MORE than 150 cane farmers, cane professionals and industry stakeholders will once again meet at the Case IH Step UP! Conference at Palm Cove in far North Queensland from Monday, March 16, to Wednesday, March 18, to discuss the future of Australia's sugar industry.
The conference will further build on the Next Gen program's bourgeoning network of young and established cane farmers and professionals across Queensland and Northern New South Wales.
Eric D'Urso, a young Northern Queensland cane professional, has attended various Next Gen leadership events, including Case IH Step UP! 2013 and said that he would like to attend this year's event to catch up with industry peers and leaders over the three-day conference.
"I've been attending Next Gen events since 2013, it's a great way for young local farmers to get together and share knowledge," Mr D'Urso said.
"It has support across the industry from organisations such as Sugar Research Australia, Australian Cane Farmers' Association, CANEGROWERS and various leading Mills," he said.
"The good thing about the Case IH Step UP! Conference is it formalises the Next Gen program and it means we will be able to meet up and share knowledge across our entire key milling regions.
"The conference is a chance for us to talk about what's changed, what's worked and what hasn't.
"It's great to be able to meet politicians, industry shapers and business leaders face-to-face and tell them about the things that matter to us, the farmers, in our words."
Gerard Puglisi, Next Gen Officer and leading sugar and cocoa farmer, has been visiting the Northern NSW, South East and Central Queensland regions over the past few weeks.
He said that in the lead up to the conference he will be visiting all other cane farming regions in an attempt to encourage the active network of young and established farmers and cane professionals to attend the event and have their say.
"The gala dinner on Tuesday, March 17, is almost entirely sold out, so I can't stress enough that people have to book their spots sooner rather than later," Mr Puglisi said.
"The main themes of the conference focused on sustainability, profitability and innovation and speakers from both Australia and overseas will be able to talk to farmers about the real issues which weigh heavily on them," he said.
Mr Puglisi says the second Case IH Step UP! Program has been designed to build on previous conference outcomes and aims to give a voice to young farmers, many of whom work with their parents or off the farm in the mining industry to supplement their incomes.
"We want to encourage younger people to step up and take more of an industry role," he said.
"Decisions are being made about our industry that's not going to necessarily affect the people that are making the decisions for as long as it's going to affect us young people."
