 The kings of carbon capture 14 Modern Machinery Matters:

Monduran Orchards – suck it and see when it comes to tractors 17 Marketing:

Double whammy – low food prices and dependence on fossil fuels What happens to local prices after the marketing shake up – perhaps not much?

Machinery of the Future Feature… 19 You’re a plant ‘phenotyper’ and probably don’t know it! 20 Tillage is back for weed control, but not as we know it 22 Field to be farmed exclusively by robots 23 Swarms of ‘slow robots’ can drive practice change in sugarcane 24 Classic Tractor Tales:

On the scrapheap – nearly! Part 2 27 District Reports 29 News & New Products 30 Fishing: Phil casts his net wide

www.australiansugarcane.com.au

Eight page Next Gen Farmer Issue 23 in the centre of this

magazine.

SEEMS we are all looking forward to the New Year with considerable optimism and a high degree of confidence. In fact the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey

indicates that Australian farmer confidence is at historically high levels buoyed by good seasonal conditions and solid prices.

Sugar producers are apparently particularly bullish about the coming year, as is the beef sector, and although the grain guys aren’t impressed by prices they do have a bumper crop to sell.

And when they sell it they will of course be taxed. Seems the government is looking for ‘better’ ways to tax us – there’s an Ag tax white paper being prepared. Now the question is ‘better’ for whom? Is it better for you and me, or the government, or is that the same thing?

According to the recently released RIRDC ‘Tax in Agriculture’ research project farmers are strong contributors to the economy and play a vital role in the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the nation.

There are approximately 123,265 farm businesses in Australia, 99 per cent of which are Australian owned. Australian farmers produce 93 per cent of Australia’s daily domestic food supply and contribute two per cent to Australia’s gross domestic product. The gross value of Australian farm production in 2013–14 was $51 billion and farm exports earned the country $41 billion. Australian farmers are an essential part of the economy’s fabric, contributing to the sustainability of rural and regional communities, as well as the broader economy.

Tax reform should be about improving the tax system as a whole and not just about raising revenue.

This of course brings us to the ‘backpacker tax’ – surely this one was a ‘no brainer’ – the back packers come, they work, they travel, they spend, they go home. What’s the problem? Our government seems to have no trouble paying home grown ‘slackers’ – they don’t work, they don’t travel and unfortunately they stay in Australia.

So the 15 per cent back packer tax has been passed – it only

took 18 months of political game playing that did not reflect well on our politicians. Can you imagine the circus we’re going to have as they set about ‘reforming’ Ag tax as a whole?

So onto happier things because it is the season to be jolly!As you may have noticed I love the ‘out of left field’, quirky

and often weird things that happen in the world of science – well, it was a bumper year for weird science in 2016. Here’s a few of the stories from the Australian Science Media Centre that I didn’t run with:

In horticulture there was the American bloke who bit off more than he could chew in a chilli eating challenge. Seems he ate a puree of one of the world’s hottest chillies, Bhut jolokia (also known as the ghost pepper), on a burger. The unfortunate, fiery fellow started sweating profusely, vomiting copiously and suffered chest and abdominal pains. Doctors found a 2.5 cm hole in his oesophagus. The rupture wasn’t caused by the chilli itself, but was the result of excessive vomiting. I wonder how things were at the other end of his digestive tract?

And for the animal husbandry guys there was the ‘Meerkat’ revelation. Meerkats – delightful, lovable fluff-balls, right? Wrong – they’re actually stone-cold killers, the mammalian world’s most prolific murderers in fact, according to a study that came out in September. The scientists looked at murder rates in 1000 mammal species, compared the meerkat (sorry) with the others, and found that one-in-five of these cuddly critters is killed in cold blood by another meerkat.

Overall, around two-fifths of mammal species commit murder, they say, and around one-in-three hundred mammals falls victim, so how do we humans measure up?

Well, the good news is we’re relatively un-murderous at the moment. Murder rates in the first humans were probably similar to those seen in great apes today – around one-in-fifty. Killing each other appears to have peaked in popularity during the medieval period, when they estimate that one-in-eight of us met a grisly end, but we’ve become a lot more civil since.

So here’s wishing you a very ‘civil’ season in 2017.

2 — Australian Sugarcane December 2016–January 2017

The kings of carbon captureAmong the devastating statistics from Australia’s 2009 Black Saturday bushfires was the release into the atmosphere of 13.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, tripling Australia’s usual annual bushfire emissions.

See article . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12

Machinery of the Future FeatureRobotic agricultural machines will open doors to new farming methods and drive practice change within the sugarcane industry, according to farmer and co-founder of SwarmFarm Robotics, Andrew Bate.

See articles starting . . . . . . . . Page 20

On the scrapheap – nearly! Part 2Previously, I described how Saint Peter considered me unworthy of entering his land of bliss, despite the fact that my heart reckoned the timing was right! But some re-plumbing by my cardiac guy got me going again and it looks like I shall be inflicting my presence on society for many years yet!

See article . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 24

In this issue...

Editorial… by Brian O’Connell, Editor

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IT’S been a difficult year for the sugarcane crush and that has proven true to the very end of

the season. The wet tropics more than lived up to their name and then there were the breakdowns, explosions and fires. Together they have certainly left their mark on 2016 and unfortunately there will be ramifications for the 2017 crop.

The cane industry at Rocky Point has had a trying time over the past few years. During the 2015 season the mill had problems with its cogeneration plant – the biomass-fed power plant required extensive boiler repairs.

During the prolonged repairs – which were partly funded by the farmers – the 2015 stand-over crop of about 24,000 tonnes of two year old cane was harvested and trucked 90 kilometres to the Condong mill in NSW.

Rocky Point mill finally started operating on October 31. Just four weeks later fire severely damaged a control room which shut the mill down for the 2016 season.

Once more, Sunshine Sugar has agreed to crush the Rocky Point crop up to 40,000 tonnes which will bring farmers up to the 50 per cent mark.

Marketing Choice is being delivered … slowly!

There have been positive developments for the industry-owned marketer, QSL. A resolution to these long-protracted issues is long overdue as the 2017 season draws near and the sugar price softens. The action of some milling companies has placed significant risk and financial stress onto farmers, who have been commercially separated from their own marketer, QSL.

Marketing Choice is now available for Tully Sugar growers, after Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL) and Tully Sugar signed an On-Supply Agreement (OSA) on December 15, 2016, for the coming season.

The new agreement enables cane farmers who have a valid Cane Supply Agreement (CSA) with Tully Sugar to access QSL marketing and pricing services for the 2017 Season and beyond.

QSL CEO Greg Beashell thanked Tully Sugar for their decision to agree to an OSA which sought to minimise changes to the existing arrangements for growers, avoiding potential new costs and inconvenience for growers.

QSL’s new OSA with Tully Sugar means that Wilmar growers are now the only Queensland cane farmers without their export marketing arrangements resolved for the coming season, a state Greg attributed to Wilmar’s insistence upon a series of complex and unnecessary new OSA arrangements.

“Tully Sugar and our existing OSA signatories MSF Sugar took very different approaches to the new Marketing Choice legislation than Wilmar, opting for minimal change to existing arrangements. Wilmar has sought a significantly different and unnecessarily complex model which results in costs and risks being moved to growers that would like to choose QSL as their marketer,” Greg said. “This has subsequently led to a protracted negotiation process that still leaves their growers with no choice in marketer for the crop that’s already in the field.

“It is immensely disappointing and frustrating for all concerned, but the Tully announcement reinforces that the legislation is workable – Marketing Choice can be implemented if the negotiating parties are willing to work constructively and in alignment with the growers who are inextricably linked to the arrangements. That’s why we continue to urge Wilmar to involve growers in the solution to the OSA issues that still need to be resolved.”


ACFA COMMENTARY

It’s been a difficult year to the very end

O By Stephen Ryan, General Manager ACFA

Stephen Ryan.

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The new long term terminal operating agreement will provide certainty for the Queensland sugar industry.

On December 13, 2016 the boards of Sugar Terminals Limited (STL) and QSL agreed on a term-sheet for an Operating Agreement that will underpin a new bulk sugar terminal operating model for Queensland’s sugar industry.

STL Chairman Stuart Gregory said that all stakeholders will benefit from the agreement, which will be confirmed as soon as detailed legal binding documentation is finalised, executed and approved by the boards of STL and QSL.

“The benefits of the existing arrangement with QSL are largely preserved and concerns about potential conflicts of interest have been addressed. Importantly, STL intends to continue to provide open access to its terminals for all market participants while gaining increased oversight and control over its assets and strategic risks through the revised model,” Stuart said.

STL Board capability will be expanded bring the total number of independent directors to three, complementing the two grower elected directors and two miller elected directors.

To manage STL’s changing role in a multi-user environment post June 30, 2017, STL plans to appoint two additional independent directors to bolster the Board’s expertise before the start of the 2017 season. The appointments will be subject to shareholder approval of an increase in the director fee pool at a general meeting of the company to be held in early 2017.

Australia recognised at Bonsucro Week

At Bonsucro Week in London Australian nominees Robert Quirk and Smartcane BMP were two of five candidates recognised for their work in encouraging sustainable sugar cane growing, nationally and internationally.

Robert is a founding member of Bonsucro, serving as the inaugural chair. Robert’s cane farm has been a model of innovation in sugarcane farming, carbon sequestration (carbon farmer of the year for Australia) and acid sulphate soil (ASS) remediation for which best management practice (BMP) for the growing of sugarcane on ASS was developed. As a result of his work the two million hectares of ASS growing sugarcane globally will benefit.

Robert has recently been involved in supporting cane operators and the introduction of sustainable cane farming systems in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Indonesia, Fiji and India.

Bonsucro has benchmarked Smartcane BMP against its criteria and announced there is full alignment between the programs.

Bonsucro’s preference is that where a local program, such as Smartcane BMP, exists within a country, growers use that local program as a pathway towards Bonsucro certification.

Sustainability requirements are emerging as an issue for both domestic Australian and international markets.

End-users and manufactures, including the Coca-Cola Company, Unilever and PepsiCo, have developed their own corporate social responsibility policies to source sustainable sugar for their products by 2020.

The preferred international certification in most of these situations is through Bonsucro. O

[email protected] www.leverlink.com.au Head Office: 07 3737 2400

The Chain & VEE Belt Tensioning Specialist


AUSTRALIA is experiencing more extremely hot days and severe fire seasons according to the findings of a new climate report released today.

The biennial CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology State of the Climate report draws on the latest climate monitoring and science to show how our climate is changing.

State of the Climate 2016 is the fourth report in a series published biennially by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology, which together play an integral role in monitoring, measuring and reporting on weather and climate.

State of the Climate 2016: Fast facts O Australia has warmed by around 1°C since 1910. O The number of days per year over 35°C has increased in recent decades, except in parts of northern Australia.

O There has been an increase in extreme fire weather, and a longer fire season, across large parts of Australia since the 1970s.

O May–July rainfall has reduced by around 19 per cent since 1970 in the southwest of Australia.

O April–October growing season rainfall has reduced by around 11 per cent since the mid-1990s in the continental southeast of Australia.

O Rainfall has increased across parts of northern Australia since the 1970s.

