Rural Life 14

Helping Farmers Capitalise On The Renewable Energy Boom

Queensland farmers and landholders will soon have a handy online toolkit to help them cash in on the renewable energy revolution, through a new partnership with the Queensland Farmers Federation and the State Government.

Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said there were many opportunities for landowners to benefit from new and reliable income from Queensland’s energy transformation. “There’s a major shift happening right now across regional Queensland and a growing number of landholders are researching their options to lease part of their properties and co-exist with renewable energy ventures, especially solar and wind farms,” he said.

“The opportunities are here and now and they will keep evolving through the pipeline of investment outlined in the State Government’s $62 billion Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan. “For many landholders, this presents a once-in-a-lifetime chance to future-proof their family businesses which have traditionally been susceptible to weather and fluctuating produce prices. Mr de Brenni said sheep and cattle graziers, horticulturalists and viticulturalists as well as farmers across the cropping and beekeeping sectors had the opportunity to reap the rewards of the clean energy boom. “This toolkit, being developed in partnership with the QFF, will highlight the opportunities the energy transformation presents and identify key considerations to help guide rural producers in maximising the benefits of them,” he said. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for rural Communities Mark Furner said the Palaszczuk Government recognised the importance of working with Queensland farmers for a prosperous clean energy future.

“We are already working with both the QFF and AgForce to develop an Agriculture Low Emissions Roadmap and support good jobs for many years to come, and this toolkit will ensure our farmers can take advantage of the rapid expansion of renewable energy production,” Mr Furner said.

“Global markets are increasingly demanding higher sustainability benchmarks from our exporters, and the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan is another way Queensland produce and other exports can meet and exceed those expectations.” The toolkit will be developed in partnership with QFF over the next few months and delivered in early 2023.

THE TOOLKIT WILL INCLUDE:

• Overview of what a renewable energy project may include and the goals/objectives of the different renewable energy projects. • Understanding the potential benefits and impacts of projects. • What to expect if approached by a developer. • How to negotiate an agreement, including considerations such as project impacts on future production, land value and other considerations.

• Information to support an understanding of the relevant and applicable legislation.

Cane variety performance for region

Weekly production figures Variety % CCS Variety Q208 28.4 13.22 Q138 % 3.3 CCS 13.68 Q183 27.1 12.87 SRA9 2.9 13.82 Wilmar Sugar Q240 19.4 12.75 Q253 7.6 12.68 SP80 Q252 2.1 1.7 13.15 13.58

Plane Creek Mill

Week 21, Week ending Comments: 05 November 2022

This week Season to date Plane Creek Mill had a reasonable throughput for the week with just under 66,000 tonnes crushed. This brought the season to date total to just under 1.1M Cane crushed tonnes. 65,791 1,092,568 Average bin weightA total of 3.74 73 per cent of the forecast 1.5 3.86 million tonne CCS crop 13.04 has been crushed to date. 13.15 Average weekly CCS was 13.04, down slightly from 13.28 the previous week. The season to date CCS closed out at 13.15 units. The highest CCS was 15.6 units from a rake of Q138 1st ratoon from the Turnors Paddock productivity district. This week, there is a 12-hour cleaning intermission planned for Thursday, 10 November. Please continue to use your train brain and remain alert around our cane rail network. Do not linger near any part of the rail network, and only cross the line using designated crossings. Remember our locos are towing heavy loads and can take up to 1km to come to a complete stop. Our cane trains are in operation around the clock, seven days a week during the crushing season.

Cane variety performance for region Variety % CCS Variety % CCS

Q208 28.4 13.22 Q138 3.3 13.68

Q183 27.1 12.87 SRA9 2.9 13.82

Q240 19.4 12.75 SP80 2.1 13.15

Q253 7.6 12.68 Q252 1.7 13.58

Comments:

Comments: Plane Creek Mill had a reasonable throughput for the week with just under 66,000 tonnes crushed. This brought the season to date total to just under 1.1M tonnes. Plane Creek Mill had a reasonable throughput for the A total of 73 per cent of the forecast 1.5 million tonne crop has been crushed to date. week with just under 66,000 tonnes crushed. This Average weekly CCS was 13.04, down slightly from 13.28 the previous week. The season to date brought the season CCS closed out at 13.15 units. to date total to just under 1.1M tonnes. The highest CCS was 15.6 units from a rake of Q138 1st ratoon from the Turnors Paddock productivity district. A total of 73 per cent of the forecast 1.5 million tonne This week, there is a 12-hour cleaning intermission planned for Thursday, 10 November. crop has been crushed to date. Please continue to use your train brain and remain alert around our cane rail network. Do not linger near any part of the rail network, and only cross the line using designated crossings.

Jim Kirchner

Average weekly CCS was 13.04, down slightly from 13.28 the previous week. The season to date CCS Cane Supply Manager Plane Creek Region Remember our locos are towing heavy loads and can take up to 1km to come to a complete stop. Our cane trains are in operation around the clock, seven days a week during the crushing season. closed out at 13.15 units. Jim Kirchner Cane Supply Manager

Plane Creek Region

The highest CCS was 15.6 units from a rake of Q138 1st ratoon from the Turnors Paddock productivity district. This week, there is a 12-hour cleaning intermission planned for Thursday, 10 November. Please continue to use your train brain and remain alert around our cane rail network. Do not linger near any part of the rail network, and only cross the line using designated crossings. Remember our locos are towing heavy loads and can take up to 1km to come to a complete stop. Our cane trains are in operation around the clock, seven days a week during the crushing season.

Jim Kirchner Cane Supply Manager Plane Creek Region