Sugarcane growers, millers and harvester operators will hear how they can harvest the maximum amount of sugar and cane from the paddock at a series of upcoming regional forums across the Australian industry.

Harvesting efficiency and optimisation is a major focus area of Sugar Research Australia’s investment on behalf of the Australian sugarcane industry, and will be the topic of the regional forums being held in 12 locations over the coming weeks leading up to the 2018 harvest.

SRA Adoption Officer for Harvesting, Mr Phil Patane, said improving harvesting efficiency is a complex problem that involves multiple stakeholders and considerations, but is also a major opportunity for the Australian industry to extract more from value chain.

“SRA has trial results building to show cane and sugar loss as a result of a range of economic drivers across the harvesting, transport, and milling value chain,” Mr Patane said.

“In some cases, practice change may come with additional costs, but SRA is working with growers, millers, and harvesting groups across the industry to provide them with precise information to help inform their decisions.

“In order to make practice change, the industry needs detailed information on what losses are occurring and what they stand to gain if they change practice to further optimise the harvest.

“This has been the focus of on-farm demonstration trials in 2017, where we have worked with local harvesting groups, in their own conditions, to define what sugar and cane loss they may be incurring.

“The 2018 forums will report extensively on the results of these demonstration trials. The forums will also be an opportunity for harvesting groups to take part in a new round of demonstration trials for the coming harvest. This will allow them to assess harvesting efficiency in their own local region, and local conditions.

“The forums will also present information from a range of innovative research activities.

“We will hear about research that is looking at the design and function of harvesters to see if improvements can be made to ensure we are harvesting more sugar. We will also hear about a new online tool, called SCHLOT, which provides advice for harvester operators to optimise the harvest.” read more

Burdekin Shire Council Feral Pig Workshop

February 27, 2018 Kalagro

Please find attached a flyer for Burdekin Shire Councils Feral Pig Workshop, to be held on Friday 9^th March 2018 at Burdekin PCYC.

This workshop is for all landholders with Feral pig issues especially those pressed for time on the land will appreciate the latest technology in wireless pig traps with Southern Cross Trapping.

Council and Biosecurity Queensland will update the audience on services and obligations of landholders.

Burdekin Productivity Services and Conservation and Wildlife Management Queensland will give landholders options with their knowledge and services and NQ Dry Tropics will give an overview of collaborative NRM in the Burdekin

REMINDER – QSL Early Start Actively Managed Pool

February 23, 2018July 5, 2018 Kalagro

QSL Early-Start Actively Managed Pool closing next week

Nominations for the new 2018 QSL Early-Start Actively Managed Pool close this coming Wednesday, 28 February 2018.*

Just like the standard QSL Actively Managed Pool, this pool targets the best return over the Season by pricing more frequently as short-term market opportunities arise. However, as its name suggests, it has an earlier nomination deadline and longer pricing window than the QSL Actively Managed Pool, which does not start pricing until May.

For more details about the QSL Early-Start Actively Managed Pool, click here.

Nominations for all other 2018 QSL Pools close on 30 April 2018.*

This later deadline gives Growers an additional two months to assess how their 2018 crop is shaping up before they have to finalise their nominations.

Nominations for the 2018-Season QSL-managed pools will be accepted from 1 March 2018, however growers keen to get pricing using the QSL Target Price Pool or QSL Individual Futures Contract Pool can nominate tonnes and start pricing using these grower-managed pricing products at any time.

Growers who have elected to use the QSL Target Price Pool for the 2018 Season but who have not achieved their targets, now also have until 30 April 2018* to take up the option to transfer their unfilled orders to other QSL pools. Growers in QSL’s Individual Futures Contract Pool can also transfer unfilled 2018-Season orders from this product to other QSL pools by 30 April 2018*, as long as they have not priced any portion of their nominated tonnage.

* Please note: Isis Central Sugar Mill, Mackay Sugar and Bundaberg Sugar growers will be advised by their miller of their local QSL Pool nomination deadlines for 2018.

QSL Weekly Update

February 23, 2018March 6, 2018 Kalagro

QSL Weekly Update – 23rd February, 2018

Olam International – Mungbean Open Day- Sunrice, Brandon.

February 21, 2018April 16, 2018 Kalagro

Olam International is a leading global integrated supply chain manager and processor of agricultural products and food ingredients, supplying various products across 16 platforms to over 12,300 customers worldwide. With a direct presence in more than 65 countries with sourcing and processing in most major producing countries, Olam has built a global leadership position in many of its businesses. In Australia, we operate in multiple products including cotton, dairy, cocoa, almonds and pulses. The major shareholder in Olam is Temasek ( a Singapore state-owned investment company) followed by Mitsubishi Corp and as such, Olam is able to offer financial security to anyone doing business with them. Olam already has processing and storage facilities on the Darling Downs, but since the demise of Blue Ribbon Group who went into liquidation last year, Olam in conjunction with Sun Rice at Brandon are now offering marketing and processing options for the Burdekin region. As well as these services, wholesale and retail sales of mungbean planting seed will be available.

Sun Rice at Brandon will be holding an open day from 11:00am to 2:00pm on Thursday 1^st March, 2018 (BBQ lunch included) and any growers who are interested in finding out more about Olam’s services are invited to come along. For any further enquires, and to RSVP, please call Leigh Beutel on 0428 155 539.