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25 Jan 2010 WEEKLY BULLETIN January 25 2010

US FARMERS FACE SOME SERIOUS CHALLENGES – JUST LIKE US
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) commented last week about some of the issues debated at the recent American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) meeting. Some of the policy discussions offered information relevant in a Queensland and Australian context. American farmers meet annually to formalise policy positions and it usually happens in winter for them when things aren’t so hectic on their farms. There was a recurring theme during the course of the conference, namely that food security is a critical issue for the whole planet and it is vital that farmers engage with consumers to ensure food production capability isn’t compromised by ill conceived policies. This message emerged in key sessions covering such diverse topics as climate change legislation, water rights and communication. Let me summarise my take on what American farmers see as their immediate challenges.
Climate change is a challenge but the Cap and Trade legislation currently under consideration by Congress won’t provide any solutions. “It’s all pain and no gain” said one presenter. “It’s a rationing scheme under which the state decides how much of something you may use. It’s about revenues, rents and ideologies, full of accounting gimmicks. Your input costs and everybody else’s will rise. It would accomplish wealth transfers and not affect the climate.” This same speaker noted the outcome would be similar to the recent Copenhagen climate conference, “a historic agreement to meet again next year”! I can appreciate the sentiment being expressed here, albeit with a Hollywood sense of humour! The President of the American Farm Bureau noted that the US climate change legislation would shift 59 million acres of food farms to permanent forests and that is why the Bureau says “don’t cap our future agricultural productivity and food security”.
Water rights and allocations have become contentious in the USA too. Like here, part of the problem is that the states have jurisdiction over water and interstate conflicts add additional dimension to the usual “feuding between farmers, households and environmental groups.”
The AFBF says putting farmland in semi-permanent fallow (as is happening for up to a third of California’s farms) is not a solution. “The key is to stop infighting and look for resolutions like building reservoirs to buffer drought years. Consumers must be reminded that to have food you must have water.”
QFF acknowledges the elegant simplicity of that position, but it hasn’t worked there or here. Recall that neither South East Queensland’s nor the Murray Darling’s water issues are resolved and discussing the building of a new dam would be regarded as blasphemous to some. And perhaps it is on the third issue of communications that last week’s US farmers meeting might be most instructive for Queenslanders. AFBF President Bob Stallman called on all farmers “to rally as one during these challenging times”. He said that farmers can’t afford to be divided amongst themselves if they are to deal effectively with the “many external forces tugging at agriculture’s seams.”
“We must not allow the activists and self-appointed and self-promoting food experts to drive a wedge between us.”
“A line must be drawn between our polite and respectful engagement with consumers and how we must aggressively respond to the extremists.”
One communications specialist at last week’s conference noted that farmers need to take up the challenge of using the new “Social Media”, such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube to explain the farming story and stay constantly engaged with consumers. That’s where the under 35’s (the “digital natives”) get their information and learn she said.
In the busy business of farming it is not certain whether webcam and blog is the best way to “communicate” all the complexities that go into getting food from farm to plate, but we need to remain open minded enough to listen to our American “cousins” and learn where we can.

WATER RESOURCE PLANNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Moratorium in the Wet Tropics
The Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) has put in place a moratorium on any new surface or groundwater access in preparation for the initiation of the water resource plan for the Wet Tropics region which includes the catchments of the Daintree, Mossman, Russell-Mulgrave, Johnstone, Tully, Murray and Herbert rivers. The ban applies to licence applications to take surface and groundwater and the construction of new bores and surface water works. The Wet Tropics is the last major region in the State which is not covered by a water resource plan. QFF and members will be monitoring the development of the plan.

Burnett water resource plan review
Minister Robertson has announced a ten year review of the Burnett water resource plan. An information report on the review has been released which outlines important characteristics of the Basin, key implementation achievements, emerging issues to be addressed in the review and the process for the preparation of the plan including details of technical assessments and consultation arrangements for plan preparation. QFF is happy to see that a number of issues that we have raised are listed for consideration in the review. In particular, the water sharing rules and associated critical water supply arrangements to protect high priority urban needs in times of drought are to be investigated. Irrigators in the lower Burnett, Barker Barambah and upper Burnett catchments have been concerned for sometime about the excessive commitments under the current plan to secure high priority water as each season progresses and the significant limits that are placed on access to supply for irrigation as a result. The Information Report advises that additional groundwater areas will be examined and a risk assessment of overland flow development conducted to determine whether this form of development needs to be regulated. The implications of climate change impacts will also be investigated. The Information Report and invitation for nominations to the community reference panel for the review can be accessed at http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/wrp/burnett.html.

Amendment to the Condamine Balonne resource operations plan (ROP)
DERM has also given notice of amendments to the Condamine Balonne ROP released last year. These amendments are required to correct or address a number of issues in the ROP such as plan boundary adjustments, specifications of water allocations and Upper Condamine water supply scheme distributions and maximum allowable allocations. Information on the proposed amendments can be accessed at http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/wrp/condamine.html.

