Sugarcane growers to share cutting-edge farming practices

The annual Project Catalyst Forum will be held from 22–23 February at Pullman Cairns International. The project, a partnership between 78 Queensland cane growers and major partners, aims to test, validate and promote innovative farm practices that improve water quality from cane farms impacting the Great Barrier Reef.

For the past seven years, the project has run trials focusing on improving soil, nutrient, pesticide, irrigation and stormwater management across 20,458 ha of land. The 2016 forum will share the results from trials which aim to improve water quality, limit water use and reduce agricultural run-off.

“If adopted more broadly, farming techniques tested under Project Catalyst will reduce run-off in sensitive catchments adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef, while also decreasing the cost of cane-farming operations,” said Craig Davenport, the manager of Project Catalyst coordinator Catchment Solutions.

One trial to be discussed at the forum surrounds the use of radio transmitters and moisture probes which turn irrigation off at precisely the right moment to reduce run-off, save water and potentially boost crop yield. Other topics will include subsurface soil ameliorants and soil health, improving nitrogen use, herbicide and pesticide resistance management, and more.

“This year’s forum comes at a significant time, as the sugar industry as a whole seeks to find ways to help meet ambitious reef targets to reduce sediment and chemical run-off from farms into river catchments that connect to the Reef,” said Reef Catchments Manager Katrina Dent, who revealed that the project’s work is being extended across Queensland through the Australian Government-funded Game Changer program.

“Game Changer supports farmers to adopt strategies where evidence has shown they can be applied across farms with sound economic outcomes while significantly increasing the cuts to sugarcane pollutant run-off,” Dent continued.

 “We want to now see this figure built on and amplified by wider uptake of practice change by our cane farmers.”