BIOSECURITY is a really, really thankless task.
So said Burdekin Productivity Services manager, Rob Milla tackling the topic of farm hygiene at the CaseIH Step Up event in Bundaberg on Tuesday.
The two-day conference covered the latest innovations, technology, research and topics relevant to the sugar industry, with a particular focus on the younger generation of farmers coming through.
Mr Milla highlighted the need for a vigilant biosecurity presence within the cane industry with examples of both success stories and failures.
He said while it was easy to point fingers when there was a biosecurity breach, preventative measures were largely unsung.
Sometimes we have to think beyond our farm boundaries and think about the good of the whole industry.
- Rob Milla, Burdekin Productivity Services
"It's difficult to know when you've had a win," he said.
Practices such as decontaminating brand new machinery before it went onto a farm could frustrate growers and dealers but little thought was given to the threats which were managed by doing so.
"There have been machines we have gone back three or four times and not passed. We want to minimise the risk," he said.
"Sometimes when a biosecurity risk is present, decisions will be made that are unpopular. Those decisions are not made lightly and are for the benefit of the whole industry."
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He encouraged cane producers that encounter a biosecurity concern to not assume they know what it is, be observant and ask questions.
"Sometimes we have to think beyond our farm boundaries and think about the good of the whole industry," Mr Milla said.
Some 150 people from Mossman in the north through to northern New South Wales, attended the event.
The conference is usually held every two years and was scheduled for March 2020 but had to be postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Apart from biosecurity, the event covered agriculture technology, pests, diseases, succession planning, sustainability, global markets and energy efficiency.
There was also a farm tour on the afternoon of the second day, followed by an official dinner.
Next Gen officer Gerard Puglisi said the focus for this year's conference was future proofing farms.
"The average age of a farmer in Australia is between 60 and 62. In the sugar industry it's between 64 and 66," he said.
"We are trying to encourage younger people to take more of an active role in the sugar industry."
Ashley Walmsley
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
