Farming systems and production management

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://elibrary2.sugarresearch.com.au/handle/11079/13844

Research outcomes: Growers and harvesters benefit from the ongoing research in productivity improvement, production management and agronomical techniques. Developed technologies and management practices that enhance productivity and demonstrate a high rate of return on investment.

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Start date: 2000End date: 2009

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    An analysis of sugar production issues in the Ord River Irrigation Area : SRDC technical report 01/2000
    (Sugar Research and Development Corporation, 2000) Leslie, JK; Byth, DE
    The analysis considered both cane yield and sugar content. A Preliminary Report in October 1998 utilised 1996 and 1997 production data, and concentrated on whether that data evidenced any changes from the pilot phase of 1977-1983. It concluded that there has been no apparent change in yield or quality of millable stalk. The pilot projections of commercial expectations did not discount sufficiently for the effects of mechanical harvesting. Cane losses, extraneous matter and soil contamination have reduced pol in commercial deliveries on average 2.33% pol below the level in millable stalk. This report updates those conclusions and extends to several other issues.
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    The economic advantage of reduced tillage planting of sugarcane in Australia
    (2003) Braunack, MV; McGarry, D; Halpin, NV
    Land preparation for planting sugarcane is a major cost to growers. Currently growers may undertake up to eight tillage passes to prepare a seedbed for planting. However, this number of passes is considerably less than that practised thirty years ago. Good crop establishment is necessary to ensure yield and ratoon longevity for the next crop cycle. However, it was hypothesised that the number of tillage passes could be reduced without compromising crop performance and would offer considerable savings in crop establishment costs.
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    Measurement and feedback systems for improving market signals for harvesting : SRDC Final report BSS261
    (BSES, 2005) Willcox, T; Juffs, R; Crane, J; Downs, P
    One of the market impediments hindering the adoption of best practice for harvesting is the one-price, dollar-per-tonne payment method for harvesting. It provides no incentive for growers to improve farm layout or presentation for harvest, because the same price is paid for harvesting under all conditions. Harvester operators do have an incentive to reduce cane loss. However, they have no incentive to reduce extraneous matter and soil in the cane supply. This project worked with harvesting groups, millers and cane growers at Maryborough, Mackay and Burdekin to determine and pilot pricing structures to reflect quality and quantity of work and to improve efficiency through better feedback systems for improving market signals at harvest.
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    Adoption of an optimal season length for increased industry profitability : SRDC Final report BSS264
    (BSES, 2007) Di Bella, LP; Cristaudo, A; Wood, AW
    The project aimed to maximise commercial cane sugar (CCS), sugar yields (TSPH) and industry profitability in the Herbert region by exploiting regional variation in CCS, soil moisture and trafficability. There is significant potential to increase total sugar production, and individual grower and district CCS through better management of harvesting scheduling.
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    A literature review of harvesting operations and their implication on soil compaction and yield in sugar cane : Final report PR02012
    (BSES, 2002) Blatch, T
    A significant effort has been applied to the investigation of soil compaction in the sugar cane industry. Most recently research performed by Dr Mike Braunack at Tully in the wet tropics of Queensland, Australia, has attempted to quantify the relationships that exist between harvesting of sugar cane, soil compaction and yield. Harvesting has the greatest impact on soil physical properties as the cane harvester and haul-out machines, the heaviest machinery used in the production of sugar cane, traffic the interspace at least two times for each implement and are required to harvest at soil moisture contents that range from field capacity to wilting point to ensure continuity of supply to their respective sugar cane mill.
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    Defeating the Autumn predictability barrier : SRDC Final report JCU027
    (SRDC, 2009) Everingham, Y
    The success of an Australian sugarcane cropping season depends on rainfall and the ability to forecast it. The benefits associated with long range rainfall forecasts to reduce the risk and uncertainty associated with decisions impacted by rainfall variability has become increasingly recognized by industry. There are several crucial decisions that must be finalised by March and are severely effected by climate conditions during September to November. These types of decisions had to be made without the aid of climate forecasting technologies owing to the autumn predictability barrier, or, more formally, the austral autumn persistence barrier. Around March, April and May traditional rainfall indicators like the southern oscillation index (SOI) and the Niño 3.4 index are unable to reliably forecast across the autumn time zone. To help industry improve preparation for the season ahead, a forecasting system that could provide reliable forecasts about end of season rainfall, early in the year, was needed.
