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ACFA E-Newsletter

10 September 2021

   

 SUGAR INDUSTRY

   

Empowered into engineering

6 September 2021 | Wilmar Sugar

Electricity is at the core of Marnie Auld’s role, yet the first-year engineer began her life in a house without it. 


The first home Marnie recalls living in with her mother and two older siblings was completely off-grid, with tarps for walls and missing floorboards. More...

   

Wilmar Sugar mill's celebrate reaching halfway point for the 2021 cane crush

7 September 2021 | North Queensland Register

Wilmar sugar have celebrated reaching the half way point for the 2021 cane crush, despite lengthy rain delays slowing down harvest in recent weeks. As of the end of August, their factories had collectively processed 7.44 million tonnes of cane, which amounted to 50 per cent of the estimated 14.88 million tonne crop.


Widespread rain throughout the Burdekin, Proserpine and Plane Creek regions in recent weeks had brought harvesting to a standstill, forcing many mills to shut down in the interim. More...

   

New Queensland drinks brand committed to supporting the Great Barrier Reef

9 September 2021 | Queensland.com

The only thing better than a cool, refreshing drink that tastes good? One that does good, too. The company behind Queensland’s iconic Bundaberg Rum, Diageo Australia, has brewed up a new drinks brand, Reeftip Drinks Co, that fits the bill.


Based on the Southern Great Barrier Reef, Reeftip’s first offering, a rum premix range featuring hints of Australian-inspired local flavours and a spiced rum spirit, will launch next month. More...

   

Electricity cost hit sugar cane production in south Queensland

6 September 2021 | Irish Farmers Journal

Sugar cane is perceived to have significant cost advantages over sugar beet, but free water and high yields are still important. More...

   

Brazil’s biofuel program sputters on weak emissions accounting

8 September 2021 | Mongabay

Since it launched in December 2019, the RenovaBio program from Brazil’s energy ministry has been betting on increased use of biofuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to establishing decarbonization targets for fossil fuel distributors, the program offers incentives for biofuel producers to improve the conditions and efficiency of their production chains. More...

   

Solugen is making chemicals from sugar, not petroleum

9 September 2021 | CNBC

Chemical companies have historically used petroleum, natural gas and phosphates to make their products, exacerbating air and water pollution. A start-up called Solugen aims to replace many of these ingredients with chemicals using renewable resources like simple sugar.


Co-founded in 2016 by CEO Gaurab Chakrabarti and CTO Sean Hunt, Solugen designs and grows enzymes that can turn sugar into chemicals that are needed to make a variety of products and used in many industrial applications. More...

   

AGRICULTURE

   

Electrical safety week sparks rotamarker rebate program

8 September 2021 | QFF

Powerlines on agricultural land pose significant risk as they are difficult to see and there is no immediate and persistent reminder of their location, even in situations where farmers or vehicle operators know where they are. Unfortunately, in the past six years, 52 serious electrical incidents involving overhead powerlines have occurred in Queensland, and six people have died. Queensland farmers bear the important responsibility of ensuring they, their workers and other people on-farm are clear about their health and safety responsibilities and it’s a duty they take very seriously. During Electricity Safety Week, it is important to raise awareness of the dangers above and consider mitigation methods. More...

Farmers sought for electricity tariff talks

6 September 2021 | QFF

Expressions of interest are being sought from Queensland and New South Wales farmers to participate in a research study aiming to better understand how they consider and choose electricity tariffs for their agricultural operations. 


The research project is a collaboration between the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) and the University of Queensland, with funding from Energy Consumers Australia, and aims to assist farmers in the tariff decision making process and support greater inclusion of farmers’ needs in the design of more flexible tariffs. More...

   

Carbon farming gets interest from banking sector

7 September 2021 | Farm Online

Still an emerging sector, carbon farming has been gaining traction in Australia and it is now looked upon favourably by most banks. According to the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), as at July 2021 there were 999 carbon projects across Australia. 


Queensland had 257 projects, New South Wales 330, Victoria 99 and Western Australia had 141. More...

   

Why more soil carbon equals more effective rainfall

2 September 2021 | Queensland Country Life

Carbon Farming is a hotly debated topic right now, and far too often the conversation orbits around carbon credits and trading. How existential carbon is to soil health and the tremendous benefits it brings to farm profitability and landscape resilience however isn't widely realised. 


Perhaps because increasing soil carbon is something money can't buy (at least not instantly) - you need to farm smart to increase soil carbon. More...

New drone innovation takes smart farming to higher level

1 September 2021 | Queensland Country Life

DJI, the global leader in drones, and importer CR Kennedy, have set a new benchmark for smart farming in Australia with the introduction of the new Agras T10 and T30 models. 


