An Ingham-based family has not only served as cane manufacturing pioneers for decades, but as also taken a stand against pricing out agricultural industries in favour of high profits from the mines.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
For the Cartas, it's about supporting their fellow farmers; principle over profit.
Carta & Co Manufacturing and Engineering was started 30 years ago by Italian immigrant and tradesman Tony Carta, who moved to Australia in the 1950s.
Tony worked his way up the coast on fields, learning the ins and outs of cane work before beginning his own legacy within the industry in Ingham, which had a "large Italian population".
"He didn't speak a word of English. All he could say was 'hello, good morning and goodbye'. He worked his way up the east coast and settled in Ingham, which is where he met my mother, a local-born girl and first-generation Australian," son Paul said.
"He managed to find work repairing equipment on farms and walking behind harvesting equipment. In those days, the equipment wasn't very efficient, and he had a job where you picked up all the sticks and threw them in the bin.
"He started from the bottom and then started working for some local engineering firms - welding, fabricating (and boiler-making, fabricating and doing machinery work in a shed at Trebonne)...and then not long after I came onto the scene (in the 1970s), dad decided to go into business for himself."
One day, after reflecting on his own experiences within the industry, Tony came up with the idea of the cane transporter, and with some help, he applied for a patent in 1999.
The company, which was bought by Paul seven years ago, currently has 600 revolutionary cane transporters (Carta Cane Transporters) of Tony's own design and brand, in circulation across the state.
"Prior to (the patent), we were still working for the cane industry, making repairs to existing machinery, and becoming familiarised in the practical sense of what we needed to get done in order to move a crop out of the field and into the cane bins," Paul said.
"Dad was making it easier...he was also involved in a lot of modifications to the harvesters as the machinery evolved over time.
"Most of the (transporters) are up to 30 years old now. We've displayed at the occasional field day...and made sure our rates and what we charge is as comfortable as we can make it for the cane industry."
The company also manufactures and maintains spare parts for customers.
Paul said mining representatives have approached him and offered "three times" the cost of the $200,000 machines.
"We've had plenty of people from the mining industry who've said...'if you sold to us at the mines, would pay triple'," Paul said.
"We're not here to pander or cater for the mining community, we're here for the agricultural industry. It's a completely separate beast. Everybody and everything involved in agriculture needs to be taken into consideration. What do you do when food or agriculture stops?"
"Even the mills are trying to offer apprenticeships, but people are not taking them because they can get more money from mines. Kids are leaving school and getting paid $60,000-70,000 salaries as apprentices.
"There have been approximately 40-45 apprenticeships (with Carta & Co) - mostly machinists, fitters or turners, fabricators and boiler makers."
Carta & Co has seen a high turnover of apprentices, with roughly 80 per cent leaving the agricultural industry upon training completion, and chasing high-paying work in the mines.
The company is bringing in overseas workers to meet labour demand.
"They're picking up the jobs people are throwing to the side when they're chasing bigger money," Paul said.
"We get them in on visas and we put them through, we're under DAMA (Designated Area Migration Agreement)... which allows us to access special sponsorship agreements and arrangements."
According to the Department of Home Affairs, DAMA is a formal agreement between the Australian government and a regional, state or territory authority, which "provides access to more overseas workers than the standard skilled migration program".
"Out of the 20 staff I have, I've got 12 from the Philippines...and two have already become permanent residents," Paul said.
"If we employ people, they're not coming in for a money grab and then taking off somewhere else. (We want) people who want to live in Australia...and they work out how much they're saving, they fall in love with the town and bring in their families and keep the towns going."
Paul has applied for a concession with an income threshold under the TSMIT (Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold which increased from $53,900 to $70,000 from July 1 2023), to help keep costs down for customers.
