Origins

CANEGROWERS was not formed out of ambition or convenience. It emerged because Queensland sugarcane growers needed a strong, independent voice to protect their livelihoods in an industry where power was unevenly distributed.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Queensland sugarcane growers were largely independent operators, carving farms from dense scrub and relying on physical labour to plant and harvest cane. While this independence offered opportunity, it also left growers vulnerable.

Mill owners controlled processing and access to markets, while growers had little influence over pricing or conditions. Individually, growers struggled to assert their interests in an industry that depended on coordination but lacked balance.

In response, growers began forming local associations to advocate collectively. These early groups recognised that unity offered leverage individual farms could not achieve alone.

As these local associations grew, there were calls for further unity.

In 1914, those calls became action with the formation of the United Cane Growers’ Association (UCGA) – a purely grower-focused organisation and the direct predecessor of today’s CANEGROWERS.

The message was blunt and unambiguous: “United we stand – divided we fall.”

Growers recognised that mill owners and workers were organised to protect their own interests. If growers were to survive, they needed to do the same.

UCGA leaders argued that unity was not optional – it was essential to ensuring fair prices, enforceable agreements and long-term viability for cane farming families.