Between them, Mark and Patsy Wheeler have been involved in a plethora of agricultural industries from sugar and cattle, to grain, sheep and small crops.
This diverse experience has provided them with a love of the land, keen problem solving skills and the willingness to rise to a challenge.
Patsy said it’s not about short term profits, it’s about long term sustainability.
Now running a sugarcane and beef operation near Koumala, south of Mackay, the couple have been undertaking significant earthworks at their cane-farm during one of the wettest harvest seasons in memory.
Patsy said they intend to be assessed under the cane industry’s best management practice (BMP) standards.
“We’re not just doing it to tick boxes - we want to use less nitrogen, reduce environmental impact and see that improvement in our yield and profit.”
To reach their goals they recently invested in a sump system and a 30 tonne digger, with the help of a Sustainability Loan from QRAA and a Reef Catchment Grant.
“We put the sump in to recycle on-farm water and reduce sediment leaving the farm. Incidentally it has increased our on-farm water capacity – not that we’ve needed it so far!” Patsy said.
“Ironically, it helped us to drain and dry out the paddocks while controlling the run-off,” she said.
The digger has allowed them to act quickly to create new access points, build haul roads and drainage channels, as well as allowing them to get cane out.
“We’d all like to not need a loan, but if we hadn’t had it this year, we wouldn’t have been able to harvest certain paddocks when we did.
“The new machinery, with an experienced operator, means we can face the worst – which this year has been – and continue to improve and develop the land.”
QRAA’s Sustainability Loans provide Queensland primary producers with up to $1.3 million for activities and projects that will boost the productivity and sustainability of their enterprise. Interest rates as low as 3.11 per cent and repayment terms of up to 20 years are available.
The Wheelers had heard of QRAA before, but hadn’t considered using a Sustainability Loan for their own projects until reading about them in a newsletter. Now, they don’t hesitate to recommend QRAA to others.
“The industry-specific loans understand and work for our needs – from the tailored repayment schedules to the great assistance from local Client Liaison Officer, Peter Crowley.”
The Wheelers’ were one of six farm businesses visited by QRAA during a recent visit to the Mackay region.
Mr Crowley and QRAA’s Chief Executive Officer, Cameron MacMillan met with local bankers, QRAA clients and industry representatives to discuss how new changes to Sustainability Loans can benefit producers in the region.
For information on the QRAA Sustainability Loan visit www.qraa.qld.gov.au
