Sugarcane growers across Australia will receive a DVD with a difference in their letterboxes from today.CANEGROWERS is launching its “Virtual Bus Tour”, a DVD showcasing growers, on farm, showing new technology and farming practices.
Each ‘farm visit’ features a cane grower showing the viewer around their farm, talking about specific projects they have implemented.
These segments will also be available at no cost to the general public via the CANEGROWERS website www.canegrowers.com.au and the publically searchable free video website YouTube.“It will also provide a valuable resource for government, so they can see firsthand how our cane growers are farming in a proactive, sustainable and environmentally integrated way,” says CANEGROWERS Deputy CEO, Ron Mullins.
According to Ron, it was called a “virtual bus tour” because the idea was based on grower feedback that growers like to see what other growers are doing, but bus tours only cover a small area and can be too time consuming.“This idea put the farm tours on DVD, making the grower stories accessible to everyone – growers, government and the community alike,” he said today.
The project was not solely about producing the DVD, but just or more importantly about whether this medium was a more effective way of distributing information on the latest technology and practices to farmers.“It’s about finding better ways of getting the latest information to our audience, in a format they are more likely to ingest and try out for themselves,” explains Ron.
These virtual farm visits give growers an opportunity to see what might or might not work on their farm – in their soils.“After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, and farmers love to look over the fence – but don’t always have the time or money to do that.This brings the fence to them,” he says.
According to CANEGROWERS, one of the reasons Australia is held up internationally for its cutting edge practices, is the positive – over the fence – type approach which encourages growers to take up the latest technology by showing how it can work.“Initiatives like this have such a great fit with our industry – it doesn’t say you become a better farmer by filling out forms and jumping through red-tape... it actually helps farmers change big-ticket practices as quickly as possible,” says Ron.
After initial testing showed a positive farmer response to the ‘Virtual Bus Tour’ medium, CANEGROWERS has planed larger scale research into whether this tool will be valuable addition to the arsenal of information growers already receive.If the answer is yes, CANEGROWERS will take up the mantle and these grower ‘farm tour’ movies will become part of the future of farming in Australia.
This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry under FarmReady, part of Australia’s Farming Future.
Segments on this Virtual Bus Tour (click on the icon to view)
Many cane farming enterprises have successfully implemented best management practices to improve their productivity, environmental sustainability and profitability. Recently CANEGROWERS have launched a Virtual Bus Tour: a way for you to see how other farmers have improved practices on their farms without leaving yours.
Introduction > with Ian Ballantyne
Integrated whole farm planning > Brothers Brian and Terry Granshaw were encouraged by their father to be open to new ideas and be on the lookout for things they can do better. This is evident in their willingness to adopt more efficient and sustainable integrated farming methods. Trash blanketing, computerised farming, a shielded sprayer, 2-meter row spacing and GPS systems are just some ways they are reducing their impact on the environment whilst increasing the farms productivity.
Good practice for water quality > Steve Calcagno believes water quality is of upmost importance due to his farms proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. To help him keep his chemicals on his farm where he needs them, Steve uses zonal tillage, trash blanketing, grass headlands, and targets him chemicals and nutrient use. He says that by being reef-aware, he’s able to make money from cane and have peace-of-mind too.
Automated irrigation trial and water monitoring > New to the sugar cane industry, Russell Jordon learns from experienced growers and tries to adopt a new best practice every year. He believes technology is the key to becoming a good neighbour to the Great Barrier Reef. Soil-moisture readers, automated flood irrigation, a variable rate applicator and GPS are just some of the ways Russell minimises his impact.
Automated overhead irrigation > Less stress, better yields and fewer costs are the three main benefits of Maryann Salvetti’s investment in automated irrigation. Remote irrigation technology allows her to control her centre pivots from afar. An Enviroscan automatically measures the soil moisture, dictating the level of irrigation needed. The savings paid for the investment in 6-12 months.
Technology making good farming practices easier > Ahead of current record-keeping legislation, Mark Savina uses technology to measure every input and output on his farm. By using computer programs such as Farm Works and GPS, Mark has access to up-to-date information on his fertiliser/chemical application, weeds, soil nutrients/moisture, and yield. This allows for accurate planning, helping to preserve the four creeks on his land and to increase profits.
On-farm and waterway management > Something Doug Crees is more than willing to do is improve his farms sustainability and efficiency. By using soybeans as a legume break crop and maximising trash blanketing, there are fewer inputs needed and fewer run-offs from the farm, while maintaining a constant yield. Also, by stabilising the river banks the creek water is remaining pristine and the soil is remaining on the field.
