Copy
View this email in your browser
WELCOME TO THE MARCH 2019 ISSUE OF 'CANE NEWS'


******************************

ARE YOU FOLLOWING US ON FACEBOOK?

Click the logo above to visit the Canegrowers Proserpine page

Be sure to 'like' our page to keep up to date with Proserpine cane industry news, events & information 
CLICK HERE for printer friendly version of March's newsletter
DATE CLAIMERS
 
26 March       suSCon Maxi session: Proserpine Tennis Club, 1pm - 2.30pm
3 April            SRA irrigation grower information session: Proserpine Community Centre, 2pm
12 April          Proserpine triennial election voting closes - 5pm
18 April          SRA Central Region grower update: Whitsunday Marine Club (Altmann Ave, Cannonvale), 9am-2pm
19 April          ChemClear chemical registrations close
29 April          Women in Sugar 2019 Australian Conference: Tyto Conference Centre, Ingham
30 April          ASSCT 2019 Conference begins: Toowoomba
June              ChemClear chemical collections begin (date to be advised)
CANEGROWERS TRIENNIAL ELECTIONS 2019
Members should now be in receipt of their ballot papers for the 2019 Triennial Election. CANEGROWERS Proserpine needs to elect seven (7) directors from the eight (8) candidates who have nominated to serve on the local board for the next three years commencing 1 May 2019.

The ballot paper is only to be completed by the authorised voting representative – for clarity, this is the person to whom the voting material is addressed.

For your vote to count, please follow the instructions on the ballot paper and ensure the declaration on the return envelope is completed. Please use the Reply-Paid envelope provided, or alternatively the sealed envelope can be hand delivered to the CANEGROWERS Proserpine office. Voting closes at 5:00pm on Friday 12 April 2019 and a declaration will be announced on Monday 15 April.

Members are encouraged to vote early.
SUGAR SERVICES PROSERPINE UPDATE
Disease Monitoring
As part of our on-going disease monitoring in the district, all growers will be visited annually to update our records of plant cane seed source data. This data will be needed to track any outbreak of pest or disease. Members should have received a text message to this effect last week and Frank Millar will be in touch to organise a farm visit.
 
********************
New Varieties
There are several new varieties being released into the district this year and their descriptions from SRA are included in this newsletter. As they have only recently been released there is still much to learn about them. To this end, SSP will be visiting growers on a more regular basis to see how these varieties perform and to test the CCS during the season.
Click HERE for SRA9 variety report
Click HERE for SRA12 variety report
Click HERE for SRA13 variety report
Clic HERE for Q253 variety report
********************
Nu Farm
Nu Farm will be holding a SusCon Maxi Intel Stewardship Training day on 26th March at the Proserpine Tennis club from 1:00pm to 2:30 pm.
 
Stewardship training involves a short presentation covering the registered use patterns of  SusCon maxi in this region followed by a short exam. Once this exercise is complete growers will be given an accreditation number. With this number growers can register on line to receive rebates from their purchases of SusCon Maxi.
 
SRA SOIL TESTING TOOLBOX
Sugar Research Australia (SRA) has launched a new online resource for sugarcane soil health. The Sugarcane Soil Health Toolbox is located on the SRA website and provides a wealth of information to help growers build their knowledge on soil health and adopt improved farming practices. This online resource provides industry with practical information and grower experiences, as well as information on research activities and investment occurring across the industry into soil health.

SRA Senior Researcher, Dr Danielle Skocaj, said the Toolbox had been built on years of established research into improved farming systems and soil health and combined this with new and emerging demonstration and research outcomes from SRA's current investments.

SRA is currently investing in a major soil health program that spans multiple projects and leading research institutes, with this program continuing research, development and adoption activities around soil health. "The Toolbox also provides an insight into soil health activities occurring in different regions," Dr Skocaj said.

One of the tools on the page is an interactive map that highlights project sites so that growers and millers can easily see soil health research occurring in their area and who to contact regarding that research.

"The Soil Health Program has a strong focus on collaboration between researchers, growers, millers and extension providers. We are working together to develop practical tools and advice that will deliver productivity, profitability and sustainability outcomes for the industry," Dr Skocaj said. "Improving soil health is complex and can take time and patience. However, through the Soil Health Program, which is showcased on the website, we are improving one of the industry's most valuable resources - the soil."

The Soil Health Toolbox is available on the SRA website.


