SSP has obtained, from SRA and MAPS, small quantities of the new varieties, SRA 9, SRA 12 and SRA 13. These have been planted into mother plots for maximum propagation next season. The SRA 13 has emerged first followed by the SRA 9. Regular updates will be posted on the Facebook page.

Tissue culture has arrived from Yuruga Nursery at Mareeba. The stock is in very good condition and growers will be contacted to arrange a planting schedule for the next two weeks. The SRA 9 is a bit small at the moment but we expect the seedlings to grow rapidly in the warm conditions and plenty of water.

The Hot Water Treatment plant is operating and will be open for the remainder of the harvest period. Growers wanting to treat cane should contact Frank or Peter.

The Lethebrook plot has been planted. We are currently preparing to plant the remaining plots. The dry conditions have meant that the plots require pre – water prior to planting. All plots should be planted by 21^st of September.

Demand for seedcane has been high with limited quantities remaining in the plots. All growers with outstanding orders will be contacted in Mid-September. If pre-ordered cane is no longer required then it will be reallocated or sent to the mill. Contact SSP if you want some clean cane.
 

New Burdekin Cane WSRA 17 - Caution

A few weeks ago the Queensland Country Hour ran a news article on the merits of a new cane in the Burdekin, WSRA 17. Some growers have contacted SSPL to obtain this promising new clone.

The clone has been in trails in the Central region since 2015 and has not performed well. The Central region variety group did not consider this clone at this year’s meeting as the performance was too low when compared to the standards.

As can be seen in the chart below the its performance is well behind the standards. The disease ratings for Pachymetra is also high at a rating of 6.

As the two commercially significant rat pests in sugarcane are native animals, they are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.  A Damage Mitigation Permit (DMP) is required to legally kill these animals.

As many of you would know, Canegrowers once held an industry wide DMP. However, when this permit expired, the Qld Government required DMP to be developed on a district basis. 

Due to little or no local reporting of rat control practices for a number of years under the previous industry-wide permit, there is currently no permit covering the Proserpine district for ground control (baiting) of ground or climbing rats. Growers who wish to conduct legal rat control will need to apply to the department for their own DMP.
 

Growers who are conducting rat control under their own damage mitigation permits need to abide by the conditions of the permit, which may include:

 
Always Read the Label: know that you are putting the right pesticide, rodenticide, herbicide etc. on in the correct way and in the right situation. Strict adherence to instructions for use on product labels or under the conditions of a permit is a legal requirement and penalties of up to $66 000 apply to persons who apply a chemical contrary to label instructions. Misuse of chemical product in contravention of label instructions is an offence under the Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Act 1988.

 

Sugar Research Australia (SRA) has appointed Natalie Baker as Adoption Officer, Proserpine. Natalie will be working closely with the Sugar Services Proserpine team of Peter, Frank and Christine.

Initially, Natalie is working on a project called Pathways to Water Quality Improvements in the Myrtle Creek Sub-catchment where she will be working with growers to monitor and evaluate end-of-paddock water quality results of current and alternative farming practices. This project will provide growers with the opportunity to play an active role in the water quality discussion and give them practical information on farming practices that reach productivity and profitability targets while meeting environmental expectations in regards to water quality.

Born in Brisbane, Natalie grew up in Dayboro and has recently relocated from Narangba in northern Brisbane to the Whitsundays region with her husband, Ryan. Natalie’s background is in sand mining where she started driving dump trucks and eventually shifted into environmental monitoring and testing of soil and sand products. Natalie’s hobbies include camping, relaxing at the beach, cooking and spending time with friends and family.

SRA Regional Co-ordinator, Phil Ross, said that Queensland Government funding through the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program, has allowed SRA to locate an Adoption Officer in the Proserpine district. “SRA has not had a dedicated Adoption Officer for the Proserpine district, until now,” Mr Ross said.

Natalie looks forward to getting to know Proserpine growers and how they farm.

    

Growers are reminded that when burning either cane or trash they must follow the conditions of their fire permit:

Special provisions apply to the burning of sugarcane, tops and trash in situations where a grower’s Cane Production Area (CPA) is bordered on every side by other cane land. The QFRS Commissioner’s Notification which reflects these special provisions permits growers to light fires for burning sugarcane, tops or trash provided that:

 
Growers are urged to abide by the provisions as non-compliance could result in prosecution and adversely impact the protection afforded to the cane grower authorised to light the fire.

                                                

Farmers should have a business plan.  Part of the business plan involves estate and succession planning.  
 
