General News
4 December, 2025
Cane farmers rise above
AN Innisfail sugarcane farming family is weathering flood events by changing the way they plant their crop.
For more than 80 years, the Cini family has grown sugarcane in the rich, rain-soaked soils outside Innisfail.
Today, under the guidance of Joe Cini’s stepson Barry Sultana and grandson Lachlan Urquhart, the farm is embracing new approaches as part of a wave of innovation across the Johnstone catchment.
Their 120ha farm is one of 30 involved in the Johnstone sugarcane practice change program, funded through the Queensland Government’s Queensland reef water quality program. The initiative supports growers to lift productivity and profitability while improving water quality flowing to the Great Barrier Reef.
Extension officers work closely with each farm to identify constraints, assess soil and crop health and prioritise improvements. On the Cini property, early assessments highlighted ongoing waterlogging issues despite regular laser levelling. Soil testing provided insights into nutrition, pest and disease pressures, helping guide management changes.
One of the most promising strategies has been mound planting, used to lift cane out of saturated soil. The family trialled the technique just before an unusually heavy September flood.
“We planted on the Friday, then got 12 inches of rain the next week,” Mr Sultana said.
“We had losses, but I’m surprised by what’s still come up. In any previous year, we would have lost most of it,” he said.
A nearby block planted conventionally fared considerably worse.
Their ‘modified mound planting’ approach involved shallower ploughing and hand-raking to prevent water pooling.
“The blocks we trialled did much better,” Mr Sultana said.
“The cost of modifying the planter would have been paid for this year. Now, I’ll do the lot,” he said.
The method also reduces the need for later hilling.
Mr Urquhart said getting the crop elevated was also helping reduce disease issues such as chlorotic streak.
Another key change was the use of tissue culture seedlings to establish clean planting material. Mr Urquhart has been carefully tending the young plants and limiting machinery access to prevent contamination.
Following soil test recommendations, the family has also applied lime to improve pH and nutrient availability.
“These changes are about making the farm work smarter,” Mr Sultana said.
“We’ve learned a lot already and we’ll keep building on it.”
Read More: Innisfail