                                                                                       
SRA acknowledges the funding contribution from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries towards this research activity.
Click HERE to access SRA's Soil Health Toolbox
SRA  INFORMATION SESSION - ENERGY SOLUTIONS FOR IRRIGATION
QUEENSLAND RAIL CROSSING INTERFACE AGREEMENTS

As part of the government’s move to bring supervision of rail operations under one entity, the Office of National Rail Safety Regulator, some growers will have received a document from Queensland Rail called a “Rail Crossing Licence and Interface Agreement”. These are a standard form agreement that QR requires from owners of adjoining land that have private crossings over QR lines. The agreements are being progressively rolled out throughout QLD to all landholders who have such private crossings. The basic intent of the agreement is to formalise and regularise the use and access arrangements for private level crossings over QR lines.

The organisation’s legal advisor, CJ Cooper & Associates, has examined the agreement and confirms its relevance and intent. Basically, the agreement contains rights and obligations for both QR and the landholder. As such the landholder should make themselves aware of the obligations under the agreement. Those obligations are mostly common sense and would have been largely complied with in the past, but nevertheless the landholder should familiarise themselves with the requirements.

If you have received such an agreement and are concerned with any aspect, please contact the CANEGROWERS Proserpine office for assistance.

Click HERE for further information
 CHEMCLEAR COLLECTION INFORMATION
Registration of chemicals closes 19th April 2019

**********
Collections will begin in June 2019
CLICK HERE for further ChemClear information
CLICK HERE for ChemClear registration form
SINGLE TOUCH PAYROLL - effective 1st July 2019
Canegrowers Proserpine regrets to advise that as of 1st July 2019, it can no longer offer its Employer Members a payroll reporting service. This is because of changing legislation by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) regarding Single Touch Payroll, detailed in part below. You are encouraged to commence liaising with your Accountants as soon as possible on the best way forward for your operations to be compliant with the new ATO legislation as of the 1st July 2019.
 
Canegrowers Proserpine will however continue to provide as much up to date information it can with respect to Employer obligations and employing under ‘The Sugar Industry Award’.
 
Single Touch Payroll- Information taken from the Australian Taxation Office:
Single Touch Payroll (STP) changes the way employers report their employees' tax and super information to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Using payroll or accounting software that offers STP, employers send their employees' tax and super information to the ATO each time they run their payroll and pay their employees. The information is sent to the ATO either directly from the software or through a third party, such as a sending service provider. Software providers can tell you more about how they offer STP reporting.
 
Employers with 20 or more employees
STP reporting started gradually on 1 July 2018 for substantial employers (those with 20 or more employees). Find out if your software is STP-ready by talking to your software provider. Your tax professional can also help.
 
Employers with 19 or less employees
Parliament has passed legislation to extend STP reporting to all employers from 1 July 2019. The Treasury Laws Amendment (2018 Measures No. 4) Bill 2018 is yet to receive Royal Assent.
 
Talk to your software provider to find out what you need to do to update your software and start reporting. Different STP reporting options will be available by 1 July 2019 to help smaller employers. However, the ATO won't force employers with 19 or less employees to purchase payroll software if they don’t currently use it.
 
The ATO has asked software developers to build low-cost STP solutions at or below $10 per month for micro employers – including simple payroll software, mobile phone apps and portals. A register of providers who intend to build these solutions is available at:
www.ato.gov.au/business/single-touch-payroll/in-detail/low-cost-single-touch-payroll-solutions
 
Micro employers (1–4 employees) will also have a number of alternative options that are not available to employers with 20 or more employees – such as initially allowing your registered tax or BAS agent to report quarterly, rather than each time you run your payroll.
 
SRA CENTRAL REGION GROWER GROWER UPDATE  -  APRIL 2019
QSL MARCH UPDATE

QSL Grower Study Tour - South Korea
 

Discover the delights of Seoul while also gaining an invaluable insight into one of our most important export sugar markets on the QSL Grower Study Tour to South Korea. QSL is currently seeking expressions of interest for the 8-day trip which departs Brisbane on Saturday 18 May. Costing approximately $6000 per person, the trip includes returns economy flights to Seoul ex Brisbane, accommodation, most meals, transportation within Korea and some sightseeing activities. Places are limited so contact Alana Lucht on 3004 4471 or email alana.lucht@qsl.com.au to book your spot.

CLICK HERE for more QSL Grower Study Tour information

Pre-Crush Advance Payment Scheme
 

Nominations for QSL's new Pre-Crush Advance Scheme payment close on 15 March. This scheme pays participating growers $50/tonne of sugar IPS on 29 March for up to half of their 2019-Season QSL GEI Sugar. Contact Caitlin Davy for details on 0429 804 876.