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    Increased profitability and water use efficiency through best use of limited water under supplementary irrigation : SRDC Final report CSE001
    (SRDC, 2005) Inman-Bamber, NG
    The objectives of this project towards increased profitability and water use efficiency was to:
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    A regional partnership approach to developing a sustainable sugar cane system : SRDC Final report MAS001
    (SRDC, 2007) Rudd, A; Parker, D
    The Mossman milling area has a unique place in the Australian sugar industry; not only is it the most northern of all mill areas but the Mossman Central Mill is one of the oldest independent milling companies and still substantially owned by its cane suppliers. It also has also established a reputation for innovation in both the processing and growing of sugarcane. By 2002 Mossman and most of the Australian sugar industry was suffering significant financial difficulties following a decade of expansion.
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    Irrigation risk management strategies to reduce water use and maximize profitability; a paradigm shift in performance to $ per unit of water : Final report CTA038
    (SRDC, 2003) Inman-Bamber, NG
    The Australian sugar industry is predisposed to maximize the benefits of irrigation because of its geographic and climatic location. However mistakes of older irrigation schemes elsewhere in Australia, need to be avoided. Performance criteria such as $ produced per unit of water used 'which have the long term aim of very closely matching plant water use with water applied, will be the single most important factor ensuring longevity of irrigation areas' (Meyer, 1997). Matching plant water use and irrigation, requires knowledge of climatic demand for water, soil water supply, and crop response to water deficits.
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    Development of a real time information system for Clarence harvesters : SRDC Final report CHC002
    (SRDC, 2008) Rose, P; Taylor, D; Crossley, R
    The Clarence Harvesting Co-operative was formed from the amalgamation of two existing harvesting co-operatives, which in the later years of the project consisted of four harvesters cutting a total of between 350,000 and 500,000 tonnes of cane each year. Soon after the formation of the co-operative the managers discovered that access to near real time information about the supply chain was required to realise the benefits of the larger harvesting operation. The required information was available but stored in separate and proprietary systems within the sugar mill. This made it difficult to access, correlate and deliver the information in a meaningful and timely manner to assist harvesting crews. A data transfer system to provide this information was conceived to integrate with a mobile phone-based consignment system planned by NSW Sugar. SRDC provided funding to allow Agtrix Pty Ltd to develop the solution, which was called SHIRT (Supply and Harvester Information in Real Time). SHIRT provided harvesting crews with valuable information about what was happening in the transport and milling operations as soon as the information was available. The data was transferred from each proprietary system in real time to a single external database. The data was then linked and merged, enabling meaningful reports to be collated and delivered to harvesting crews through a web site. Accessing the information through the web site was restricted by employing an access and authorisation process that filtered the data available to users based on their roles (grower, manager etc.), affiliation (farm, harvesting group, mill etc.) and/or their method of access (mobile, touchscreen or computer). Various devices were employed to access SHIRT including (a) a large screen mobile phone used by the supervisor of the Clarence Harvesting Co-operative, (b) touchscreens and modems fitted to either a haulout or a harvester in each crew from which the crews were able to access SHIRT and (c) the NSW Sugar web site used to distribute information to growers. Feedback from an end of season questionnaire and workshop indicated that the information being supplied to the crews was very useful for their daily management. The questionnaire completed by members of the value chain showed an increase in the level of satisfaction compared to the same questionnaire completed 4 years earlier. A couple of crews could not find anything major to complain about and so did not complete a questionnaire. SHIRT was available for use at Harwood for most of 2009 and will be introduced to the other two NSW Mills in 2010. NSW Sugar has incorporated the maintenance of SHIRT into their Service Level Agreement with Agtrix Pty Ltd, thus ensuring that it will evolve with the business and the benefits from this project will remain available to members of the value chain.