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SRDC Update is a bimonthly publication from the Sugar Research and Development Corporation. It provides news about SRDC and their progress towards the delivery of research outputs and outcomes for a competitive and sustainable Adapting to climate change
R&D for the future
Climate change. It’s the hot
topic on the lips of everyone
from Canberra to Cairns.
in maximum temperatures over the next 20 “As part of this project, we are trying to get along the entire value chain,” Dr Park said.
project, researchers from CSIRO and DPI&F have joined “To maintain an internationally competitive changes in the local climate; think about how these changes will affect the industry; adaptation strategies for the whole of the Adaptation to Climate Change workshop, will be an important step in setting the right R&D targets to help about identifying all possible impacts, but was one of the first steps in working out “It would be irresponsible not to do as systems, harvesting and milling operations variability. These changes are likely to affect every sector of the industry value dioxide is known to increase productivity in reduction in the amount of effective rainfall might counter any possibility of realising To register for the industry-wide
“Adaptation planning is a matter of trying to Adaptation to Climate Change
tip the balance of impacts in favour of any workshop on Thursday 29 March,
about SRDC’s
visit www.srdc.gov.au
industry needs more information to be able to make informed decisions. New thinking about harvesting and transport spells big savings down south
For more information about
these projects contact Rick
has taken a huge bite out of their input Beattie 02 6620 8257 or
Andrew Tickle 02 6683 4205.
supply operations by a whopping 32 per cent in just four years thanks to a project which has developed a harvest management system. harvested field, coloured by speed.
staff from CSIRO, Harvesting Solutions and the New South Wales Sugar Milling Cooperative. The team says that the system, which has areas for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, has harvested and areas for standover NSWSMC Agricultural Services Manager Rick Beattie said that in the first step of the project they worked with Agtrix Harvest Management Solutions to develop a software solution known as CHOMP (Centralised Harvest Operations Management Program) to fit their needs. Project, said their long-term goal is to reduce the costs of harvesting by $1/tonne by establishing a million-tonne harvesting Call for Travel and Learning
provide an improved basis for harvesting and Grower Group Innovation
“Having one large harvesting cooperative Projects
will enable cane harvesters to work together in set schedules and enable Itching to put an innovative idea to greater co-ordination of harvesting in the elsewhere and want to try to apply it “There are already a number of harvesting harvester does in each location; process cooperatives in the area, so it will be a investigate different ways of doing this data to maintain harvest records and productivity data, and develop harvester distributed back to harvester operators. n e w T r a v e l a n d L e a r n i n g The data is translated into things like maps of productivity and tools to demonstrate groundwork which I’m sure we’ll be able to “Like everyone else, we realised several “We’ve been lucky throughout this project These smaller value projects prove harvesting enterprises in Queensland who time and time again to punch above wanted to remain competitive,” he said. their belt – producing results that CHOMP is now working for a number of other regions beyond NSW; namely h a r v e s t e r s d o l l a r s , i m p r o v e trialed in the Burdekin. Isis will use it for capacity of the industry’s people. “In five to ten years time I’m sure we’ll be
To find out more about this call
The development of the software was only one element of the project; the team has automated systems to help all sectors of for projects visit the Apply page
o f t h e S R D C w e b s i t e
(www.srdc.gov.au) or contact
“This will help industry get the most out of SRDC on 07 3210 0495.
capital. If we can achieve a 32 per cent The closing date for project
saving in one area of our operations, there proposals is Monday 16 April.
is potential for savings in other areas of Selection process to get better results
Innovation, R&D and
2007 kicks off in mid-April. To find out register online. You can also register by Don’t forget you can now register online for SRDC events (including Regional Workshops) online. For SRDC’s full calendar of events and registration get the balance between economic breeding objectives.

Source: http://www.srdc.gov.au/icms_docs/132147_SRDC_Update_-_February_2007_Adapting_to_climate_change_-_RD_for_the_future.pdf