O Sea levels have risen around Australia. The rise in mean sea level amplifies the effects of high tides and storm surges.

O Global sea level has risen over 20 cm since the late 19th Century with about one third of this rise due to ocean warming.

O The 2016 global annual average CO2 level will almost certainly exceed 400 ppm.

O The overwhelming contribution to the additional CO2 in the atmosphere is from human activities, mainly the burning of fossil fuels.

O The atmospheric CO2 increases in 2015 were the highest ever observed.

O 2015 was the warmest year on record for the globe since reliable global surface air temperature records began in 1880. The past 15 years are among the 16 warmest years on record.

Key points about future climate trends O Australian temperatures are projected to continue increasing with more extremely hot days and fewer extremely cool days.

O An increase in the number of days with weather conducive to fire in southern and eastern Australia is projected.

O Extreme rainfall events are likely to increase in intensity by the end of the century across most of Australia.

O Winter and spring rainfall is projected to decrease across southern continental Australia, with more time spent in drought.

O Projections suggest fewer tropical cyclones will form in the southern hemisphere than are currently observed, but a higher proportion of those will be more intense, with ongoing large variability from decade to decade.

O Past and ongoing emissions commit us to further sea-level rise around Australia in coming decades, with ongoing sea-level rise projected.

O Oceans around Australia will warm further and acidification will continue—with significant impacts on marine ecosystems.

The State of the Climate 2016 report can be found on the Bureau of Meteorology (www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/) or CSIRO (www.csiro.au/en/SOTC-2016) websites. O


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QUEENSLAND Government Ministers have called on the Commonwealth to step up its commitment to combating climate change.

Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles said the Paris Agreement aimed to keep global warming to well below two degrees above pre-industrial levels. “While the Australian Government has signed, it is yet to ratify the Paris Agreement,” he said.

“We are developing and implementing strategies to better understand how global warming will affect Queensland, to transition to a low carbon future and to adapt to the impacts of a changing climate.”

Steven said climate experts had predicted a number of consequences for Queensland if climate change remained unchecked.

These included higher temperatures and more frequent hot days; more intense tropical cyclones in northern Queensland and reduced rainfall in the south-east; rising sea levels and more frequent sea level extremes; and, warmer seas.

“One of our key initiatives is to keep all Queenslanders informed of climate change in their particular regions.

“Queenslanders now have access to regional climate change projections, with the interactive, web-based Climate Change in Queensland map application and regional climate change impact summaries for 13 Queensland regions now available online.”

How will climate change affect the Far North Queensland region?

The Far North Queensland region is centred on the coastal city of Cairns. The region includes Daintree and Mossman to the north, Innisfail to the south and the Atherton Tablelands to the west. The region occupies four per cent of the total area of the state, and includes five per cent of the state’s population.

How will climate change affect the Mackay region?

Centrally located on the Queensland coastline, the


How will global warming affect cane growing regions?

FIGURE 1: Far North Queensland regionFIGURE 2: Mackay region

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Whitsunday, Hinterland and Mackay region occupies around five per cent of the state’s area and extends from the Styx River in the south to Cape Upstart in the north, and west beyond the Gregory Highway. The region is home to approximately four per cent of the state’s population, the majority living on the coastal plain between Bowen and Sarina.

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For more information on all regions see: www.qld.gov.au/environment/climate/projections O


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AMONG the devastating statistics from Australia’s 2009 Black Saturday bushfires was the release into the atmosphere of 13.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide,

tripling Australia’s usual annual bushfire emissions.When carbon is held back from entering the atmosphere for

more than a century, we consider it ‘sequestered’. Trees are good at sequestering carbon but fire can quickly undo all the good.

One place where plants can sequester carbon without fear of fire is under water. It’s what is known as ‘blue carbon’.

Mangroves, seagrass and saltmarshesWhile the sequestering of carbon on dry land is well studied,

ecologists are only beginning to understand the significance of the role of aquatic ecosystems in sequestering carbon. But three standout performers have been identified.

“Blue carbon ecosystems refer to tidal marshes, mangroves and seagrass,” explains Dr Oscar Serrano from Edith Cowen University’s Centre for Ecosystems Management. The role of seaweed in sequestering carbon is also being considered, he says.

Seagrass, mangroves and saltmarsh, which take up only 2 per cent of the world’s seabed area, are responsible for 50 per cent of the carbon that is captured and stored in ocean sediments.

A single hectare of seagrass can store twice the amount of carbon that a hectare of tropical forest can store. A single hectare of intact tidal marshland can offset the emissions of nearly 500 cars on our roads.

Yet it’s the mangroves that really seem to be the kings of carbon capture. “On a unit area basis, mangroves are certainly the ecosystems that have the largest potential to sequester CO2. For instance, one square meter of mangrove ecosystem could sequester 10 times more CO2 than tidal marshes and seagrasses,” says Oscar.

Locating the planet’s blue carbon ecosystemsQuantifying the ability of these blue carbon ecosystems to

lock up carbon is just half the story. To effectively understand their contributions, we also need to know how much of them we have on the planet.

Globally, blue ecosystems are estimated to cover an area equal to just 6 per cent of the world’s tropical forests. Yet, up to 19 per cent of the world’s annual emissions are accounted for by the vegetation lost through the destruction of our wetland ecosystems. That’s half a billion tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere every year.

Aerial imaging could provide a detailed map of mangroves and tidal marshes, says Oscar, but seagrass meadows are harder to map, being hidden beneath the waves. Given their potential impact, this is no small problem: “In Australia, for example, seagrasses are estimated to be the ecosystems with the largest capacity for carbon dioxide sequestration because they occupy a larger area than other blue carbon ecosystems,” he says.


The kings of carbon capture

Hinchinbrook Island channel and mangroves as seen from lookout near Cardwell, Queensland. (Image: Willem van Aken)

Do not disturbThe sediment held in place by coastal vegetation is rich in

carbon which, left alone, can sit there for thousands of years. If this ‘ocean soil’ is disturbed, its organic matter can be exposed to oxygen, helping microbes release the locked-up carbon back to the atmosphere.

“Coastal vegetated ecosystems in Australia have been affected by development over the past century,” says Oscar. “Their disturbance can result in the loss of their CO2 sequestration capacity, but most importantly, to the release of their millenary carbon stores back to the atmosphere.”

Accounting for blue carbonThe risks and uncertainties make a sound case for bringing

together experts and authorities to improve our understanding of blue carbon. As a nation ‘girt by sea’, Australia holds a particular interest in driving collaboration on blue carbon. To date, we have yet to include carbon from our surrounding coastal environments in our carbon accounting processes. This is set to change.

For the past five years, our Coastal Carbon Cluster project, which includes eight partner universities, has been collecting and distributing information on Australia’s coastal carbon. CSIRO’s Dr Jeff Baldock says the collaboration will help define Australia’s inclusion of blue carbon within frameworks such as the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the Emissions Reduction Fund.

“As a result of the cluster’s research, new datasets are becoming available to help support development of carbon accounting approaches within blue carbon ecosystems. Gaps remain, but we are now in a better position,” says Jeff.

Collaborating to protect and restore blue carbon hotspots

In 2015, at the Global Landscapes Forum in Paris, the Australian Government announced its establishment of the International Blue Carbon Partnership. Behind the initiative is a concern about the gaps between policy and the science of carbon cycling through our coastal ecosystems.

Patrick Suckling is the Australian Ambassador for the Environment: “The challenge is how we can harness the science, help get national and regional policy settings right, and unlock

the finance. This requires a multi-sectoral response,” he says.Those sectors are spread across government, non-government

bodies, and academia and can build awareness in the international community, share expertise and upscale practical action. The partnership brings together the scientific expertise of organisations such as CSIRO and the University of Queensland with the policy expertise of governments such as the US and Indonesia, and the practical project experience of NGOs such as Conservation International. The intention is to foster projects that prioritise the protection and restoration of blue carbon ‘hotspots’.

We’ve long valued our coastal ecosystems for their intrinsic beauty, their integral role in biodiversity, and the natural resources they provide. Now Australia is leading the way by adding carbon to the long list of ‘true blue’ reasons why the world must protect its mangroves, its seagrass meadows and its saltmarshes.

For more information: www.events.csiro.au/Newsletters/ECOS/2016-11 O

Mangrove shoots emerging from the water at Cairns, Queensland. (Image: Christine Painter)

Sea turtle makes its way through a stand of seagrass. (Image: Florida Department of Environmental Protection)



“EVERY little thing about them ticks the box, like no other tractor has done beforehand. We have 14 Farmall B’s now and are looking to increase the fleet. We also

have a Farmall C on order for the more narrow rows.”The Mulletts farm 1214 hectares at Gin Gin, some 370 km

north-west of Brisbane. They are one of Queensland’s largest producers of early-market citrus and one of Australia’s biggest producers of red grapefruits.

‘Weekend Warriors’ distort second-hand marketJim says the move to Case IH happened over time.“Most orchardists buy small tractors second-hand to pull

trailers and bins for picking. But increasing buying competition from hobby farmers means you’re buying 50-year-old tractors for $10,000. For not much more, you can buy a brand new Farmall B, and it’s economically sensible to buy new.

“We’ve tried other tractor brands, and while we found them good, the maintenance is too much – particularly with plastic parts. We found the expense of replacing them was (a) not cheap, and (b) we had to do it regularly.

“So when we went back and looked at all the brands, we were most impressed with Case IH. With their steel bonnets, they’re built to last. The tractors came with canopies, three remotes and four-wheel drive – everything that we wanted for a price you couldn’t better anywhere. They’re not much more than a lesser-quality import and yet you’ve got a very reliable tractor.

“They’re very easy to use and they’re a

strong and adaptable tractor. We’ve designed lemon-picking aids using big trailers that fit on behind our Farmall B’s and we also use them to apply herbicide at very low rates under our trees to keep the rows clean.

“By sticking to the one brand, maintenance is easy. We’ve had no maintenance issues, yet we’ve got other tractors with 10,000 hours that just have their third front-end rebuild.”

Jim recounts what “would have been a catastrophe in another brand”.

“A large limb came out of a 70-foot tree and fell onto a tractor roof and bonnet. It didn’t even bend the bonnet down to the engine! If that had been plastic top or bonnet, it would

have done some serious damage. But we continued using it, and got it repaired when the season finished.”

Jim says with season-peak staff currently at 170 and growing – Monduran Orchards is looking to build its Farmall B fleet to 30, to accommodate 90 pickers.

“And we’re blessed in Bundaberg – the McDonald Murphy Case IH dealership is the best tractor dealership I’ve ever dealt with. We cannot stress strongly enough how they’ve looked after us with old-fashioned service. We can’t afford downtime, and they keep spares on the shelf all the time, which minimises it at any

Monduran Orchards – suck it and see when it comes to tractors

Orchardist Jim Mullett and his family have tried three tractor brands in their Queensland business, Monduran Orchards – and decided they like the taste of Case! The compact Case IH Farmall B that is.

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Monduran Orchards – suck it and see when it comes to tractors

Too much wheel slip on sand hills, resulting in erosion and uneven crops, encouraged Tim and Richie Gleeson to look at track technology.

