A new app that helps sugarcane growers make more profitable decisions at harvest time has been described as a "game changer" by growers.
The free Harvest Mate app, developed by the state government and Sugar Research Australia (SRA), is designed to help growers capture extra sugar yield from their paddocks.
It does this by using growers' block and crop information in addition to harvester, haul-out and labour details and harvest conditions to predict optimal harvester settings.
Research shows optimised harvester settings have the potential to add $44 million to annual grower revenue across Queensland for green harvested sugarcane.
The decision support tool uses data collected by SRA from years of trials across the sugar industry and is supported by detailed economic data collected and analysed by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF).
David Singh farms in the Kennedy district and has been involved in trials of the app for the past three years.
"As farmers, we run businesses. And when you're running any business it's important to understand what your costs are," he said.
"Harvest Mate will allow us to see the true cost of harvesting. We haven't been able to do that before.
"It will tell us the blocks and varieties that are profitable and those that aren't. And that allows us to plan, to understand our parameters and be more efficient with our time.
"This tool is a big game-changer, there's nothing like it. We can't wait to use it this season."
In 2019, SRA surveyed growers and harvesting contractors about their harvesting practice and received 148 responses.
"The vast majority of recipients told us that they didn't know the production and economic benefits when changing from their current practices," SRA agricultural machinery specialist Phil Patane said.
"Harvest Mate has been developed to fill that knowledge gap and increase profitability. And it's been developed to be user-friendly, which we hope is reflected in the name."
SRA CEO Roslyn Baker said the app was an exciting example of how it worked closely with cane growers to apply the latest research findings with economic outcomes.
Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said the app would help Queensland growers extract the greatest possible value out of their harvest.
"A better harvest means more revenue for primary producers, supporting employment opportunities and the local economies of Queensland's sugar communities," Mr Furner said.
Cane growers and harvesting contractors can use the tool by setting up their user profile at harvestmate.au.
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