CLICK HERE for Pre-Crush Advance Scheme information

QSL Pool Nominations Open
 

Growers marketing with QSL can now make nominations to QSL's 2019-Season range of Managed Pools and Self-Managed pricing products via their QSL Direct accounts.
 

Nominations for these products close 5pm 30 April 2019, with any unallocated 2019-Season tonnage remaining after this date defaulting to QSL's 2019 Harvest Pool.
 

Prior to making a nomination, Growers are reminded they should read our full Pricing Pool Terms, available by visiting www.qsl.com.au or your QSL Grower Services Team representative Caitlin Davy on 0429 804 876.

REEF REGULATIONS

Bill a kick in the guts to growers’ Reef commitment

 

CANEGROWERS is warning a bill introduced to the Queensland Parliament will frustrate sugarcane growers with more bureaucratic intrusion into their businesses without any guarantee of benefits for the Great Barrier Reef.  “Just as growers are picking themselves up from a summer of natural disasters, the Queensland Government is putting a further regulatory cloud over our businesses,” CANEGROWERS Chairman Paul Schembri said.
 
CANEGROWERS says the Environmental Protection (Great Barrier Reef Protection Measures) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 seeks to:
  • undermine the valuable efforts of growers to improve water quality,
  • impose big brother supervision over everyday farming decisions and
  • hobble the sugarcane industry’s ability to expand.
 
“We absolutely take our responsibilities towards reef water quality seriously,” Mr Schembri said. “That’s why we’ve voluntarily gone down the road of an industry-developed and independently assessed best management practices program – Smartcane BMP. Under this, growers have shown initiative and commitment, improving their productivity while addressing issues of fertiliser and sediment runoff."
 
“The program has recorded real and positive momentum with participation going from zero to 70% of the state’s sugarcane area within five years. What we should be seeing is the removal of regulations the areas where growers have proven the highest commitment and results towards Reef water quality. CANEGROWERS has invited the Premier to visit a cane farm to give growers the opportunity to explain exactly what impact these laws will have but to date she hasn’t taken up our offer," he said.
 
Across the state, 90% of growers engaged with Smartcane BMP are now applying fertilisers underground to prevent any washing away, 80% of the cane is cut green with a mulch/trash blanket left on the paddock and 80% of growers use fallow rotations to protect and nourish their soil between cane crops.
 
CANEGROWERS says the bill will give the Queensland Government the ability to demand information from any advisor or company working with cane farmers.
 
“Not only will this bill increase the red tape burden on individual farm businesses reporting to government but it is ringing alarm bells right through the sugarcane industry’s supply chain,” Mr Schembri said. “The Queensland Government’s own drafting document says the bill should give it the power to require data from fertiliser sellers, agronomists, wholesalers, sugar mills and industry extension officers.
 
CANEGROWERS is also warning that the bill could prevent growers from making the best possible use of the land they own and farm.
 
“If you haven’t cropped an area of your farm for some time and you want to put cane in, the State Government wants to make you go through the same sort of environmental impact statement that a mining company does,” Mr Schembri explained. “This amounts to the government telling us we can’t expand our industry onto land our growers already own and manage without their approval."
 
“With international companies now looking at sugarcane as a valuable feedstock for a new generation of bioplastics, biochemicals and biofuels, we won’t be able to grow to meet new opportunities.
 
CANEGROWERS urges the Queensland Parliament to reject this bill and the ALP’s attempt to re-regulate both the size of the sugarcane industry and each farm’s practices and production decisions.
2019 WOMEN IN SUGAR AUSTRALIA CONFERENCE
CLICK HERE for 2019 registration form
CLICK HERE for 2019 accommodation information
CLASSIFIEDS & NOTICES
WE WANT YOU!!
The Proserpine office 'looking for work' board is running low and we have members searching for employees to help with the 2019 season. If you or someone you know is looking for work, please drop into the office any day between 8.30am to 5.00pm and we'll add your details to the job board.
IS OUR NEWSLETTER REACHING THE RIGHT PERSON OR PEOPLE?

Please use the email button below to:

* Update your newsletter recipient's email address
* Add an additional recipient
* Request a recipient be replaced with another
CLICK HERE to email a newsletter recipient request/update

Closing date for classified advertisements is the close of business of the first week of each month.
Classifieds are free to Canegrowers members.
Canegrowers Proserpine does not necessarily endorse products or services advertised in, or associated with the newsletter.

Copyright © *|2018|* *|Cangrowerslist:Cangrowers|*, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
prp@canegrowers.com.au

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
Canegrowers Proserpine · PO Box 374 · Proserpine, Qld 4800 · Australia

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp