Dan Galligan
A year of hard yakka!
As our Chairman notes in his contribution to this Annual Report, the 2024-25 season really tested the grit and determination of growers across the state.
For all the reasons that have been well stated, we have too much cane left in the paddock, and successive years of standover are eroding value across the industry. As usual, this is felt most acutely by growers.
It’s not just the cumulative effects on productivity – a series of bad years has also impacted confidence and morale across the sector. Whether you are cane growing, milling, hauling or harvesting, these difficult years test confidence in the industry.
With our strong membership base, CANEGROWERS takes seriously its responsibility not only to represent members but also to support the industry as a peak body.
Our activities and resources come almost entirely from member support. Yet year after year, research shows members want CANEGROWERS working at the whole-of-industry level – servicing the needs of today and planning for a better future.
To do this, we need a clear strategy and strong financial due diligence, focusing on solving problems and delivering opportunities. The details of our efforts are described within this report, and many highlights align directly with the Board’s strategy, articulated through five key strategic themes.
Advocacy outcomes are at the core of what members expect from CANEGROWERS. We don’t just advocate to politicians – we amplify the voice of growers to a diverse range of decision-makers. Rather than simply being busy, we want our advocacy to have impact and deliver results.
Genuine, effective advocacy is a team effort, and rarely are outcomes achieved in isolation. As the saying goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Highlights included:
- Disaster assistance policy changes – Working with Queensland Farmers’ Federation to expand grant guidelines to include plant cane costs and broaden the definition of primary producers to remove penalties for off-farm income.
- Mossman transport support – Partnering with CANEGROWERS Mossman, MSF Sugar and the local community to secure funding to offset transport and logistics costs for cane harvested in Mossman but processed in Mulgrave.
- Bioenergy advocacy – Working with Bioenergy Australia, GrainGrowers and the Australian Sugar Manufacturers to call for a Bioenergy National Feedstock Strategy and policies supporting a domestic biofuels sector.
We continue to deliver practical outcomes for growers – solving problems through advice, insight, tools and services. Examples include:
- Conducting a harvesting risk assessment, analysing district-by-district risks and identifying opportunities in the critical harvesting sector.
- Analysing fertiliser supply chain drivers to identify ways to dampen price increases.
- Securing an emergency APVMA permit for aerial application of MCPA to manage vine weeds.
- Engaging early with NHVR on load restraint issues – running regional workshops and facilitating direct dialogue between growers, industry and compliance staff.
- Working with NHVR, TMR and QPS to secure Christmas curfew exemptions and develop a protocol for harvester permit approvals.
- Releasing the updated 2024 Sugarcane Transport Load Restraint Guide and conducting roadshows and webinars. Additional advocacy sought approval for new flotation tyres and expanded crossing points for tracked harvesters.
- Delivering Farm Business Resilience Program and Business Essentials workshops – 18 events
reaching over 110 growers, exploring topics such as risk management, strategic planning, sugar pricing, bookkeeping and people management. - Updating the electricity tariff comparison tool with 2024–25 rates and worksheets to help growers match tariffs to operations.
- Launching SmartAg Queensland with QFF – 187 participants completed training, including 39 in truck licensing, 103 in pilot/escort operations, 19 forklift licences and 26 chemical safety courses. Haulout driver training expanded into two new districts, creating 15 job placements.
Our districts are the heartbeat of the organisation and the best vehicle for connecting growers to CANEGROWERS. We work as one organisation – listening and responding to growers’ needs and delivering integrated services through district companies.
Examples included:
- Partnering with Plant Health Australia to deliver a two-day Sugarcane Industry Biosecurity Preparedness Workshop in Townsville.
- Providing ongoing advisory and technical support to district offices and cane analysis auditors, including troubleshooting, reviewing audit reports and coordinating workshops.
- Supporting the development of a Laboratory Methods Review Group to maintain standards across sugar mills.
- Rolling out Project Headland, assessing strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in each cane supply area to improve productivity – already adopted by two districts.
Our partnerships give us strength – sharing the burden and delivering outcomes together. True partnership requires honesty and resilience, even when things get difficult.
- We expanded our sustainability credentials, with growers’ adoption of Smartcane BMP now recognised by Coca-Cola, Nestlé and global standards such as ProTerra, Vive and Bonsucro.
- Through Bioenergy Australia, we ensured the interests of feedstock providers like the cane industry remain central to the national biofuels debate, with CANEGROWERS involved in state and federal roundtables.
- Our representation across key forums – QFF Board, NFF Members Council, the Australian Cane Growers Council, the Australian Sugar Alliance and the World Association of Beet and Cane Growers – strengthens our influence and insight into how other industries manage challenges and drive efficiency.
We are an industry that continues to evolve. The defensive stance once taken on sustainability has shifted – now both State and Federal governments seek our input and endorsement of sugarcane as a sustainable feedstock for future biofuels.
Industry evolution also depends on investing in our people:
- The Next Ratoon Young Leaders Mentoring Program saw its second cohort of graduates – a tremendous success showcasing the talent eager to contribute to the industry’s future.
- We supported young grower tours from Cairns, Herbert River and Rocky Point, as well as Women in Sugar groups from the Herbert and Burdekin, who visited Brisbane to meet staff and see firsthand the expertise behind our work.
- For the second year, we hosted Sugar Cubed, a grower-focused conference delivered with
ASSCT – a rare but vital opportunity for farmers and researchers to learn from one another. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
We have seen this year that we can be positive without being naïve. The difficulties we face only drive us harder to solve problems.
This report shows that CANEGROWERS is addressing immediate industry pressures while also working strategically to unlock future potential – both as a certified, sustainably produced sugar supply chain and as a feedstock provider for a low-carbon fuels industry.
Ultimately, it is our people who will unlock this potential. I must acknowledge the thousands of hours given by grower leaders and volunteers who offer their time and farms for media events, workshops, political visits and field days. You make this work worthwhile.
Our staff are passionate about their roles and work diligently and skillfully to deliver on our commitments. Across Brisbane and our districts, our people demonstrate long-term dedication to growers and this industry. I hope readers of this report share in the pride we take in delivering the outcomes that follow.