The T30 is DJI's next-generation aircraft, boasting a revolutionary transforming structure and a max payload of up to 40kg. The performance and efficiency of spraying operations have never been better. More...

ABARES makes massive increase in production forecast

8 September 2021 | Queensland Country Life

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences has made a big step up in its forecast winter crop production in its latest crop report. 


In its September crop report, ABARES has forecast winter crop production of 54.8 million tonnes. More...

Australia may have hit peak farming acreage but production set to keep climbing

9 September 2021 | ABC

A new report from ANZ has predicted Australian agriculture may have reached 'peak acreage' in terms of land that can be used to grow crops.


It comes as the current winter cropping season has seen a record area planted, with 23 million hectares in the ground. More...

Mango Hybrids enter next phase of commercial development

10 September 2021 | Queensland Country Life

Three mango hybrids will soon transition to the next phase of their commercial development, with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries taking over role as lead licensor. More...

   

Australian machinery sales soaring thanks to agriculture's 'perfect storm'

6 September 2021 | Queensland Country Life

A 'perfect storm' of factors has collided to create a surge in on-farm spending across Australia. 


According to the Commonwealth Bank, new asset finance lending volumes in the 2020-2021 financial year for the agricultural sector was 50 per cent higher than the year prior. More...

Australian tractor sales increase 40 per cent in August

10 September 2021 | Queensland Country Life

Tractor sales across Australia are on an upward trajectory and are running at a rate in excess of 16,000 units this financial year. 


According to Tractor and Machinery Association of Australia executive director Gary Northover, the average running rate over the past five years has been about 12,000 tractors. More...

   

QLD Agriculture Industry Workforce Plan Survey

To address workforce issues in agriculture, Queensland Farmers’ Federation and Jobs Queensland, in conjunction with Rural Jobs and Skills Alliance, are preparing a five-year workforce plan for the state’s agriculture industry to be delivered in early 2022. The plan will respond to the major issues experienced by the industry while anticipating future workforce. Survey link.
   

CRUSH STATISTICS

   
Week Mill Crush (t) %CSS
Date STD Week STD

Mossman
5 Sep 2021 Tableland 383,346 14.91 14.15
5 Sep 2021 Mulgrave 611,430 11.72 11.38
5 Sep 2021 South Johnstone 492,758 11.22 11.48
5 Sep 2021 Tully 383,346 14.91 14.15
4 Sep 2021 Victoria 1,148,456 12.96 12.59
4 Sep 2021 Macknade 539,591
4 Sep 2021 Invicta 1,780,511 15.40 14.46
4 Sep 2021 Pioneer 974,186 15.11 14.51
4 Sep 2021 Kalamia 901,488 14.61 14.06
4 Sep 2021 Inkerman 799,605 14.80 14.14
4 Sep 2021 Proserpine 676,213 14.37 14.26
4 Sep 2021 Mackay 2,355,331 14.21 13.55
4 Sep 2021 Plane Creek 645,160 14.86 13.82
5 Sep 2021 Bundaberg 465,575 14.41 13.68
22 Aug 2021 Isis 358,135 13.90 13.35
Maryborough
22 Aug 2021 Rocky Point 70,062 13.72 13.42
5 Sep 2021 Harwood 278,611 12.70 11.48
5 Sep 2021 Broadwater 278,611 13.05 12.12
5 Sep 2021 Condong 226,497 12.44 11.82

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

   

Weekly Rainfall Update

for 7 days to 9 am 7 September 2021

Rainfall Statistics

Week Ending 10 September 2021

TownSep YTD
 Mossman29.41354.4
Mareeba 19.0810.2
Cairns 11.2 2262.4
 Gordonvale11.22262.4
Innisfail 89.84278.8
Tully 89.84278.8
Ingham 23.03043.6
Ayr 4.0942.0
Proserpine 13.4980.6
Mackay 4.8987.0
 Bundaberg1.8351.6
Maryborough 11.4563.0
 Beenleigh7.3936.7
 Murwillumbah31.0 1302.6
Ballina 14.61370.6
Yamba 12.61350.8
   

Weather forecast for the week ahead includes frost, high fire danger

5 September 2021 | Farm Online

Frost was the word of the day with Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Miriam Bradbury on Sunday, with some areas of Western Australia and western South Australia set to wake up to chilly conditions on Monday.

Ms Bradbury said there will be frosty patches on the eastern New South Wales coast Monday morning as well, but that was anticipated to be "quite patchy". More...

Australia records near-record warmth during the wettest winter since 1996

3 September 2021 | ABC

Australia has just experienced its fourth-hottest winter since 1910, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). "It has been generally warm just about everywhere," said Simon Grainger, a senior climatologist with the BOM. More...

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