FATALITIES—A SAD REMINDER TO STAY SAFE
A rural fatality involving contact with a high voltage powerline occurred late last year, highlighting the need for vigilance around electricity. While still under investigation, such incidents reinforce the importance of being safe around electricity. A kite at the incident site was found to be tangled on a 19 000 volt powerline adjacent to a high voltage transformer. Electrical fatalities in Queensland’s rural industry commonly involve workers contacting overhead powerlines through the use of machinery or moving irrigation pipes. This recent fatality was unusual and tragic, but still serves as an important reminder. There remains a strong need to stay electrically safe when working, during any activity at home or anywhere else. Observe safe practices whenever you are near powerlines or doing anything that may bring you into contact with powerlines or any live electrical part.

MEMBER NEWS

CHOOSE IT, CHOP IT, CHOMP IT, CHILL IT
Choose it, chop it, chomp it, chill it – That’s what Queensland pineapple growers are chanting as the slogan for their new pineapple promotion and consumer awareness program.
During the past few months growers, in partnership with Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) and Growcom, have been working to develop educational pineapple promotional material aimed at consumers and retailers. As the slogan suggests, the materials promote reliable methods that assist shoppers in selecting tasty fresh pineapples, provide instructions on easy ways to cut them up and tips on how to store and enjoy them at their best. If you are after more pineapple information including great recipes and cool industry info, stay tuned because a new pineapple industry web site www.australianpineapples.com.au will soon be up and running.

SUGAR PRICE INCREASES SWEET FOR EVERYONE
Suggestions that consumers will ‘feel the pain at the supermarket’ as a result of increases in sugar prices are just plain silly according to peak sugar growers organisation CANEGROWERS. CEO Ian Ballantyne said that recent alarmist reports need to be tempered with a touch of reality. Publicity given to increases in the retail price of sugar is misleading and there should be very little impact on Australian shoppers’ hip pocket. In a statement issued last week, CANEGROWERS said that the Australian sugar industry produces around 4.5 million tonnes of raw sugar and with Australian domestic consumption around one million tonnes. All raw sugar is priced and sold in US Dollars and the international price has nearly doubled during the past two years. Raw sugar is sold to refineries which in turn supply product to supermarkets, manufacturers and food processors. “There has been some concentration in the media about the hike in the price of retail sugar, but, in fact, only about 15% of sugar sold in Australia is sold as sugar on the supermarket shelf,” Mr Ballantyne said. “This rise in raw sugar prices, passed through to the retail refined product should cost the average consumer little more than $2 per year or less than five cents per week.”

CALCULATOR HELPS GROWERS ESTIMATE CARBON FOOTPRINT
A new online tool is helping growers estimate their impact on the environment. The carbon footprint tool, HortCarbonInfo, can be used to estimate the carbon footprint of a horticultural farm, as well as learn about greenhouse gas emissions and ways to reduce them. Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) senior principal horticulturist Peter Deuter said while horticulture contributed only very slightly to climate change, the calculator would help promote industry awareness. Mr Deuter said the tool, in the form of a spreadsheet, was very easy to use. Grower’s input data into the calculator’s database in the fields of boundary (for example, a whole farm’s emissions over one year), electricity and fuel, fertiliser use, crops and area planted, waste and refrigeration. HortCarbonInfo was created as part of the project “Improving the Capacity of Queensland Intensive Agriculture to Manage Climate Change,” funded by the Department of Agriculture, Farming and Forestry, through the Queensland Farmers Federation and Growcom. The calculator, as well as other tools, can be found under ‘Horticulture Carbon Footprinting Tools’ on the Horticulture Australia website at www.horticulture.com.au/areas_of_Investment/Environment/Climate/climate_tools.asp.

OTHER NEWS

PRAISE FOR UQ RURAL EDUCATION INITIATIVE
A University of Queensland centre, Rangelands Australia, has become the first University-based initiative to be recognised by an Australian Rural Education Award. The Centre within the School of Integrative Systems (SIS) at The University of Queensland was recognised by the Society for Provision of Education in Rural Australia (SPERA). The award is for excellence in rural education, implementing initiatives that expand opportunities, bring about efficient and effective education, and provide educational benefits in rural Australia, and came as the third cohort graduated in Rangeland Management last year. Further details of the Rangelands Australia initiative are available at the Rangelands Australia's website www.rangelands-australia.com.au.

LOOKING AFTER A RESPIRATOR
Workplace Health & Safety Queensland last week issued a statement about the importance of maintaining the condition of respirators. Respirators are essential pieces of equipment to be kept in good working condition. The tips below will help keep your respirators providing maximum protection.
1. Respirators should not be left in areas where they will be exposed to dusts, solvents and other chemicals as the filters will continue to absorb any organic vapours present which diminish their usefulness.
2. Filter cartridges should be replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations or when it becomes difficult to breathe through them. Write the date on the filter cartridge when replacing them to help you determine the amount of use or exposure time each cartridge has had.
3. Prolong the life of reusable filter respirators by:
• removing the filters and inhalation and exhalation valves before cleaning
• washing the face-piece with mild soap and water and rinsing thoroughly with clean water
• checking all the parts and replacing any defective pieces
• ensuring one-way valves are soft, pliable and functional and the face piece is soft, comfortable and provides a good face seal
• storing the respirator in a clean plastic bag inside a locker or clean dry place, and
• reducing deterioration by not storing respirators in direct sunlight or where exposed to extremes of temperature.
For more information see rural fact sheet 13 Chemicals – Protective Equipment at www.worksafe.qld.gov.au.

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