Regional & Community Projects - Herbert
Funding for Regional and Community Projects is an integral part of the Sugar Industry Reform Program (SIRP 2004).
Over three years, $75 million is to be made available to support projects directed at restructuring or value-adding, to enhance sugar industry sustainability.
Funding for Regional and Community Projects is competitive, and at the discretion of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Approved Herbert Regional Projects – Sugar Industry Reform Program
Round 1 – 2005.
Siding Rationalisation Project – CSR Herbert River Mills - $ 3.6m
CSR Herbert River Mills has been the successful recipient of RCP funds for rationalising sidings in the region. There are currently 304 sidings in the Herbert, of which, 100 are targeted for removal and 72 will have comprehensive reconstruction work undertaken on them. So far, 20 sites have been prioritised. Of these, 12 are in the process of being fully surveyed and designs are being drawn up for final approvals by co-operating growers and harvesters.
CSR Herbert River Mills has been the successful recipient of RCP funds for rationalising sidings in the region. There are currently 304 sidings in the Herbert, of which, 100 are targeted for removal and 72 will have comprehensive reconstruction work undertaken on them. So far, 20 sites have been prioritised. Of these, 12 are in the process of being fully surveyed and designs are being drawn up for final approvals by co-operating growers and harvesters.
CSR as project managers, have established, with local industry, a siding rationalisation reference/steering group. They have formalised a set of principles on how to engage local growers and harvesters in this process, as well as to standardise optimal designs for sidings. New sidings will be configured for:
- Tipper operation only
- Correct turning circles for infield transporters
- Allow for bin heights to be increased by 300mm
- Not be located near power lines
- Minimum siding capacity of 100 bins per line
- Safe and secure access through properties
- Minimum distances from residences
Engineering work started at the end of 2005 with the aim to reconstruct 12 of these siding before the start of the 2006 harvest season.
Round 2 – 2006.
Accelerating the adoption of Multiple-row harvesting - $147,000
 
This project involves increasing the cross-regional adoption of the 2in1 multiple-row harvester innovation. It will involve the establishment of an additional four pilot groups using this technology in the Far-Northern region of the Australian sugar industry, thereby expanding the uptake of this technology beyond the Herbert Region where it has been developed. It will establish a platform for harvesting contractors and farmers to develop an understanding of the cost-efficiency gains with multiple-row harvesting and having the confidence and skills for making a change from single-row harvesting to this technology.
The 2in1 harvester innovation is a retro-fit device to the front of a cane harvester that changes the standard single-row configuration to a wider swath width of two rows of sugarcane. Generally speaking, most modern harvesters (since 1995), are over-engineered and have sufficient capacity with their power-plants to harvest two rows of sugarcane in most situations. After three years of development through several prototypes, the design is now commercialised and as evidenced in the 2005 harvest in the Herbert Region is capable of harvesting stands of cane up to 140 t/ha. The intellectual property of the design and concept is protected by Australian patent No. 200 390 2542.
Two harvesters in the Herbert fitted with 2in1 attachments were assessed by BSES Limited over the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Di Bella et. al. (2005) demonstrated that the cane quality and harvest job were comparable to single-row harvesters. With one machine there were recorded harvesting cost-benefits of around 20% reduction in fuel consumption per tonne of cane harvested and major savings on labour and maintenance because of reduced travel in the paddock afforded by multiple-row capability. Quabba pers. comm. (2005), has quoted fuel efficiency gains of 30% (approximately 0.4 L per tonne of sugarcane), compared to the regional performance benchmark of single-row harvesters. Additionally, the two contractors who are using this technology in the Herbert are passing on benefits in the value chain to their contracted growers by either negating fuel surcharges in the 2005 season, or providing discounts of some 10c per tonne. These contractors are also attracting considerable interest from other growers to enter their contracts because of the competitive service price position they now occupy. This is the first indication of harvesting sector rationalisation and movement towards economies of scale within contracts as an advent of this technology.
Further Information
The opening of Round 3 of Regional and Community Projects is imminent.
Guidelines and application forms for the Regional and Community Projects are available by contacting:
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