An estate plan is essentially a plan about a person’s estate (property and assets). An estate plan will involve asset identification, risk identification, forming an advisory team and then planning, designing and implementing.
 
Asset protection also forms part of estate planning.  As society becomes increasingly litigious, if a business or rural enterprise is carried on in the same name as that in which the assets are held, then all of the assets will be “at risk” if there is a liability arising.  Asset protection is ensuring the assets are “off-risk”.
 
A succession plan is an estate plan which includes plans for succession i.e. who is to take over the estate on death.   
 
Estate planning is not just about having a will.  It involves the review and management of personal, family and business affairs during lifetime as well as evolving a strategy to deal with assets after death.  This includes the legal instruments and structures put in place to transfer assets in the event of death.
 
Rural succession planning involves having a living and dynamic plan which can change with circumstances.  
 
Primary producing parents facing succession planning difficulties frequently find it confusing because there appear to be so many issues which confront them and it is often difficult to separate those issues much less prioritise them.
 
There are, however, a simple set of clear priorities: –
 
•   The need of parents for economic, financial stability and security must always be paramount and must not be compromised.
 
•   A viable business opportunity for the children wishing to come onto the property must be available.
 
•   Knowing what the assets and liabilities are that are within the family’s reach.
 
•   A reasonable assessment of future opportunities.
 
•   As early as possible, parents need to start building up off-farm assets for themselves.
 
Having sufficient off-farm assets to support parents in retirement increases the likelihood of being able to provide the next generation with a viable business opportunity on the farm.
 

 TAX

 
A rural succession plan should include structures which minimise the effect of income tax, capital gains tax and stamp duty, not only on a year by year basis, but also on a “transactional” basis when children are brought into ownership of part or all of the farming entities.  Tax minimisation involves taking steps which the legislation itself encourages or legitimately allows to minimise the effect of taxation.
 
Planning for tax minimisation should be kept in perspective with the whole range of rural succession factors and events which must be planned for.  It is for this reason essential that your accountants and financial advisers (if any) should be part of the discussion as well as part of the solution.
 
Government appreciates the need for farmers to look to succession planning.  There are two main components to this:
 
1. FARMING TRANSFER DUTY CONCESSIONS
 
Under previous legislation transfer duty concessions only applied to the transfer of farmland (and associated livestock, plant and equipment as well as certain other assets) between family members where the transfer was by way of a gift.
 
From 1 July 2016 the Duties and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016 (Qld) removed the requirement that family fund transfers be by way of a gift for the relevant concessions to apply.
 
Under the current legislation, the concession is available for any transfer of “business property” provided that:
 
1. the party transferring is a “defined relative” of the party receiving.  “Defined relative” is a term which includes but is not limited to spouses, parents,
    grandparents and children; and
 
2. the party receiving acquires the business property in his or her personal capacity; and
 
3. the party transferring the property carried on the business for which the property is used; and
 
4. the person receiving intends to carry on the business.
 
In short, the transfer of the family farm from one family member to another is now exempt from transfer duty even where that transfer is not by way of gift.  In addition, the concession also applies to any residential land provided it is adjacent to the land used to carry on the business i.e. the farm.

  
2. QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT SUCCESSION PLANNING GRANTS UNDER THE FARM MANAGEMENT GRANTS’ SCHEME
 
Queensland producers now have access to grants up to $2,500.00 to help tackle family business and succession planning.  Producers seeking professional advice in relation to succession planning or a family member wishing to acquire an interest in the family business can apply for a rebate of up to 50% of fees paid for the advice with a maximum of $2,500 per applicant, per financial year.
 
Now is therefore a good time to consider the way forward with your legal adviser and accountant.
 
DISCLAIMER
This article contains information about rural succession planning.  The information is not advice, and should not be treated as such.  You must not rely on the information in this article as an alternative to legal and financial advice from an appropriately qualified professional.  If you have any specific questions about any legal and financial matters you should consult an appropriately qualified professional.
 

A vote of the Queensland Parliament in May this year means the rules governing the management and clearing of vegetation on sugarcane farms has changed. CANEGROWERS has developed a guide to step members through the process of determining what permissions are needed for any activity that is planned.

A Vegetation Management guide for Queensland sugarcane farms is now available on the Member Resources page of the CANEGROWERS website: http://www.canegrowers.com.au/page/membership/member-resources or alternatively, click the button below.
 
Please use your CANEGROWERS membership number and district name when prompted on the screen to access the guide.