Dear GROWERS,
As part of our SRA Next Crop 2019 program, I’m one of several farmers from our sugar industry embarking on a project to address an issue that is going to have an increasing impact across our State. In light of swelling Government legislation aimed at farming practices, we are concerned about the level of uptake of farmers adopting recognised Best Management Practice (BMP).
Our project which will dig deeper into the BMP Programs (such as Smartcane BMP, Bonsucro and Proterra) and initially seek why only a small number of growers in some areas have become accredited, and hope to improve the continued uptake of accreditation. The project may have some crossovers with other programs such a Cane Changer because we want to delve deeper into the minds of Cane Farmers to see what the impediments are, and then assist them down the path to becoming BMP accredited.
Desired outcomes:
1) Improve industry wide farm profitability
2) Underpin our social licence to operate a sustainable and environmentally responsible industry.
The above is just an extract from the Project Plan we have been working on and compiling data and we will seek to engage with industry representatives, collective groups, advisers, millers, marketers, extension officers, and agronomists throughout our industry.
To start off, we are aiming to contact several farmers from each region to gain an understanding of what the perceived impediments and advantages are when becoming a BMP accredited business.
Your assistance would be very much appreciated. Please contact me if you have any queries in relation to our project or you would like further information.
Kindest Regards
Rhonda Pirrone
0420236706
rhonda.pirrone@my.jcu.edu.au
Any members wishing to participate in survey but would prefer to remain anonymous can forward/deliver survey to this office and KCGO will onforward it to Rhonda Pirrone via our email address.
Les Elphinstone
Manager KCGO
