Bill and Betty Atkinson
'Windaroo'
Proserpine QLD

Bill and Betty Atkinson have seen the soil on their 140 hectare sugar cane farm in Properpine change from white stuff that blew away in the wind to a productive and sustainable growing medium. They attribute the change to two key factors - a shift in farming practices to leaving cane trash on the paddock rather than burning it and their use of climate information to make accurate management decisions at every step of the growing and harvesting process. The Atkinsons have been at 'Windaroo' for almost 20 years. The last three years have seen them become district pioneers in applying climate information to planting, harvesting and irrigation decisions. A 1996 climatology workshop run by Roger Stone of the QLD Centre for Climate Applications (QCCA) sparked Bill's interest in climate.

'The information that used to come out for long range forecasts was based on things like sun spots and tides. It was good light reading!' said Bill.

'When this new information started coming out we were inclined to look at it in the same way. But after the climate workshops it was easier to believe the predictions because we could see where they were coming from.'

Betty said 'I did some work on climate when I was at university and then I left it all those years. When I found out Bill was interested, I brushed it up a bit and got interested too.'

Extension officer, Bill Webb, was responsible for organising the climatology workshops.

'I had to twist a few arms to get growers here initially' said Mr Webb. 'But I've had comments like "It's the best fifty bucks I've ever spent". Since the workshops I get three to five calls a day about weather and climate. Bill probably gets about the same amount.

'Growers ask "what's going to happen with the weather, can I spray today or irrigate today?" They ask about the longer term too.'

The Atkinsons use climate predictions to make decisions throughout the growing process, from planting through to harvesting.

'At the beginning of each water year there is sometimes water that can be leased for irrigation if the local shires aren't using their allocation' said Bill.

'If we were going into an El Nino-style season we would grab that water while it was there. This year it was offered but I passed on it, because the indications were for an average year with sufficient water to see us through.

'In a dry year we look around and see if our irrigation equipment is adequate. In a wet year, we cut the wettest areas first and get the harvester whenever it is available.'

In 1998 this use of climate information was critical at the harvest time, when indications were for a wet August.

'We had just purchased a new block and we couldn't afford to be running on chance' Bill said.

'We worked towards getting the cane planted before August and we took every chance we could to cut.

'As the year rolled on those two decisions worked out well. Our plant cane got up and away before the bulk of the rain came and we got a lot of cutting done in the early part of the year when it was drier' said Bill.

'Whenever the harvester was free we would get it to come and cut, starting on the wettest blocks and working up to the dryer ground so that water wouldn't lie around. This was an instance where it worked.

'We grew a successful cane crop and managed to harvest it all, something not many farmers in the district achieved.'

Climate information is another tool when it comes to making decisions about leaving trash in the paddock.

In extremely wet years such as 1998, some trash is still burnt to help paddocks dry out. Climate forecasts help indicate if burning will be necessary.

The Atkinsons have been using trash blanketing for over ten years now. Soil has improved over that time and significant amounts of moisture are conserved, meaning less water is required for irrigation.

Trash blanketing improves soil structure, which influences water filtration and water holding capacity of the soil. It also controls weeds, suppresses grass growth and is a major contributor to rat control.

'Trash blanketing conserves something like 1½ to 2 megalitres of water, which if you look at it in irrigation terms, is water that you don't use out of the environment. It's also water that you don't pay to put on there' said Mr Webb.

'There is growing evidence to support the buildup of organic material, particularly in shallow layers' said Mr Webb. 'We think we'll be looking at reducing nutrient applications over the longer term which reduces the impacts of excessive nutrients on the environment. And it costs less money!'

Bill and Betty mainly look at the climate information published by the QCCA in the QLD Country Life.

'They give probabilities of what might happen and we take it from there' said Bill.

'Will it be wet, dry or indifferent? We go ahead and make decisions based on the probabilities.'

Other observations support these forecasts.

'This year the native flowers came out earlier and the cane stopped growing early' said Bill. 'One of the local farmers said to me "all you have to do is look at the cane. There's no big rain coming." I don't use this directly in my planning, but I notice it out of interest.

'We need a few more years of experience using this climate data to get the most effective use out of it, because as yet we haven't enough years of records to gauge the real impact of improvements.'

Bill is one of a few growers who have prompted the local industry, through the Cane Protection and Productivity Board, to apply to the Special Services Branch of the Bureau of Meteorology for a Proserpine area-specific weather service. This involved recruiting other land holders to join a special group to make the service financially viable.

Bill's advice is for farmers to have more faith in the climate information that's available.

'Go out and find what information will suit you. Find out what you need. Find out the theories behind the predictions, so you can have more faith in them.'

Betty said 'The older generation isn't so amenable to change. They go with what's familiar. A few years ago we would have done the same as everyone else because we wouldn't have known any better.'