The Gleesons grow wheat, barley, lentils, chickpeas, lupins and canola on 18,000 hectares at Natya, 60 kilometres north of Swan Hill, in Victoria’s Mallee. In early 2015, they bought two Case IH Steiger 600 Quadtrac tractors.

Scott Gladman, farm manager for E.T. Gleeson & Sons, says, “We have big sand hills and were getting a lot of wheel slip climbing them with tyre tractors – even four-wheel-drive tractors. The wheel slip incorporates chemical into the ground where you don’t want it, which can then make your crop over the sand hills sick or die, exposing them to wind and resulting in erosion.”

Scott says despite their previous tractors having “plenty of horsepower”, they couldn’t climb some of the Gleesons’ sand hills.

“So we’d have to drive up where the sand hill wasn’t as steep, and sow down it. That’s just not as productive; plus by doing that, we were running over what we’d already seeded, and crops in those areas often just didn’t come up. It was really impractical.”

The Gleesons’ research led them to tracked tractors, first

introduced by Case IH in 1996. The Quadtrac’s four individually driven, oscillating tracks give greater ground contact than tyres or two-track systems, resulting in a good balance between productivity and efficiency.

Scott says while the initial capital outlay sometimes seems more, the return on investment is excellent.

“Per hectare it works out cheaper because we’re getting over sand hills that we don’t have to turn around and sow downhill. Even fuel use with these equates to a lot less per hectare because it’s just up and over, and from one end of the paddock to the other.

“Initially we didn’t think they had enough horsepower, but they get so much positive power to the ground – you’re using all the available horsepower!

“With a wheel tractor, when the wheels are spinning the revs still stay up high, and you don’t realise that you’re getting all that wheel slip. You get this false sense that the tractor’s pulling up the sand hill easily – but it’s not, it’s actually spinning the wheels, digging out the sand in front of you and not getting power to the ground. At 100 per cent wheel slip, you’re not going anywhere – you’re bogged!”

For more information see your local Case IH dealer or visit www.caseih.com.

Scott Gladman believes the Case IH Quadtracs have helped save soils and profits in Victoria’s sandy Mallee.

MEANWHILE DOWN SOUTH IN THE SAND…

stage. They have approached rebuilding our business in a real partnership-type way with us.”

In the rebuild, Jim says Monduran Orchards has moved away from tradition with its product marketing.

“We’ve gone into the 21st century and that attitude is really why we went for the Case IH Farmall B: we believe you’re not

meant to spend half your life repairing old tractors. It’s our belief that the Farmall B is an exception to the saying, ‘you only get what you pay for’ – you get a hell of a lot more than you pay for with these. We’re super pleased.”

For more information see your local Case IH dealer or visit www.caseih.com O

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Merry Christmas&

A Happy New Year

Wishing You a

We would like to thank You for Yourongoing support throughout 2016

We look forward to working with You in 2017!

From the Board and Staff at

Australian Cane Farmers Association & Next Gen

Issue 23

December 2016 NextGen Farmer i

ii NextGen Farmer December 2016

EditorialBy Stephen Ryan

The sugar industry’s popular Step UP! conference will be back with a bang in 2017 when Next

Gen host their third bi-annual Case IH Step UP! in March. Preparations for this very popular event are well under way.

ACFA Administration Officer, Alicia Opajdowska, has used her design skills to build a new Step UP! website and this is ready to take bookings. Alicia will add information and updates on the conference, the program, the tours and the speakers, in early 2017.

We also welcome our former Admin Officer, Amanda Sheppard, back on board to help pull together the event.

“I’ve been pretty lucky to be involved with Next Gen for over four years now, having helped organise the first two Step UP! Events - I’m pretty pumped to be back working with the Next Gen team again,” Amanda said.

“Case IH Step UP! 2017 is going to be a good one. We really want to provide an opportunity for delegates to take some time away from their everyday work, whether that be on farm or in the office, to connect with other like-minded progressive folk to consider the concepts that will shape the future of this great industry.

“Based on the theme for next year’s event, Transition & Innovation, we’ve already got some really awesome speakers lined up. We will have the opportunity to discuss a range of topics, including robotic and mobile farming technology, world best practices, R&D, farm finance and succession. Delegates will also have the opportunity to get out in the field with daily trips planned.”

The Case IH Step UP! program will also include a Welcome Function hosted by NAB on Monday March 27, a trade hall showcasing the services and products of leading local and international agribusinesses as well as the popular Step UP! gala dinner on Tuesday March 28. Tickets are available for purchase through nextgenstepup.com.

For sponsorship enquiries please contact Amanda Sheppard via [email protected] n

FRONT COVER: A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all!

ContentsEditorial iiTeam red back on board for sugar’s Step UP! conference iii The hi-tech sustainable future for hydrophonics ivStatewide network will help farmers live off the LAN vYou ‘eat’ 30 kilos of soil a day… viQSL Update – Marketing Choice delivered for

Tully sugar growers viiNext Gen contacts viii

Thank you to our partners

Former ACFA Admin Officer, Amanda Sheppard, is back on board helping pull together Case IH Step UP! 2017.

ACFA Administration Officer, Alicia Opajdowska has designed the new StepUP! Website.

http://nextgenstepup.com/

mailto:[email protected]

December 2016 NextGen Farmer iii

Head of the Next Gen program, Gerard Puglisi, says Case IH brand is synonymous with innovation and sustainability

The sugar industry’s body for young industry professionals, Next Gen, is thrilled to announce that Case IH has once again thrown their support behind the popular Step UP!

Conference by coming on board as the major partner for the event in 2017.

To be held at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC) from March 27–29, Case IH Step UP! 2017 will be an opportunity for young and established farmers, millers, researchers and harvesters to share, learn and explore ideas with fellow industry stakeholders.

Head of the Next Gen program, Gerard Puglisi, said that the Case IH brand is synonymous with innovation and sustainability, so were a perfect match for Step UP! 2017.

“We have been fortunate to have had Case IH support Step UP! since its inception and with the team in red back on board again in 2017 the conference will once again be one to remember,” Gerard said.

“The event theme, Transition and Innovation, will focus on ever-advancing technology, absolute world best practices and

how we can ensure our industry remains a global leader as it transitions from one generation to the next.”

2017 will mark the third bi-annual Case IH Step UP! conference for Next Gen and is set to be the biggest event from the team to date. With nearly 200 people from all corners of the industry expected to attend, Case IH Step UP! 2017 is sure to be both progressive and dynamic.Find out more: www.nextgenstepup.com n

Team red back on board for sugar’s Step UP! conference

Next Gen Farmer GPO Box 608, Brisbane QLD 4001 Tel: (07) 3839 1900 Fax: (07) 3839 1911 E: [email protected]

Delivery address: Level 3, 447 Upper Edward Street Spring Hill, BRISBANE QLD 4000

Editor: Stephen Ryan Administration: Alicia Opajdowska Next Gen Officer: Gerard Puglisi

Mob: 0412 417 717 E: [email protected]

Next Gen Farmer, Issue 23 Published December 2016 ISN 2201-7240

The Australian Cane Famers Association (ACFA) produces Next Gen Farmer. Views expressed within are not necessarily those of the ACFA.

iv NextGen Farmer December 2016

Australian vegetable growers can achieve greater productivity, increased energy efficiency and reduced pest pressure through the use of semi-closed greenhouse

(SCG) technology, according to Nuffield Scholar, Keshav Timalsena.

The key difference between a traditional and semi-closed greenhouse is the method of atmospheric control. Traditional greenhouses use passive venting to exchange air in order to maintain the climate. On the other hand, semi-closed greenhouses use active atmosphere controls such as fans and mixing chambers to control air exchange within the glasshouse.

The main advantages of a semi-closed greenhouse are: n More light transmission. n Highly efficient at maintaining high CO2 for crop

fertilisation. n A positive pressure within the glasshouse keeps pests out.

n Much greater control of external air exchange meaning better climate control with less heat and water inputs (up to half as much as conventional glasshouse).

n Increased crop yields.Keshav Timalsena researched the commercial viability of

cutting edge SCG technology by visiting leading greenhouse producers in Canada, the US, Mexico, Brazil, Europe and New Zealand.

“Successful European growers use SCG to achieve a greater level of climate control, increasing energy efficiency while retaining more beneficial carbon dioxide (CO2) and excluding external pest and disease vectors,” Keshav said.

Based in Armidale, NSW, Keshav is a senior grower manager for the hydroponic tomato producer, Costa Group, which has 30 hectares of production under glass and supplies major supermarket chains. The company produces more than 12.6 million kilos of high-quality vine ripened tomatoes including large truss, cocktail and snacking tomatoes annually.Greenhouse technology has rapidly increased in Australia

Adoption of hydroponic greenhouse technology has rapidly increased in Australia in the past five years and is seen as a model of high volume efficient production, producing up to nine times more than the conventional field grower with only 20 per cent of the water.

“While production efficiency has been significantly increased, the level of climate manipulation, fertigation and crop protection requires a large volume of costly inputs, which increase the cost of production,” he explained.

“There is also a growing public awareness of the environmental impact of input intensive farming that is forcing farmers to take a more sustainable approach to food production, and the semi-closed glasshouse concept is the future.”

While it requires significant investment, Keshav says SCG technology provides an excellent opportunity to modernise greenhouse production through minimising inputs and waste, leading to expansion and greater profitability

“SCG has a very clean environmental footprint as CO2 produced from burning natural gas is retained within the greenhouse, and this air is recycled and not released to the atmosphere as in typical “glasshouse operations.

“All these factors – retention of heat and CO2, less chemical sprays, converting waste plant material to generate heat, methane gas and compost as by-products – provide growers with the opportunity to maximise productivity.”For more information: Keshav Timalsena – E. [email protected]: www.nuffield.com.au n

The hi-tech sustainable future for hydroponics?

Keshav Timalsena getting up close with some French tomatoes in Marseille during his individual Nuffield study tour.

December 2016 NextGen Farmer v

South Australia is set to become the first fully interconnected state in the Southern Hemisphere through a regional Internet of Things (IoT) network.

What began as an initiative to connect each of Australia’s big cities to an IoT network has expanded into a state-wide project in South Australia which will enable primary industry stakeholders to take advantage of the new technology.

The network, developed by French IoT service provider SIGFOX, will allow users to connect a range of compatible devices to track and control a variety of services wirelessly.

Australian IoT developer Thinxtra has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the South Australian Government to roll out SIGFOX wireless technology across regional areas, creating the nation’s first networked state.

The program was made possible by support from South Australia’s Investment Attraction agency, said Renald Gallis, the Vice President for Ecosystem and Marketing at Thinxtra.

“South Australia, has been prioritised because they wanted the rollout now and investment attraction has provided free sites for us to use,” he said.

“It’s a contribution – we are setting up the stations at our cost, they’re providing free sites for us, I’d say it’s a 50/50 contribution.

“It’s a great opportunity for South Australia to have the network so they can work on solutions for smart agriculture and smart cities, to be more advanced, to be more innovative,” he said.From irrigation control to tracking crops and cattle

The regional network will be particularly useful to the state’s AUD$21 billion agriculture, food, wine and forestry export industry, with a range of uses from irrigation control to tracking crop conditions.

“In the case of the agriculture industry, it can be used to track any kind of asset you have anywhere, so to track your cattle and see where they are for example,” Renald said.

