Setting the record straight on Smartcane BMP
As a cane grower accredited in the industry’s voluntary Smartcane BMP program for productivity, profitability and sustainability I am dismayed...
Standing up for farmers’ right to farm
Most cane farmers, in fact most farmers in Queensland, have experienced some form of friction with members of the wider community about their...
Farmers wary of land values leading to rates hit
We are fast approaching the time of year when new land valuations are circulated by the Queensland Valuer General and in some farming regions,...
Fertiliser costs bite into farm budgets
One of the great ironies of farming is that when the price you earn for what you grow rises, often the cost of your basic business necessities heads...
The best thing competition
Congratulations winners! Congratulations to members Daryl Stockham for their sugarcane planting video, and Peter Gibson and India Lade for their...
A bolder plan is needed for health
Another year has started with the Australian Medical Association rolling out a campaign for a tax on the sugar content of soft drinks. It is slick and...
Please don’t dump on the food chain
It’s a surprise that no farmer wants when checking their property - a pile of someone else’s garbage unloaded and left to rot in a...
COVID-19 sugarcane industry updates
The impact of the COVID-19 virus is being felt across the sugar industry as it is in our communities and around the world. CANEGROWERS will continue...
Australia's WTO sugar win
.jpg)
In 2019, following lobbying from the sugar industry including CANEGROWERS, the Australian Government launched formal action in the World Trade...
Unravelling the new Reef regulations
.jpg)
Unravelling the new Reef regulations All December 2019 updates to the Queensland Government’s sugarcane farming regulations have taken...
Global Sugar Alliance - India must pass its sugar test
India Must Pass its Sugar Test Media statement 26 November 2021 Meeting in London this week, Global Sugar Alliance members urged all countries to...
Working together to map a secure future
While we may have heard the term roadmap a lot lately and may be a bit tired of it, the Sugarcane Industry Roadmap project is one to pay attention to....
Cane harvest turns for home after challenging months
This past week has seen the Queensland sugarcane industry cross the half-way mark of the 2021 harvest. While some districts have cut more than 50% and...
Hectares of cane can provide plastic alternative
Drive around Queensland’s sugarcane regions and you’re driving through untapped potential. It’s a potential we’re keen for...
Planting for careers in the future
The harvest months in the sugar industry are as much about planning for the future crop as they are about cutting mature sugarcane. Similarly, the...
Water woes in a two-tier discount regime
The second step of the Queensland Government’s election promise to reduce water costs for farmers has been taken. What CANEGROWERS said during...
Farm safety facts are a solemn reminder
The Safer Farms Report 2021 has been sobering reading. My state and my age group have featured strongly, and not in a good way. FarmSafe Australia...
Project wraps up but YCS mysteries remain
Industry scientists and growers have worked on the mystery of Yellow Canopy Syndrome (YCS) since it first appeared in 2012 but despite all the effort,...
Power to grow our industry
.jpg)
2 July 2021 The start of July is an important time for sugarcane growers who use electricity to irrigate and CANEGROWERS is able to help with the...
Confusing, costly reef regs must be wound back
17 June 2021 CANEGROWERS opposed the first reef regulations in 2009 and we take every opportunity to re-state that opposition and outline a different...
National and global activity
21 May 2021 As we draw towards the start of the 2021 crush, the many details close to home that get the massive effort of the sugarcane harvest...
Sharing sugarcane's powerful environmental story
CANEGROWERS Chairman, Paul Schembri CANEGROWERS has always believed in our environmental credentials. Our modern farming systems, our technologies,...
Ministerial meetings hear grower issues
A very important role of CANEGROWERS is amplifying the voice of individual Queensland sugarcane growers. Backed by the weight of numbers of members in...
Industry backs Babinda grower for STL Board
Growers have a strong voice in an important role following the election of Babinda sugarcane grower and CANEGROWERS Cairns Region Chairman Stephen...
Misguided reef policies risk economic hit
A detailed analysis has revealed the Queensland Government risks an economic hit to the state of $1.3 billion over ten years with a misguided push to...
LETTER to the Editor - Time to get real about backing farmers
.jpg)
Coronavirus has delivered a stark reminder to governments and consumers alike about the importance of our food supply chains. These supply chains...
Global Sugar Alliance London 2019 Communique
WTO moves against sugar subsidies welcome Communiqué 28 November 2019 Sugar subsidies continue to depress the world sugar price and are...
No tick of approval from growers
.jpg)
A claim from the Environment and Great Barrier Reef Minister Leeanne Enoch in a recent media release (issued 18 October) on reef regulations for...
Sugarcane's economic contribution to Queensland
.png)
The Queensland sugarcane industry is a powerhouse supporting regional communities and the state economy. A report, commissioned by CANEGROWERS, has...
LETTER to the Editor - Response to the Environment Minister
CANEGROWERS has sent the letter below to Queensland and Australian newspapers responding to some recent comments and claims by the Queensland...
Reef science in spotlight
A speaking tour by prominent north Queensland academic Dr Peter Ridd has raised questions around some of the scientific studies of the Great Barrier...
New Notice for safe and legal cane fires
.jpg)
An updated Notice has been drawn up by the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and CANEGROWERS to ensure cane fires are safe and legal where they...
