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ACFA E-Newsletter

27 August 2021

   

 SUGAR INDUSTRY

   



Grower Pricing Update - August 2021

26 August 2021 | QSL

Raw sugar prices spent the majority of August rallying higher as the ever-deteriorating Centre South Brazil crop whipped the market into a bullish frenzy. 


 At the time of writing, the October 2021 ICE 11 contract had traded from its monthly low of 17.74 USc/lb up to a high of 20.37 USc/lb, breaking the 20 USc/lb level for the first time since February 2017.  More...

Regional industry: How Wide Bay Burnett loses and wins

27 August 2021 | Source

The Wide Bay Burnett region about three hours’ drive north of Brisbane has mastered the art of keeping skilled workers after industries shut by gaining new employers. It is also trying to recruit people, including students and grey nomads, to help industry and farmers deal with shortages due to Covid border closures. More...
   

O'Connell River irrigation ban leaves Whitsunday farmers in lose-lose situation

26 August 2021 | ABC

A North Queensland farmer fears the state government's snap decision to turn off the tap to a major river tributary will damage both his crop and the Great Barrier Reef. 


Tony Jeppesen said while a closure of the O'Connell River was expected, the move was made weeks earlier than in other years, blindsiding growers and leaving them unable to water newly planted crops. More...

   

Australia’s cane toads evolved as cannibals with frightening speed

25 August 2021 | Nature

The list of ‘deadly animals in Australia’ just got a little weirder. The cane toad, a toxic, invasive species notorious for devouring anything it can fit in its mouth — household rubbish, small rodents and even birds — has become highly cannibalistic in the 86 years since it was introduced to the continent, according to a new study. Its counterpart in South America, where cane toads originated, is far less cannibalistic. More...

AGRICULTURE

   

The Sunshine State continues dealing with drought

25 August 2021 | QFF

Many would be familiar with Dorothea Mackellar’s famous lines, “I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains, of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains”. Farmers in particular are no strangers to our country’s various geographic and weather features with majority of Queensland producers currently affected by drought. More...

   

Bank lending leaps as farmers lead business asset investment rush

25 August 2021 | Queensland Country Life

Labour shortages, government investment incentives and a bumper season across much of rural Australia have sent farm equipment spending spiralling to exceptional highs.


On top of a 17 per cent jump in its farmland lending balance sheet, Commonwealth Bank of Australia has confirmed at least a 50pc rise in new borrowings for equipment assets by farmers last financial year. More...
   

Farm ownership when land prices make it seem impossible

25 August 2021 | Farm  Weekly

Six months ago, Andi White thought farm ownership on a commercial scale was way beyond her young family but now they're counting down the days to moving onto the property of their dreams.


It all began with a call from the owner of the three Tocumwal farms managed by her husband. More...

Algae answer to aquaculture wastewater problem

24 August 2021 | North Queensland Register

A prawn farm and greenfield aquaculture site is on the market but behind the simple real estate news is a much bigger story: the use of macro-algae to clean farm and municipal wastewater.


The 331-hectare Pacific Reef Fisheries prawn farm in Ayr, Queensland, has been used to demonstrate a world-first natural water filtration system protecting the Great Barrier Reef. More...
   
   

Ryegrass found with resistance to two major broad spectrum herbicides

25 August 2021 | Farm Online

A concerning milestone has been notched, with confirmed populations of ryegrass resistant to both glyphosate and paraquat found for the first time in broadacre cropping environments.


The two herbicides are the grains industry's major broad spectrum weed killers and wide ranging resistance would mean a serious shake-up in management practices. More...

   

Seaweed additive drops methane 95pc while upping cattle productivity 20pc

24 August 2021 | Farm Weekly

Australian seaweed could be a $1.5-billion agricultural sector within two decades, due to its ability to reduce methane emissions in livestock while improving their productivity.


A new industry body has been established to help drive the growth of the emerging seaweed sector. More...
   

Missing visa piece to fit farm labour puzzle

23 August 2021 | Growcom

Growcom has enthusiastically welcomed confirmation today from the Federal Government that a new Australian Agriculture visa will be in place by the end of September. 

