Water Quality FAQs, show time, and bringing agronomy home new video
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News, updates, and events from the CaneRise website
June 2024 | Newsletter No.5
Happy Birthday CaneRise
CaneRise has been live for a year! That’s a year of bringing you funding opportunities, grower stories and tools and resources to help you incorporate sustainable practices in your farm.
Hopefully you’ve had a chance to check out the new community learning page. This has information for little and big kids, and resources that can be used at home in or in the classroom.
We need your help!
To help CaneRise continue, we need to know what you think about it. What has helped you? How could it be better? To say thanks for your time, you could be eligible for a $500 prize.
Fill out the survey here.
Read on to find out about what’s happening in the Mackay Whitsunday area.
Water Quality Projects
Improving water quality in Reef Catchment areas is vital for farmers in the Mackay Whitsundays, and there are plenty of ongoing projects dedicated to this goal. You can check out funded projects that have helped local cane growers implement sustainable practices. You might find something that could help you increase productivity and profits, save money on fertiliser and chemicals, or save time with increased efficiencies.
The Latest Project Updates
Farmacist – Point of Difference
- Variable rate technology to address common soil constraints
- Nutrient management decision process
- PoD grower stories
- Sodic vs dispersive soils
- Grower video – Mark Zarb
CANEGROWERS Mackay – Mackay Irrigation Project
- Factsheet 4: Plant Growth Versus Soil Moisture, Radiation and Evapotranspiration
- Factsheet 5: Tracking Solutes in the Soil Profile to Better Understand Improved Nutrient Management via Irrigation Strategies.
- Case Study: Simpson Farm
- Case Study: Ross Williams
Zoe brings work home with her – and loves it
Zoe Eagger is an agronomist by trade, and with her partner Sam brings her specialist lens to their family farming practices.
Originally from Western Australia, Zoe found the Mackay Whitsunday area via the Queensland Farmers Federation extension program and has made our warm and humid region her home.
Her passion is precision agriculture and helping farmers use technology for practical, sustainable solutions.
Funding Available
There’s so much funding out there, it can be hard to know what’s currently available and whether you’re eligible – but the CaneRise funding page makes it easy. You’ll find an up-to-date list of grants, rebates, and incentives tailored to Mackay-Whitsunday’s cane farmers.
Featured Funding Opportunity
For who? Researchers in the sugar industry
From who? Sugar Research Australia
How much? $20,000
For what? The Sugar Industry Research Awards are to encourage innovative thinking and allow participants to conduct small projects which clearly demonstrate benefits to the Australian sugarcane industry. These projects may be used to develop research skills and/or explore new and innovative ideas.
When? Applications close 31 August 2024
Events and Activities
It’s show season! Get ready for show bags, fireworks, rides and of course celebrating agriculture in the Mackay Whitsundays. Join thousands of other show-goers at the Pioneer Valley, Mackay or Whitsunday shows this June.
Featured Event
Show Whitsunday – 110th Annual Show
21 – 22 June
Jupp Street, Proserpine
Our free tools and resources page has everything from fact sheets, apps, excel templates and videos to help you make sustainable practice changes on your land. You can browse by topic or goal, or search for what you need.
Featured Tool
FAQs about farming and water quality
Developed by James Cook University, this guide for agronomists and farmers answers common questions about pesticides and fertilisers with reliable information.
Thanks for your interest in CaneRise and for contributing to the Mackay Whitsunday region through sustainable practices. If there is something you’d like to see or share in an upcoming newsletter, don’t forget to stay in touch!
CaneRise is supported by organisations in the Mackay Whitsunday region that are working in partnership to improve outcomes for cane farmers and the environment.