LETTER to the Editor - Invitation to the Premier
The Federal Election result last weekend seems to have flicked a switch for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. She’s moved quickly to travel to my...
LETTER to the Editor - Please use your vote wisely
I urge all sugarcane growers in Queensland and the people who depend on our industry to take a big picture view of the future into account when voting...
Confidentiality of grower data
.JPG)
AgForce’s recent decision to delete its members’ Best Management Practice records in anticipation of the Queensland Parliament passing the...
Australia, Brazil and Guatemala join forces in WTO action against India
Australia, Brazil and Guatemala join forces in WTO action against India 18 March 2019 Global Sugar Alliance member Guatemala has joined Australia...
LETTER to the Editor - Congratulations cane growers!
Congratulations cane growers! I write to congratulate Queensland’s Smartcane BMP accredited sugarcane growers. You are being acknowledged...
LETTER to the Editor - Big brother warning for farm sector
Big brother warning to farm sector In the Queensland Government’s proposed new laws to regulate farm practice in Great Barrier Reef catchments...
Cyclone risk cover - closer than you think
.jpg)
Like drought, cyclones are part of the farming landscape in Queensland. Despite this, insuring crops against cyclones has long been viewed as fantasy....
Graduation for scholarship growers
.jpg)
The first three recipients of a CANEGROWERS scholarship for rural leadership courses have finished a busy and rewarding week in Canberra. Simon...
Proud of our BMP commitment
.jpg)
At CANEGROWERS we are proud of our focus on Smartcane BMP and the solid commitment of growers to the program as the path...
LETTER to the Editor - ACCC vindicates electricity stance
ACCC report vindicates CANEGROWERS electricity campaign It’s not generally polite to say ‘I told you so’ but in this case…...
Cane to Coast tells growers' story
.jpg)
CANEGROWERS believes that Queensland’s cane farmers are doing remarkable things when it comes to protecting and caring for their environment and...
LETTER to the Editor - Reef report
Reef report undervalues grower commitment Queensland’s cane growers should hold their heads high and reject the criticism in a recent...
Hands-on cane farming classroom
.jpg)
Six class groups of school children were educated, entertained and got their hands dirty as CANEGROWERS again joined in the RNA’s Rural...
Cane regions off the drought list
.jpg)
The Queensland Government has revoked drought declarations covering all or part of 11 local government areas including sugarcane growing regions,...
Global Sugar Alliance raises alarm over subsidised sugar exports
Global Sugar Alliance raises alarm as subsidised sugar exports start to flood world market 9 May 2018 Meeting in New York today the Global Sugar...
Poster prize at ASSCT
.jpg)
CANEGROWERS has won a prize for a poster and presentation at the 2018 Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists conference in Mackay in...
Sugar: we're making more and eating less
.jpg)
As an economist, CANEGROWERS Head-Economics Warren Males likes numbers. So during the debate about a sugar tax, he's been collecting some numbers...
LETTER to the Editor - Power prices
Farmers demand power price answer On behalf of Queensland’s farmers using irrigation, I am demanding an answer. Why, in its draft...
LETTER to the Editor - Reef science
Reef science questions concern farmers Sugarcane growers up and down the Queensland coast are concerned about the questions around the integrity of...
How to keep a sugar market edge
.jpg)
Australia’s sugar industry needs to remain focused on continuing production and sustainability gains as smaller sugar-producing nations look to...
Election: What do the parties say?
.jpg)
In this 2017 Queensland State Election campaign, CANEGROWERS has urged the political parties to commit to actions which will secure the livelihoods of...
Strong voice with a bright future
.jpg)
Chairman Paul Schembri has told the CANEGROWERS Annual General Meeting that the past year has emphasised the importance of a strong, united and...
Alliance demands energy action
.jpg)
As the Queensland election battle intensifies, three of the peak bodies representing business have combined to make sure that the issue is acted on by...
It's safe! Code survives Senate challenge
.jpg)
A vote of 37-18 has emphatically ended the bid by a New South Wales Senator to disallow the Sugar Industry Code of Conduct. The result is a big relief...
Wet Tropics growers embrace Cane Changer
.jpg)
Project Cane Changer is a CANEGROWERS initiative that works with growers to recognise, value and accelerate their efforts to adopt farming practices...
Cane fires burning in 2017
There's more smoke on the horizon in the 2017 Australian sugarcane season than for many previous years as growers who have been cutting green for...
New funds to tackle fire ants
.jpg)
CANEGROWERS joined a coalition of conservation, community and farming organisations urging a July meeting of the Agriculture Minister's Forum to...
Minister signs cane industry commitment
.jpg)
A Queensland State Government minister put his signature on a commitment to the sugarcane industry at the July 2017 meeting of the CANEGROWERS Policy...
Introducing EEF60: cane farm fertiliser trials
.png)
CANEGROWERS has been awarded a contract to run a series of 60 on farm trials of enhanced efficiency fertilisers and is now looking for growers to host...
Innisfail board proves its water quality credentials
.png)
All five members of the CANEGROWERS Innisfail Board have achieved Smartcane BMP accreditation, the first CANEGROWERS district to achieve...
Aerial bid to control rats in sugarcane
.png)
Rats are one of the cane industry's most persistent pests, costing growers millions in lost revenue each year. CANEGROWERS has gained approval for...