“That’s something you wouldn’t be able to do with 3G – first because in regional areas you often don’t have that sort of network, and also that the range of 3G is very short, it’s around one kilometre.

“The big advantage of our IoT technology is that it’s very long range – the base station can be 20–50 kilometres away in a regional area.”Cheaper for end user

Compared to other technology, IoT networks will also prove cheaper for the end user, with common devices like a tracker costing less than AUD$30.

The IoT network will also be more energy efficient, allowing devices to last longer, because it is purpose built for low data transfer,

“It has 300 times less power consumption than 3G or wi-fi, so you can have very small devices with a very small battery that can last 10 to 20 years, depending on your application,” Renald said.

“You can connect very cheap sensors, with very cheap connectivity – around $2 per year with devices like a tracker.”

The South Australia IoT network is expected to be completed by June 2017, with a national rollout slated for the end of 2018.

By 2020 it is estimated there will be more than 50 billion IoT devices installed around the world.For more information contact Renald Gallis – Email: [email protected]

Drawn from an article by Thomas Luke published in The Lead November 21, 2016: www.theleadsouthaustralia.com.au n

State wide network will help farmers live off the LAN

Internet of Things (IoT) networks are longer range and cheaper – just what the next generation of Australian farmers needs.

vi NextGen Farmer December 2016

Every meal you eat now costs the planet 10 kilos in lost topsoil. That was the warning of “Surviving the 21st Century” author Julian Cribb to an international soil

science conference in Queenstown, New Zealand on December 15, 2016.

“Ten kilos of topsoil, 800 litres of water, 1.3 litres of diesel, 0.3 g of pesticide and 3.5 kilos of carbon dioxide – that’s what it takes to deliver one meal, for just one person,” Julian says.

“When you multiply it by 7 to 10 billion people each eating around a 1000 meals a year, you can see why food is fast becoming the challenge of our age.”

“The human jawbone is now by far the most destructive implement on the planet. It’s wrecking soil and water, clearing forests, emptying oceans of fish and destroying wildlife as never before – but few people realise it because of long industrial food-chains that hide the damage from them,” he says.

In “Surviving the 21st Century” Julian presents the scientific evidence for the ten greatest threats facing humanity – and what we can do about them. The book is published by Springer International.

Humanity needs to double food production by the 2060s – but the basic resources to do it are become scarce, heightening the risk of famines, wars and mass migration.

“The world currently loses 75 billion tonnes of soil a year – and the problem is getting worse. Scientists recently estimated we’ve lost a third of the world’s soil in the past 40 years.

“World water shortages are also looming. A recent scientific report says 4 billion human beings now experience acute water scarcity at least one month a year. A UN study warns that world demand for water could exceed supply by 40 per cent by the 2030s.

“Governments and consumers fail to grasp that scarcities of

soil, water, oil, nutrients, technology, fish and finance are now acting in sync – and are being amplified by climate shocks. Together they pose a major threat to world food security – and to world peace,” Julian says.

“These are the drivers of dramatic change in what and how the world eats, where it comes from and how it is produced.” he predicts in “Surviving the 21st Century”

“In coming decades, there will be a boom in local food production both in the cultivation of thousands of novel crops, in the recycling of water and nutrients in cities, in urban agriculture, in the exploitation of soil microbial activity and carbon farming, in the development of new, climate-proof production systems such as soilless aquaponics and biocultures, protected cropping, algae farming, ‘agritecture’ and in the design of novel foods and diets.

“Food production will have to move indoors because of global climate disruption – heatwaves, droughts, floods and fires. If key governments backslide on their climate commitments, global temperatures will hit 2.5 to 5°C above the levels that traditional farming can tolerate.

“With water and fertiliser running low, food production will have to shift back into the cities, to use recycled water and nutrients. Megacities that do not plan for this may starve.

“All this sounds like a big threat – and it is. But only if we are unprepared for it. Reinventing food will in fact create vast new industries, jobs and opportunities for communities around the world – and the smart ones will be leaders in this, The Age of Food.

“Furthermore, by transferring the bulk of food production to cities we can reverse the 6th Extinction by rewilding up to 24 million square kms of the planet under the wise stewardship of farmers and indigenous peoples.

“Food is one of the most creative acts which humans perform. How well we do it will define the future of our civilisation,” Julian says.More information: Author: Julian Cribb – Email: [email protected] n

You ‘eat’ 30 kilos of soil a day…

To deliver one meal, for just one person requires 10 kilos of topsoil, 800 litres of water, 1.3 litres of diesel, 0.3g of pesticide and 3.5 kilos of carbon dioxide says Julian Cribb.

December 2016 NextGen Farmer vii

Marketing Choice became available for Tully sugar growers in mid-December after Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL) and Tully Sugar signed an On-Supply

Agreement (OSA) for the coming season.The new agreement enables cane growers who have a valid

Cane Supply Agreement (CSA) with Tully Sugar to access QSL marketing and pricing services for the 2017 Season and beyond.

QSL CEO Greg Beashel said Tully growers now had until 28 February 2017 to submit their Marketing Choice nomination for the coming season via the Sugar Marketing Entity (SME) nomination form available on the Tully Sugar website.

“Like the arrangements already in place for MSF growers, the new Marketing Choice arrangements for Tully Sugar growers have minimal changes to growers’ current systems for pricing and payment procedures,” Greg said.

Greg thanked Tully Sugar for their decision to agree to an OSA which sought to minimise changes to the existing arrangements for growers, avoiding potential new costs and inconvenience for growers.

QSL’s new OSA with Tully Sugar means that Wilmar growers are now the only Queensland cane farmers without their export marketing arrangements resolved for the coming season, a state Greg attributed to Wilmar’s insistence upon a series of complex and unnecessary new OSA arrangements.

“Tully Sugar and our existing OSA signatories MSF Sugar took very different approaches to the new Marketing Choice legislation than Wilmar, opting for minimal change to existing arrangements, while Wilmar has sought a significantly different and unnecessarily complex model which results in costs and risks being moved to growers that would like to choose QSL as their marketer,” Greg said.

“This has subsequently led to a protracted negotiation

process that still leaves their growers with no choice in marketer for the crop that’s already in the field.

“It is immensely disappointing and frustrating for all concerned, but today’s announcement reinforces that the legislation is workable and Marketing Choice can be implemented if the negotiating parties are willing to work constructively and in alignment with the growers who are inextricably linked to the arrangements.

“That’s why we continue to urge Wilmar to involve growers in the solution to the OSA issues that still need to be resolved.”For more information: QSL Communications Manager Cathy Kelly, Email: [email protected] Phone: 0409 285 074. n

Marketing Choice delivered for Tully sugar growers

Greg Beashel.


viii NextGen Farmer December 2016

Gerard Puglisi Next Gen Officer 0412 417 717 [email protected]

Gerard Padovan Mossman Rep 0416 034 953 [email protected]

Erik D’Uros Innisfail Rep 0428 247 405 [email protected]

Carl Menzel Burdekin Rep 0427 773 344 [email protected]

Hayden Quabba Mackay Rep 0400 266 012 [email protected]

Phil Deguara Mackay Rep 0417 796 468 [email protected]

Gavin Lerch Bundaberg/Isis Rep 0418 798 225 [email protected]

Josh Buchbach Bundaberg/Isis Rep 0427 559 095 [email protected]

Sam Mischke Rocky Point Rep 0423 399 281 [email protected]

Tracey Doherty NSW Rep 0455 107 792 [email protected]

Next Gen HQ (07) 3839 1900 [email protected] GPO Box 608, Brisbane, Q 4001Ne

xt G

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WESTERN economies need to begin thinking beyond their desire for low-cost food supply, and place greater value on agricultural production to protect themselves

from global economic shocks.CQUniversity Australia’s Professor Dave Swain says changes to

energy and water availability, as well as changes to the climate, have the potential to hit western food production systems and affect global food security.

Perverse consequences“In developing countries, where food is more scarce, food

is a more important priority and accounts for a much larger percentage of family expenditure,” Dave said.

“But in developed countries farmers are increasingly bearing a high risk due to the constant push to drive down the price of food, which in time might have some perverse consequences.

“If we don’t value food and it becomes less abundant – for example due to a collapse in agricultural production because it becomes unviable economically – there is a possibility of social instability as a result.

“Just look at how exposed Australia’s dairy industry and regional communities were hit by their recent change in financial fortunes.”

Professor Dave Swain was a keynote speaker at the recent conference of the Society for Risk Analysis Australia New Zealand, held in Adelaide. He leads CQUniversity’s Precision Livestock Management research program, with his work focused on obtaining a more complete picture of how livestock behavioural strategies can be used to overcome resource limitations.

Dave told the conference that current agricultural systems may be hitting natural productivity limits, pointing to a significant

slowing in the rate of improvement in total factor productivity and food outputs over the past 20 years, when compared to the previous 20 years.

“Given the growing global population, this trend could be an alarm bell for global food and therefore economic security in the future,” he said.

Fossil fuelled growthHe said that while global agriculture had become dramatically

more efficient in converting labour inputs into food outputs, this had been driven by fossil-fuelled technological advancements.

“The most recent and single greatest factor that has led to intensive agriculture has been the introduction of fossil fuels, which provide an abundant energy source that can be used in fertilisers, agrochemicals and machinery.

“This dependence has left Western economies and their farming populations exposed to demographic or political risks.”

But Dave said the outlook was not one of doom and gloom, pointing to the structural adjustments some nations had already made to increase agricultural outputs without fossil fuels.

“Since the implementation of US economic sanctions and oil embargos in the late 1980s, Cuban crop production output has in fact increased by between 145 and 350 per cent, while agrochemical use has decreased by 50–70 per cent during the same period,” he said.

“Farmers have mastered the art of converting solar energy into chemical energy and we all need chemical energy – or food as it is often referred to. The challenge now is to balance the social, production, economic and environmental concerns.”

For more information: Contact Professor Dave Swain – Email: [email protected] O


marketing

Double whammy – low food prices and dependence on fossil fuels

Professor Dave Swain was a keynote speaker at the recent conference of the Society for Risk Analysis – Australia and New Zealand.

THREE major sugar manufacturers are set to commence exporting through their own channels, severing ties with established industry body Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL),

believing they can achieve better prices outside of the body.Commenting on the move, Ms Brooke Tonkin, IBISWorld

Senior Industry Analyst, said: “Sugar manufacturers Wilmar Sugar, MSF Sugar and Tully Sugar are breaking with QSL, and there are cane growers fearful that this will increase pricing competition. But the effects may not be as severe as anticipated because Australian growers have little influence on global markets.”

Australia’s sugar cane harvest is currently in full swing, with approximately 35 million tonnes of sugar cane expected to be milled by mid-December.

“Some cane growers are concerned that the split may spark price competition that will reduce their profit margins. But Australia’s position as a price-taker in the world sugar market means the effects are unlikely to be as detrimental as expected,” said Brooke.

As an industry-owned marketer, QSL is responsible for negotiating prices on behalf of sugar manufacturers and sugar cane growers. Following the industry’s deregulation in 2006, QSL has operated through voluntary contracts with sugar millers. Despite the contracts being voluntary, most millers continued to operate through QSL. In 2014, Wilmar Sugar, MSF Sugar and Tully Sugar, three of the five largest sugar manufacturers, announced that they planned to sever ties with QSL at the end of the 2016 season.

“Although approximately 80 per cent of Australia’s processed sugar (in volume terms) is exported, Australia accounts for around three per cent of global sugar production. Australia therefore has little control over the world sugar market,” said Brooke.

“Although Wilmar Sugar, MSF Sugar and Tully Sugar are major players in the domestic sugar manufacturing industry, they

are unlikely to significantly influence the world prices received for sugar,” added Brooke. “This means that despite the imminent changes, farmers are likely to receive similar prices for their cane regardless of who they sell to.”

Despite the shake-up, the sugar cane growing industry and the sugar manufacturing industry are both projected to grow in the current year, as low world sugar stocks cause world sugar prices to increase. As these effects flow through the value of Australian sugar exports and the return to growers is expected to increase by around 20 per cent in 2016–17.

For more information please contact: Shae Courtney Email: [email protected] O


marketing

What happens to local prices after the marketing shake up – perhaps not much?

Ms Brooke Tonkin, IBISWorld Senior Industry Analyst.

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PLANT phenotyping is the comprehensive assessment of complex plant traits such as growth, development, tolerance, resistance, architecture, physiology and yield.

It also includes the basic measurement of individual plant parameters such as leaf area, stem diameter, plant height/width, compactness, seed number, seed size, flowering time, germination time etc.

Plant phenotyping has been performed by farmers, and above all, breeders, for the past 7000 years or more – essentially since the days humans started to carefully select grasses to increase yield or enhance other desirable traits. In the past, phenotyping was mostly based on experience and intuition, in a process where measurement and interpretation were not separated.

We are now entering the ever-increasing new field of highly automated, non-destructive plant phenotyping.

The PheNode – it does it allThe Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis USA is

a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Researchers at the Center are leveraging their expertise in crop phenotyping with the development of the PheNode, a ‘smart’, farm-ready, solar-powered environmental sensor and phenotyping station for crops.

“We see a need for more sustainable crop production with minimal water and energy inputs, and a need to anticipate changing environmental conditions, like elevated CO2 levels, that will affect farming,” said Nadia Shakoor, research scientist in the Todd Mockler laboratory.

The prototype was developed by Shakoor, Mockler and colleagues, and was recently highlighted at the 2016 Ag Innovation Showcase Austin, Texas.

Modular sensors and cameras on the PheNode take real-time measurements of temperature, humidity, CO2, rainfall, air quality, wind speed, light quantity and quality, soil moisture, soil temperature, pH and nutrient composition.

This allows researchers, breeders and farmers to monitor directly within the plant canopy, providing crucial information for both crop improvement and precision agriculture.

But wait, there’s more – you can watch roots grow!

A modular minirhizotron (live root imaging system) is incorporated into one version of the PheNode to take images of crop roots in the soil, allowing observation of root growth and development in real time.

The PheNode is powered by a solar panel with a backup battery, and all sensor data is stored locally and transmitted via Bluetooth or WiFi.

Development of the PheNode is part of a larger effort at the Danforth Center to take discovery from the laboratory to the marketplace. “The PheNode uses sophisticated imaging and sensor technology that we use in advanced research to understand how plants work,” said James Carrington, president

of the Danforth Center. “Delivering it to the farm will help growers make better decisions to manage their crops, reduce their environmental footprint and costs.”

For more information visit, www.danforthcenter.org O


MACINERY OF THE FUTURE FEATURE

You’re a plant ‘phenotyper’ and probably don’t know it!

Modular sensors and cameras on the PheNode take real-time measurements of temperature, humidity, CO2, rainfall, air quality, wind speed, light quantity and quality, soil moisture, soil temperature, pH and nutrient composition. (Credit: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center)

ALL that is old is new again: vinyl records, paper books, tillage. After being apparently consigned to history by the clear advantages of reduced-tillage systems, tillage

has reappeared in growers’ thinking as it becomes apparent that certain weeds are prospering under herbicide-only management.

If it comes back, though, the new tillage won’t be your father’s tillage.

Min-till has amply demonstrated that the less soil disturbance in cropping systems, the better. The future of weed control looks to lie in technologies that integrate the best of chemical control - like weed detection systems – coupled with on-the-spot, strategic tilling.

Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) principal research scientist Dr Michael Widderick says what is clear from his research, which is supported by the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC), is that continuing to rely wholly on chemical control is not an option.

“The spread of no-till farming has meant that almost all weed control now revolves around herbicides,” Michael said.

“As a result, the weed spectrum in the northern grain region has changed to favour herbicide-resistant, surface-germinating weeds like common sowthistle, fleabane and feathertop Rhodes grass.

“If we continue to rely only on herbicides for weed control, we continue to favour the evolution of these weeds, and other herbicide-resistant species will inevitably appear.

“The challenge is to identify ways of using tillage that retain the benefits of zero-till while addressing weed management issues.”

Tillage presents a mixed bag of benefits and problems to growers. Aside from the damage it causes to soil structure, its effects differ markedly on different weed species.

Burying seed can prevent weed germination, but it generally also preserves seed viability. In one DAF trial, virtually all barnyard grass and livergrass seed became unviable after two years on the inhospitable soil surface, but at least 10 per cent of seed survived when buried at a depth of 10 cm.

Weed emergence field trialsTo assess the effects of tillage on weed ecology, DAF have

conducted a series of four GRDC-supported field experiments since 2011. The studies looked at weed emergence under zero-till compared to treatments using harrows, a Gyral cultivator, offset discs and one-way discs.

Seeds of awnless barnyard grass, feathertop Rhodes grass, windmill grass, liverseed grass, common sowthistle and flaxleaf fleabane were sown on the soil surface before tillage was used.

Small glass beads were used to track the degree of soil inversion and seed movement under different tillage methods. As expected, the greater the tillage intensity, the more beads buried at depth (5–20 cm).

Overall, Michael said, tillage had the potential to reduce the emergence of all weed species compared to emergence under zero-till.

Tillage treatments proved most effective on small-seeded



Tillage is back for weed control, but not as we knew it

AT A GLANCE… O Herbicide-only, no-till systems have encouraged the

proliferation of certain weeds, and continuing to exclusively use no-till will support their evolution.

O Tillage was demonstrated across four DAF experiments over four years to mostly reduce weed seed emergence, especially in small-seeded weeds like fleabane.

O Some light tillage treatments could also increase seed germination, depending on the season.

O Researchers are working on the optimum balance between the management advantages of no-till and the weed reduction offered by tillage through development of robotic systems that interchangeably use both principles.

DAF principal research scientist Dr Michael Widderick says driving down the weed seed bank is critical for effective herbicide resistance management. (Photo courtesy QDAF)

species like fleabane and common sowthistle. And the greater the tillage intensity, the lower the subsequent weed emergence across all species.

Thus, the one-way disc, the implement causing the greatest amount of soil inversion, also proved the most effective at halting seed emergence.

But the results were complicated by different results in different seasons.

In one experiment at DAF’s Hermitage Research Facility, the harrow and Gyral treatments increased emergence over zero-till; the following year, the Gyral treatment also increased emergence.

This was a result of simple weed ecology, Michael explained.Both these seasons started hot and dry. Under zero-till, weed

seeds near the soil surface were punished by the conditions and lost their viability. The harrows and Gyral machine buried seed at enough depth to preserve a high level of viability, but not deep enough to stop emergence of viable seed when the season broke.

Researchers also looked at the effects of covering disced treatments with a second pass using the Gyral.

As a rule, the second pass tended to bring back seed deep-

buried by the discs closer to the surface, so the treatment increased seedling emergence over those that used only discs.

Considering all the data, two things are evident, Michael said. Continued sole reliance on no-till is not an option, and tillage can reduce weed seed germination.

Bring on the robotsHe believes that answers to the weed challenge lie

midway between these two facts. That may mean harnessing technologies like robotics to deliver tillage only where necessary.

This field is already being explored by researchers.“For example, we may see robot rigs equipped with weed

detection-type sensors and dual-equipped with the ability to selectively apply herbicide or tillage treatments,” Michael said.

“If the unit detects a grass weed, it may apply tillage. If the robot detects a broad leaf weed, it may apply herbicide.”

He describes this as ‘targeted tillage’. If robotic systems are capable of delivering it, tillage may yet return to Australian paddocks – but not via the one-way ploughs rusting behind many farm sheds.

For more information on weed seed control and integrated weed management strategies, visit www.weedsmart.org.au O


The studies looked at weed emergence under zero-till compared to treatments using harrows, a cultivator, offset discs and one-way discs. (Photo courtesy QDAF)




LOCATED at Newport in the heart of Shropshire UK, Harper Adams University specialises in farming, agricultural studies and managerial studies. In what has been termed a ‘world

first’ University staff, supported and led by precision farming specialist Precision Decisions, are attempting to grow and harvest a hectare of cereal crops – all without stepping a foot into the field.

The project entitled ‘Hands Free Hectare’ recently got underway with the team having to create their first autonomous farming machinery, ready for sowing a spring crop in March 2017.

Kit Franklin, one of the researchers, said: “As a team, we believe there is now no technological barrier to automated field agriculture. This project gives us the opportunity to prove this and change current public perception.

“Previously, people have automised sections of agricultural systems, but funding and interest generally only goes towards one single area. We’re hoping to string everything together to create one whole system, which will allow us to farm our hectare of cereal crop from establishment to harvest, without having to go into the field.

Small-scale machinery, already available on the market will be adapted in the university’s engineering labs to make it ready for the autonomous field work.

Kit said: “Over the years agricultural machines have been getting bigger, increasing work rates. This has suited the UK’s unpredictable climatic working windows and reduced rural staff availability.

“But with these larger machines, we are seeing a number of issues, including reduced soil health through compaction which hinders plant growth, as well as reduced application and measuring resolution, critical for precision farming, as sprayer and harvesting widths increase.

“Automation will facilitate a sustainable system where multiple smaller, lighter machines will enter the field, minimising the level of compaction. These small autonomous machines will in turn facilitate high resolution precision farming, where different areas of the field, and possibly even individual plants can be treated separately, optimising and potentially reducing inputs being used in field agriculture.

“It’s not about putting people out of jobs, instead changing the job they do. The tractor driver won’t be physically in the tractor driving up and down a field. Instead, they will be a fleet manager and agricultural analysts, looking after a number of farming robots and meticulously monitoring the development of their crops.”

Drawn from an article by Abby Kellet: www.fginsight.com O

Field to be farmed exclusively by robots

Hands Free Hectare team includes (L-R) Martin Abell, Jonathan Gill, and Kit Franklin.

Harper Adams University campus.

http://www.fginsight.com

ROBOTIC agricultural machines will open doors to new farming methods and drive practice change within the sugarcane industry, according to farmer and co-founder of

SwarmFarm Robotics, Andrew Bate.On the back of the Central Queensland based ag-tech

announcing a new global relationship with crop protection specialists, Adama, Andrew said sugarcane was a crop for which robotic machines held particular promise because of their ability to operate slowly, at any time of the day and with precision.

Slow, specific and on Sundays“The most important advantage of robotics is they will enable

the adoption of new methods of farming and new ways of performing field tasks, and that will help address issues related to resistance, run off and chemical residues, which are of particular interest to canegrowers,” Andrew said.

“Right now, we are limited to what we can hook on the back of a tractor. If you can’t mix it up and put it in your spray tank, or hook it to the back of your tractor, it doesn’t happen, and that is where our field practice is limited. But robotics is going to change all that.

“Robots enable us to do things we don’t do now. Robots can slow right down and be out 24-hours a day, seven days a week and performing tasks at the perfect time every time. With robots we can apply herbicide, for example, at the perfect time of the day which has the lowest drift potential and when the weed is most susceptible, even if that is 2.45 am on a Sunday.

“Technology exists to identify weeds, but one of the major problems in cane production is that the technology doesn’t work on high speed machines because it is hard for a video camera to capture images and for them to be processed quickly enough for the precise application of herbicide.

“Because they operate at slow speed, a robot is able to take the time to examine a weed to make sure it has recognised it properly. This ability will also allow for new chemistry with different modes of action to be used and used more intelligently.

“The application of fertiliser is another example, with robots we can apply a lower dose of fertiliser but more regularly and targeted at the perfect time so there is less chance of leaching or run off,” Andrew said.

Going globalIt has been a big end of 2016 for SwarmFarm with the

announcement in early December that the company had entered a joint arrangement with global crop protection specialists Adama to establish Adama as SwarmFarm’s global business partner.

The arrangement will enable the two to help improve the productivity of farming systems and deliver simplicity to farmers around the world by reimagining the way crop protection is applied.

“Innovation is at the core of Adama, and the excitement of innovating is it allows you to look to the future and imagine what farming will look like in decades to come,” Adama Australia chief executive Darrin Hines said.

“By 2020, global population will nudge 10 billion and the challenge for farming is to supply the food and fibre the planet needs.

“Robotics presents an opportunity which will allow us to meet that challenge, and like our friends at SwarmFarm we imagine a future where swarms of intelligent robots deliver the most innovative of crop protection products developed by Adama.”

For more information: www.swarmfarm.com O



Swarms of ‘slow robots’ can drive practice change in sugarcane

Jonathan McDonald (Market Development Manager, Adama), Campbell Newman (Chairman, SwarmFarm Robotics), Dani Harari (Senior Vice President, Adama), Darrin Hines (CEO, Adama Australia), and Andrew Bate (Managing Director, SwarmFarm Robotics).

Previously, I described how Saint Peter considered me unworthy of entering his land of bliss, despite the fact that my heart reckoned the timing was right! But some re-plumbing by my cardiac guy got me going again and it looks like I shall be inflicting my presence on society for many years yet! Sorry about that.

But you know what they say? If your days are likely about to end, your life’s experiences flash through your mind, in the manner of a fast forward DVD. Well I was treated to some of the more bizarre episodes I encountered during my decades of research into the history of farm tractors, some of which I recounted in part one of this epistle. Here are some more of my trials and tribulations for your contemplation. As it happens, they each involve snow!

Montenegro 1988Having spent several halcyon days exploring the antiquities of

the medieval city of Dubrovnik, Margery and I then continued quietly motoring south along the spectacular Adriatic Highway. Our destination was the IMT tractor factory at the coastal city of Bar, close to the Albanian border.

Upon approaching Lake Kotor we had two choices. Put the car on the ferry for the crossing between the two headlands, through which the Adriatic Sea inlet flows and ebbs. Or circumnavigate this breathtakingly beautiful vast waterway, an involvement of several hours driving along meandering lakeside roads. We opted for the latter.

Even before our departure from Australia, we knew of the recent devastating earthquake which had created havoc in Montenegro. Around the shores of Lake Kotor, we passed through villages strewn with the skeletons of collapsed stone

cottages, grim evidence of the destruction which had occurred only weeks before.

We eventually arrived at the township of Kotor to be told that, owing to repairs being carried out, there were no vacancies at the hotel. It was now approaching dusk and again we had two choices. We could either push-on around the lake and hope to find a hotel on the coast, or take what appeared on the map to be a shorter alternative, drive up the Mount Lovćen road to a town named Cetinje. Again we opted for the latter.

In fading daylight, we pointed the nose of the rental Zastawa up the mountain road. It was narrow, twisting and horrendously steep. Every few minutes, yet another hairpin bend had to be negotiated with extreme caution. There were no guard rails and the ever diminishing view of the lake fell vertically to our left.

But there was no need for alarm. I had dropped the little Zastawa back into second gear and it was coping adequately. So all was fine, until we entered a particularly sharp hairpin and observed to our horror that, as a result of the earthquake, half the road had collapsed and obviously plunged down into the lake! This realisation came as we had passed the point of no return into the bend! Wow! I gently eased the vehicle onwards and brought it to a halt, then walked back to inspect the situation.

As the realisation hit me of how close we had been to toppling into the abyss, there was a crashing sound as a hunk of road, the size of a grand piano, suddenly broke away and vanished from sight! Strewth!

It was now only twilight and we had no option but to push on. Abruptly the twinkling lights of Kotor, now several thousand feet below, disappeared as if someone had switched them all off. But in fact they had been blanked out from our vision by a thrashing rain storm which suddenly hit the car like a tornado! The darkness now engulfed us totally. The headlights of the Zastawa struggled to probe the road ahead. Things couldn’t get any worse, could they? Well they did!

The Lovćen mountain road climbs to 5500 feet. As we


On the scrapheap – nearly! O By Ian M. Johnston – PART 2

CLASSIC TRACTOR TALES

NO! This is not a Ferguson 35. It is Yugoslavian IMT 533, manufactured at Bar between 1961 and 1988, in southern Montenegro. It is powered by a Peugeot 40 h.p. diesel engine. (IMJ archives)

Lake Kotor. Note Lovćen Mountain is on the top right of the image.

continued the ascent, now in first gear, the rain storm morphed into a raging snow blizzard! The combination of front wheel drive and no snow chains does not generate confidence in these circumstances, I can assure you. Had I stopped the forward motion, there is no way the tyres could have obtained sufficient grip on the treacherous black ice, now covered by a blanket of snow, to resume the climb. And the fuel gauge was rapidly approaching zero!

There was no alternative. We had to push on.What seemed like a lifetime later, we crested the top of the

range and descended down the Eastern slopes into the relative tranquillity of a valley. There never was a more welcoming sight for us than the lights of Cetinje. Soon we were luxuriating in

the warm embrace of a fine traditional inn. Shaken but now relieved, our nerves were eased following an encounter with a couple of brandy and sodas and a large serving of Yugoslavian goulash with roast potatoes and Montenegro dumplings.

I made a resolution that in future I shall leave winter mountaineering to these Nepalese Sherpa guys and those yodelling chaps with colourful braces, one sees in Switzerland.

Pomeroy, Iowa 1997In winter, the broad prairies of Iowa adopt a bleak drabness

brightened only by the emergence of a homestead and its adjacent mandatory red barn. Thus it was, as we headed west across the Iowa grain belt, from our visit to the John Deere Corporate Headquarters at Moline, Illinois. Following an overnight stop at Fort Dodge, our destination was a farm a few miles from the whistlestop town of Pomeroy, where we had arranged to inspect a rare tractor with the unlikely name of Friday.

The Friday was credited as being the planet’s fastest production tractor. Unfortunately, I was unable to experience the thrill of personally propelling this low flying missile across the countryside, as upon our arrival at the farm, the sullen sky opened up and preceded to dollop huge quantities of snow across the landscape. Within a couple of hours it lay a foot deep, including upon our rental Thunderbird!

But snow or no snow, we simply had to keep moving. We were due at Lincoln, Nebraska the following day, to keep an appointment with the Senior Engineer of The University of Nebraska Tractor Test Facility.

After being treated to a close inspection of the Friday, secure from the snow in its brick shed, we braved the weather in order to sweep away the mountain of snow, which by now enveloped our car. Once inside and the engine fired up, I gingerly pointed its long nose in the direction of the ramp, by which vehicles exited the farm yard enclosure, out onto the main road.

The landscape was totally white – and I mean totally! The ground met the sky, with no lines of demarcation. The snow flakes continued their blanket descent from aloft reducing visibility to a miserly few metres. I inched the Thunderbird towards the ramp, which was now completely obscured. And that is my excuse for missing the ramp and instead plunging Mr Hertz’ Thunderbird headfirst into a deep ditch! How many people have seen a Thunderbird standing on its nose?

The Friday was trundled reluctantly from its place of repose and attached to the Thunderbird by a robust rope. Following


A Zastawa police car, the same model as the author drove in Montenegro.

The dangerous road up Lovćen Mountain. The Ford Thunderbird, as driven by the author.

several unsuccessful attempts, during which the tractor failed to obtain sufficient traction in the soft snow, the Friday eventually dragged the car from its undignified position. A close scrutiny revealed no damage, thanks to the cushioning effect of the soft snow. Indeed the only damage was to my not inconsiderable ego!

There is no doubt about it – being a writer of tractor stuff, certainly is a hazardous occupation!

The Scottish Highlands 2004That morning we had disembarked from the St. Olaf, the

vehicle ferry which plied between the Orkney Islands and the Scottish mainland. Our few days out on the islands included an inspection of the planet’s most northerly tractor collection. But now we were swiftly heading south, through the still wintering Highlands, heading for The Scottish Agricultural Museum at Ingliston, near Edinburgh.

The rental Rover powered its way effortlessly through the glens, skirting Invergordon, Inverness and eventually onto the A939 leading to Ballater, Balmoral and Braemar. We paused for fuel at Braemar and importantly, to seek a local weather forecast.

We were becoming uneasy about the road ahead through the notorious Glenshee, which bisects the Cairngorm Mountains. We had been noticing the winter snow remained undisturbed on the higher ground and indeed also in the shadows of the lower glens. Disconcertingly, the further south and the higher we drove, the more abundant was the snow. I was well acquainted with the many tales of unsuspecting travellers who had frozen to death in this wild part of Scotland. Old wives tales? Perhaps. Perhaps not!

I knew there was a snow gate just south of Braemar, which would be closed to traffic if there was indeed the likelihood of dangerous weather. So we pushed on. It was now around 5 p.m. and already the darkness had descended, hastened by the low snow laden sullen clouds.

We were halted by a uniformed ranger at the snow gate, which had been closed, effectively blocking the road into the glen. He wandered over to the car.

“Had ye bin a meenit earlier you could have got through” he said apologetically. “But I jist received wurd that further on it’s snowin’ pretty heavy, and with the ice ye ken, it’s becomin’ pretty tricky, so it is” he added shaking his head.

I inquired if other vehicles had recently been permitted to pass.

“Oh aye” he responded. “There are twa cars jist aheed. I suppose if yur in a hurry Ah could let ye gang through. But definitely yail be the last until at least the morn,” he stated resolutely.

With that and a warning to take it slow, he opened the gates and waved us through.

I drove sensibly, mindful of the conditions. Flurries of snow were accompanied by the darkness, through which the headlights endeavoured to probe. I reduced the speed of the Rover as I peered ahead into the night. Visibility rapidly worsened as the snow increased in intensity.

Then it happened! Suddenly, a series of spectral phantom images flashed across the road, immediately in front of the Rover bonnet. With a reflex action, my foot slammed on the brakes.

Two things ensued. First – the Rover broadsided before sideslipping into the roadside ditch. Second – the phantom images resolved into being a convoy of Red Deer gracefully leaping across the road.

My heart sank as the seriousness of the situation penetrated my quivering grey cells. It was immediately obvious that, even with routine debogging tactics such as reducing tyre pressures, etc, there was no way, without a tow, the vehicle could ever be encouraged to clamber out of the frozen ditch.

Road closed, snowing heavily, darkness and the temperature plummeting. Gosh, what a nightmare! And what about the old wives tales?

An hour passed, during which time Margery and I wrapped ourselves in layers of clothes and huddled together in the back seat. We’d be okay – wouldn’t we?

A while later, there were some muffled sounds followed by a banging on the roof. A whiskered face almost hidden by a Balaclava, peered in through the frost encrusted window. A Department of Forestry Land Rover was already being attached by a rope to our vehicle. Thank God!!!!

Two hours later we were sitting beside a blazing fire, in a Blairgowrie hotel, consuming a very much appreciated nerve calming pint of Tennent’s Lager, complimented by a steaming haggis with mashed totties and champed neeps, followed by a wee dram of Drambuie! All was well again!

ConclusionResearching material for my tractor books and magazine

articles, is fun – usually! Oh, and I really enjoy snow – usually! O


The snow gates, blocking the entrance to Glen Shee.

IAN’S MYSTERY TRACTOR QUIZQuestion: Can you identify this

tractor?

Clue: It is an export model.

Degree of difficulty: Challenging!

Answer: See page 66.

NORTHERN REGIONMossman Mill tipped its last bin for the 2016 season at

7.05 am on the morning of November 18. The Mossman Mill processed a total of 898,645 tonnes in a 24 week season, with the majority of the sugar produced as Japanese (JA) specification sugar. This is a tremendous effort for all involved (farmers, contractors and mill employees); considering that it’s only a few seasons ago that the mill returned to continuous operations.

The 2016 season saw the culmination of the past three years of work with the mill reliability and crushing rates returning to rates not seen since 2002.

The Coastal and Atherton growers supplied around 710, 000 tonnes of cane, for a seasonal Mill average CCS of 11.03 and Mareeba supplied just over 602,000 tonnes with a seasonal average CCS of 13.42.

With Mossman having a November finish and some favourable weather conditions, most farmers have now completed their fertiliser programs and are well over half way through their spraying programs.

At the moment, the crops in the Mossman and Tablelands regions are looking good and if weather conditions remain favourable, with some rain before the end of the year, the signs are there for another reasonable crop for 2017.

Ratooning blocks in the North are looking quite good, while the plant and re-plant blocks in the drier parts of the mill area are starting to show the effects of the dry weather.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate two more Mossman Farmers for achieving their Smartcane BMP accreditation – Giudice Farming Pty Ltd and Brie Brie Estate. Mossman now has a total of five farmers who are Smartcane BMP accredited, in the three key modules.

In November, I also had the opportunity to meet with Tony Morrison from the Department of Environment & Heritage who advised me that the Department will be starting onsite farm visits of selected farmers in the New Year, regarding the new Reef Regulations. The focus of the visits will be around nutrient and nitrogen use and record keeping.

If your farm is already accredited, a farm visit will not be necessary. If you are actively working towards accreditation, a letter stating this will delay a visit by 12 months and if you have benchmarked your farm but are not working towards accreditation or not even benchmarked, then a visit from the Department is more likely.

By now, most growers will be aware that QSL has appointed a new Grower Relationship Manager to serve farmers in Far North Queensland. Daniel Messina is tasked with keeping FNQ farmers informed, regarding their QSL Marketing Choice options and other QSL services and information.

If you would like to contact Daniel or to make an

appointment please call him on 0429 660 238 or email him at [email protected]

Next Gen StepUP!I would also like to remind and encourage young farmers to

attend the 2017 CASE IH, Next Gen, StepUP Conference which will be held from Monday, March 27 through to Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre.

The main aim is to encourage young farmers and industry professionals to step up and take the reins in our industry, whilst facilitating intergenerational knowledge transfer with the more established farmers.

For more information regarding the conference or Next Gen activities please visit nextgenstepup.com or nextgenfarmer.com

On the road againAlso regarding Next Gen, in 2017, I will be commencing my

Next Gen activities through the industry starting from February 2017. So please keep an eye out for the Cane Captiva in an area near you from early 2017.

I would also like to thank the Next Gen farmers, representatives and industry representatives that have supported the Next Gen Program throughout 2016.

Finally, my family and I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe New Year.

Gerard Puglisi Northern Region Director

December 20, 2016

SOUTH JOHNSTONE, MULGRAVE, TULLY

Amen to the dry the spell in the past three months when we cut 50 per cent of our above average crop. The crush started on June 7 and by mid-September we’d only crushed 50 per cent of the crop, due to wet weather and an increasing crop yield.

At this point there was concern that we wouldn’t get the crop off. In the wet tropics, it’s hard to get all the ducks lined up: we had an excellent sugar price and an above average crop, yet farm returns were washed out with too much rain in the front end of the crush; eroding out the CCS.

By mid-September the weather finally cleared and we were able to shift the crop and get our planting done, while the early cut ratoons and early plant were beginning to suffer from the dry. It’s a little disappointing that we haven’t finished the harvest yet, being so close to the end, however the rain has been beneficial for setting up next year’s crop.

Michael Camilleri, Northern Director December 20, 2016


District reports...

HERBERTMid-December and CCS levels were holding at season highs

in the Herbert, at around 13.3 units. But cane purity was starting to fall, which was impacting crushing rates.

Rat damaged cane on certain rakes was also causing processing difficulties, due to high fibre and low-purity juice.

At the time of writing the Herbert mills have crushed a total of 4.36 million tonnes of cane which is close to 93 per cent of the total estimate.

Carol Mackee ACFA Herbert Director

December 20, 2016

BURDEKINAs of Friday, December 9, 2016, the Burdekin mills passed the

eight million tonnes crushed milestone and reached the 92 per cent mark.

The Burdekin region’s weekly throughput was approximately 345,000 tonnes of cane, with average CCS levels tracking at around 14.75.

Invicta Mill in the Burdekin was set to crush out December 17.

Margaret Menzel Burdekin Director

December 20, 2016

CENTRAL REGIONRain in the early part of December brought the crushing to

a halt. There were falls of around the 100 mm mark however and in the southern areas of Plane Creek falls of up the 300 mm were recorded. Harvesting started again within a few days, with all three mills operational again within a week.

At this time, Mackay Sugar had processed 5,083,924 tonnes or 85.45 per cent of the forecast crop. The declining trend in cane purity had accelerated into December and growers were asked select varieties with higher purities, for harvest. The PRS average to mid-December was 13.03 and the crop estimate for 2016 still at 5,950,000 tonnes.

Mackay Sugar require a certain tonnage of sugar to be Bonsucro accredited by March 2017 and a large percentage of supply to be accredited by 2020. The local area is being asked to seek accreditation to ensure audits meet the certified standard. Mackay Sugar is to assist with paying for the accreditation audits.

Steve Fordyce Southern Queensland

December 20, 2016

SOUTHERN REGIONBundaberg is all agog with the local paper headline

“Bundaboom!” Bundy Sugar crushed over a million tonnes at Millaquin and has an expanding cane planting programme.

Isis had the best tonnage for years and a record crush rate of over 70,000 tonnes for one week, during the peak CCS period. Maryborough had the biggest crush for years and is looking good for next year with a more buoyant outlook.

Storm rains have been very picky as to who’s in and who’s out, with variations of 100 mm within a few kilometres. One local bloke is having a different sort of difficulty. The family had to pump up the bike tyres after the violent storm hit north Isis. Their family car and the farm ute are still crushed under the collapsed shed and the vehicle insurance assessors are ‘unable’ to make an assessment until the wreckage is uncovered by clearing away the shed. Cranes big enough are ‘unable’ to move on the wet ground to get onto the job. Merry Christmas Butch and Di!

Irrigation water shutdowns are again upsetting. As necessary as it is, the shutdown of water, a week before Christmas means that most farmers will be on the catch-up over Christmas. Once again, the obvious gain in productivity with efficient irrigation seems to be lost on the general community – as well as our lifestyle. This region is hooked on water now and all those who have built an income on irrigation will hopefully work together to keep it coming in the New Year.


BURDEKIN GROWERS WIN AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

Sugar Research Australia (SRA) has congratulated the sugarcane growers involved in the RP20 nitrogen trials in the Burdekin region, after the project won the top prize at the Queensland Premier’s Awards for Excellence recently.

The RP20 project brings the science of efficient nutrient application to the field with a series of trials on the farms of grower collaborators. It is focussed on proving the science behind the industry’s standard for nutrient management, Six Easy Steps, within Burdekin soils and conditions.

Growers involved in the project are receiving practical information about the economics of applying nitrogen according to the Six Easy Steps guidelines, allowing them to grow a crop that strikes the right balance between yield, CCS, and input costs.

Burdekin grower Laurence Dal Santo is one of the growers who’s been involved with the RP20 nitrogen trials on his farm. He said he participated because he was keen to understand how he could most efficiently apply nitrogen. “We now have confidence that we can put on less nitrogen, grow the same amount of cane, and have more money in our pocket,” he said.

Eric Barbagallo, a grower that has been involved in the trials since 2011, said the RP20 project was a win/win. “I now use 15 tonne less fertiliser a year because of the trials, with no loss of crop, tonnage or sugar,” Eric said.

Frank Gorizia is another grower involved and said the trials were an interesting experience. “They have challenged my traditional thinking and the results have surprised me,” Frank said.

Burdekin grower Laurence Dal Santo was one of the award winning group. He is now confident he can put on less nitrogen and still grow the same amount of cane – and have more money in his pocket! (Image SRA)

Tree crops are becoming part of a ‘not all eggs in one basket’ business plan in the region. The idea that cane farmers can only do sugarcane is being blown away as more farmers become multi croppers. Many of the tree planting programmes were instigated before the better sugar price was being seen. The long preparation time and pay back for tree stock has meant that once one embarks on the business of becoming a tree crop farmer, it has to be carried through.

All in all a better year was had by all – regards.

Mike Hetherington ACFA Southern Region Director

December 20, 2016

NEW SOUTH WALESWhile 2016 has not been a record year for NSW, with the

higher prices it will most certainly be one to put a few dollars back in the pockets of growers.

Harwood crushed over 690,000 with a CCS of 12.15 and finished on November 24.

Broadwater crushed around 840,000 with a CCS of 11.76 and finished on November 28.

Condong crushed a little lower than the forecast at around 580,000 tonnes with above average sugar of 12.10. Around 20,000 tonnes of this came from Rocky Point.

The three mills had a crush combined of around 2.1 million tonnes a long way up from the flood years when this was only 900,000.

Condong is still crushing cane from Rocky Point and will continue to help those growers until December 21, all being well and weather permitting.

The weather has seen below average rainfall, so some areas are looking for rain; however, we never pray for rain on the Tweed because is it much easier to get too much than not enough and we grow our best crops in the dust.

NSW should once again be at least average next year and with about 80 per cent of the cane out of hand on the Tweed we are hoping, above average. The old adage, ‘never count your chickens before they hatch,’ is always in the back of one’s mind.

Let’s hope 2017 is at least as good as this year.

Robert Quirk ACFA New South Wales Director

December 20, 2016


Correct chain tension for large pitch chain drives

CHAIN drives are an integral part of industry. Large pitch chain drives are often used to drive rotating drums and barrels and can be found in a wide range of industries and

applications. For example, sugar mills, mining, timber industries, and many more. Often these are operating in environments which are extremely harsh and unfriendly to the service life of the chain.

Questions are often asked such as: O “To lubricate or not to lubricate?” O “How to maintain correct chain tension?” or, O “How to minimise chain stretch and the consequence of high wear on the drive and driven sprockets due to out-of-timing?”Flat spots can often occur on the large tyre if it is steel.

Then there is the problem of barrel-float, in other words end movement of the barrel on the trunions. In some cases this can be up to 100–150 mm, which applies stress to fixed-sprocket tensioning systems.

Many of these problems can be overcome by correct chain tensioning and reducing the energy of the chordal effect of the chain engaging the jockey tensioning sprocket. Many years ago we overcame this problem by developing advanced tensioning systems using rubber torsion springs and polymer rubbing blocks. In many cases this doubled and even quadrupled the life of the chain and the sprockets, not to mention the reduction in solid born noise.

For more information contact Leverlink: E: [email protected] Ph: 07 3737 2400. O

Chain tensioner.

news & new products

Robert Quirk was recognised during the recent Bonsucro Week in London for his work in encouraging sustainable sugar cane growing, nationally and internationally.

I’VE always said one of the most important pieces of kit the travelling fisho can carry is a wok. You can boil, broil, and simmer, sauté, smoke, shave, and bath in a wok. I’ve cooked

everything from a stir fry to savory damper in a wok and I’ve only just scraped the surface of its versatility. But with out something to cook in it, a wok is just another thing to carry, which brings me to the second most important thing in the travelling fisho’s list of must haves – the humble cast net.

Cast nets, or ‘throw nets’ if you’re American, have been around in one form or another literally since the beginning of time. The Celts, Greeks, Romans, and most of ancient Africa used them for terrestrial hunting as well as fishing. There are hieroglyphs of Egyptians catching ducks and geese in cast nets while the ancient Brits caught deer and wild pigs. Not to mention the gladiators, the ultimate state of origin, used them to entangle and disarm their opponents.

Watching a good cast netter throw a perfect spread is truly poetry in motion, but is throwing a cast net an art or a science? Perhaps both. As with everything in life technique is important, but the technique that works for you may be an adaptation of something that works for someone else – so as long as you achieve a full circular spread of net in the air before it hits the water, that’s all that matters.

I think there are two basic net throwing techniques, out of the hand and off the shoulder. Personally out of the hand is the only way to go. Off the shoulder is ok for the first cast but after that your shirt’s all wet and, if you’re netting bait late in the afternoon, you’ll stay wet all night.

Now, let’s deal with the most important aspect of cast netting, choosing the net:

SizeThe length of the net, from the hem

to the peak, is called the drop and you must remember this is the radius, so if you’re using a net with a two metre drop you’re actually casting a four metre diameter net.

If you’re wading and sight casting you’ll be better off with a short drop net – it’s easier to keep out of the water and therefore easier to cast. And importantly it’s faster to handle – you’ll be making multiple fast casts at moving targets.

If you’re blind casting off the bow of a boat or jetty a long drop net is good. You’ll cover a lot of water with every cast and you’ll work at a slower more measured and less tiring pace.

Speaking of snags, nets are like land mines – they don’t discriminate and they’ll tangle what ever they touch. Make sure you don’t have too many exposed buttons or Velcro tags because nets just love them.


new zealandwith

PHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSONPHIL JACKSON

fly fish

Make your next holiday a fly fishing adventure in the most beautiful country on earth. Catering for the experienced fly fisherman and novice alike, my New Zealand fly fishing holidays will give you a life time of memories.

If you'd like to mix in a little golf and sight seeing, I can do that too. Come with me for the eight days of relaxation you've promised yourself all year.

For more information just give me a call on 0411 576 793 or drop me a line at [email protected]

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CGNZ06.pdf 4/12/05 3:48:57 PM

FISHING

Phil casts his net wide O By Phil Jackson – Fly, Tye and Tackle

Personally, I think the drop on your first cast net should not be higher than the person casting. Getting your techniques sorted with a short net is easier and less frustrating and increasing the drop as you become more proficient. Cast nets aren’t that expensive so you can afford the luxury.

Cord or monoYou’ll not see to many cord cast nets these days but they are

available in the long drops – 2.5 to 3 metres.Cord nets are easy to cast … the first time! Once they get

wet the weight makes them a major trial of endurance and you’ll soon find the advantage of a big drop is far outweighed by the weight and I find them almost impossible to wade and cast.

Mono on the other hand is non-absorbent and wont bind on itself like cord. Also mono disappears in water so you’ll lose less fish from the splashdown. Fish will run from a surface disturbance and you’ll see the fish close to the inside of the splash zone run to the centre of the net – every little advantage helps.

DesignAs with all net and net related fishing you’ll need to check

your local laws. Virtually all cast net designs are effective, but some are more efficient. So, if it’s legal, the modern ‘Purse’ design is a must.

It may take a little longer to clear but the percentage increase in capture will make it worthwhile. The pocket design is virtually a purse or drawstring construction so the net draws closed around the hem then draws into the middle – everything will swim into the billow of net created above the hem ensuring a 100 per cent capture rate.

The retrieveIf you’re wading or walking the beach I find a slow retrieve

with the tether rope held low will give the best results. It ensures the net closes over its captives and keeps the hem weights on the bottom where they’re most effective.

Casting from height is a distinct advantage with distance and net size but it’s an issue on the retrieve. Give your net plenty of time to find the bottom and settle. You’ll need to retrieve the tether rope slowly at first to allow the bell to close and the hem weights to touch before you start the vertical.

Remember everything trapped in the net will head to the bottom and struggle to get under the hem so give it time to do its job. Cast nets are surprisingly tactile and you’ll feel the catch pushing against the net and struggling as you retrieve.

What to do with the catchHaving personally been entangled in a rogue drift net off the

coast of Malaysia, I can honestly say being caught in a net is a traumatic experience.

I attribute my survival to a cool head, nerves of steel, and a razor sharp knife.

Actually it was sheer luck – twin scuba tanks, a razor sharp knife and I struggled to the surface with ten foot of heavy net tangled around the manifold connecting the two tanks.

The boat crew knew where I was because there was a huge brown stain in the water.

So, based on this experience, I can honestly say I know how the bait feels, and it’s the trauma of being caught and the crushing of the net that will quickly take the ‘live’ out of the ‘live bait’ equation.

Decide early if you’re catching live bait or stocking the bait fridge.

A quick flick of the net will always get a poddy mullet, a gar or a couple of hardy head so I catch my ‘livies’ as I need them.

If I’m gathering bait to go off shore I usually cast net from the boat and the catch goes straight into the live tank. If I want live bait for clients (or there’s an extended session where I can’t catch bait; handle the boat; release fish; make lunch; open beers; wipe noses; and, solve the ills of the world all at the same time) I treat my catch with all the care and attention it deserves.

I don’t pull the net completely out of the water. I keep it in the shallows and loose around the prey and get them into the bait bucket as soon as possible. I don’t like inboard live bait tanks because overflows get blocked or disconnected. I’ve seen too many nice boats sunk at their moorings because someone didn’t understand the basic concept of keeping the water on the outside.

All my live tanks are removable and preferably off the transom. Having said that I never tether the bait bucket floating in the water or suspended off the back of the boat.

When I was a little younger I was fishing with my grandfather in the Southport broad water, just after the seaway was opened. We had our whiting catch suspended off the back of the dingy in a sugar bag. I was sitting in the stern of our tiny homemade bond wood dingy and my grandfather was rowing, and I think it was instinct more than fright that made me jump forward to balance the boat as we started to swamp stern first.

It was probably a bull shark that ripped open the bag and helped itself to the catch, but the folk at the Labrador Bowls Club were convinced it was the massive tiger shark that haunted the seaway in the early days. Either way we took a lot of water over the stern and it was a valuable learning experience – not to mention the brown stain in the water.


FISHING

FIGURE 1: Cast net designs vary but the ‘purse’ design is the most efficient, even if it does take a little longer to clear

Carrying, storage, and convenienceI use a duel bait bucket system, one inside the other. Mine are

just a couple of repurposed plastic buckets, a 15 litre outer with an 8 litre slipped inside. You’ll find them in the dumpster behind your local restaurant.

The outer bucket is filled with clean water and the bottom of the inner bucket is drilled full of 10 mm holes, which makes it a sieve. All the bait goes in the inner bucket.

Drill the holes across the bottom and around the bottom

side seam or the water will spout over the sides when you lift it out of the bigger bucket. Having a deeper outer bucket means plenty of clean water and it will aerate every time you pull the small one out, also any waste generated by your bait will sink to the bottom. Simply lift out the inner bucket and choose your bait as it drains then return the rest to the water.

I use the same outfit for yabbies and anything else I want to keep alive. If you’re using rock crabs or other aggressive critters put them in the bottom of the big bucket, that way they won’t molest your other baits.

I use a red inner bucket because it was handy at the time and it fitted. A white bucket is preferable because baitfish change colour to suit their surroundings and a white bucket will keep them shiny while a dark bucket will send them grey.

My inner bucket also has a lid so that’s where I carry the cast net, battery powered air pump and so on when I’m traveling.

Technique and getting startedI wont take up a lot of print space painting word pictures of

technique and do’s and don’ts because YouTube will give you a lot of great advice – but you must be aware of the dangers of cast netting:

Never tie the tether cord to your wrist. I was cast netting in turbid water off the bow of a dingy in a creek a few kms east of Nullumbuy when I dropped the net over a moderately sized croc. A crocs first instinct is to ‘roll’ and my instinct was to pull back on the rope. The croc won and luckily I could slip my hand out of the loop. Brown stains all over the deck. We sighted the net’s new owner at low water with the remains of the net still hanging from its mouth and looking most indignant.

Remember your net will trap everything in its arc including stuff that perhaps you’d rather leave in the water like toad fish, lion fish, stone fish and all manner of jelly fish and their associated genus like the ever popular Box and Irukandji. So, when you slide your hand down the net to free up the twists and tidy up the furls be mindful of critters that bite and sting. Baby catfish are a regular by-catch and deliver a nasty puncture wound that will burn for hours and even those prized prawns will leave their rostrum, that spiky bit between the eyes, snapped off in the palm of your hand if you’re not careful.

Having said all that the cast net is a must have for any serious fisho and teaching a kid to use a cast net is a gift that will nurture a love of fishing that will last a life time. Not to mention you’ll always have someone to get the bait when you want it. O


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FISHING

Repurpose buckets are essential ‘must have’ items for any fisherman – but get the colours right.

ANSWER TO IAN’S MYSTERY TRACTOR QUIZ

It is a 1945 Case SEX (S- Export model). Restored by IMJ.

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