A new visa category to help better meet our growing seasonal harvest labour needs has long been advanced by Growcom. And the case for the visa has only gotten stronger with workforce shortages created by COVID-19, and recent changes to the Working Holiday Maker program developed as part of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement. More...

   

New ag visa a 'nation builder' with pathway for rural settlement

23 August 2021 | Farm Weekly

The new agriculture visa will not only secure a steady workforce for the sector, it will build the nation by paving the way for migrants to settle in regional communities, the Agriculture Minister says. More...

Ag Visa a "fantasy" without quarantine facilities, says Premier

24 August 2021 | Farm Weekly

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has slammed the federal government's plans for an Agricultural Worker Visa, saying it's "fantasy", while there are insufficient quarantine facilities available. More...
   

Border confusion a challenge for ag industry

24 August 2021 | Farm Weekly

Confusion around COVID-related border restrictions is causing headaches for the agricultural industry, with shearing, veterinary services and animal husbandry practices among the areas being impacted.


One area causing concern is the absence of shearers in the list of border exempt agricultural workers that can cross the Queensland New South Wales border. More...

CRUSH STATISTICS

   
Week Mill Crush (t) %CSS
Date STD Week STD
22 Aug 2021 Mossman 249,847 12.52 12.12
22 Aug 2021
Tableland 332,497 14.66 14.07
22 Aug 2021 Mulgrave 512,314   11.36 11.31
22 Aug 2021 South Johnstone 414,990 11.49 11.45
22 Aug 2021 Tully 893,350 13.15 12.70
21 Aug 2021 Victoria 952,349 12.91 12.51
21 Aug 2021 Macknade 468,013
21 Aug 2021 Invicta 1,601,856 14.95 14.36
21 Aug 2021 Pioneer 861,518 15.24 14.39
21 Aug 2021 Kalamia 794,502 14.80 13.98
21 Aug 2021 Inkerman 694,699 15.03 14.00
21 Aug 2021 Proserpine 576,657 14.61 14.17
21 Aug 2021 Mackay 2,030,400 14.40 13.39
21 Aug 2021 Plane Creek 567,591 14.95 13.64
22 Aug 2021 Bundaberg 372,970 14.25 13.50
22 Aug 2021 Isis 358,135 13.90 13.35
Maryborough
22 Aug 2021 Rocky Point 70,062 13.72 13.42
22 Aug 2021 Harwood 219,921 12.35 11.54
22 Aug 2021 Broadwater 276,916 12.87 11.94
22 Aug 2021 Condong 181,422 12.24 11.60

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

   

Weekly Rainfall Update

for 7 days to 9 am 24 August 2021

Rainfall Statistics

Week Ending 27 August 2021

 TownAug YTD
 Mossman30.0  1324.4
Mareeba 2.0860.0
Cairns 20.42250.4
 Gordonvale20.42250.4
Innisfail 112.44188.2
Tully 112.44188.2
Ingham 49.23013.3
Ayr 1.4879.2
Proserpine 41.6905.0
Mackay 28.6926.0
 Bundaberg3.2346.8
Maryborough 19.8550.6
 Beenleigh28.7929.4
 Murwillumbah12.51268.1
Ballina 25.41354.4
Yamba 8.81338.2
   

Last blast: Colder weather on its way

24 August 2021 | Queensland Country Life

Much cooler conditions can be expected throughout the interior following today's change with temperatures were likely to range 2-5 degrees Celcius below average tomorrow, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.


BOM meteorologist Helen Reid said frosts were also expected in the southern and south eastern interior. More...
   

Wet and warm spring for eastern Australia

26 August 2021 | BoM

Spring in Australia may see more rain than usual in the east and a dry outlook for parts of the west, Bureau of Meteorology climatologists say. 


 According to the latest seasonal outlook issued today by the Bureau, this spring is likely to bring above average rainfall for people living in the east of the country as well as cooler days and warmer nights. More...

EVENTS