A seed of an idea to help young people learn about the sugar industry was planted, when a local Burdekin dad was asked to plant a stool of cane at his daughter's kindergarten.
Fifteen years later that same dad, Burdekin Canegrowers director Rian Swindley, has turned the idea into reality. He established the Burdekin's Sweetest School competition, where schools compete to grow sugarcane over a 12-month period.
The winning school will be announced at the Sweet Days Hot Night Festival in May 2025, and will receive a trophy and $1000 prize money.
To date, 14 schools in the Burdekin shire have registered and are preparing their plots of land, ready for their billets of cane to arrive at the end of the month.
As part of the process of growing the sugarcane, the children will learn about cultivation, sustainable farming practices and the sugar industry as a whole.
Mr Swindley said they had met with the Burdekin mayor as part of Sweet Days Hot Nights festival last year, discussed the idea of running the competition and what the goals would be.
"The Sweet Days Hot Nights festival is a bi-annual event and we wanted to plant the cane this year, for the return of the festival next year," he said.
"It gives kids the opportunity to watch sugar cane grow.
"We are trying to get kids interested in the sugar industry and what we do."
As part of the competition, they have collaborated with Sugar Research Australia and Burdekin Productivity Services, to engage the children with the research side of farming.
"Hopefully, some of the senior students will see there are career possibilities in the agricultural sector, whether it's agronomy or the research side," he said.
"It's a way of trying to get the younger generation to see how cane grows and what organisations such as Canegrowers do in the industry.
A member from RSA and BPS will provide a billet of cane to each school at the end of April to coincide with usual sugarcane planting season.
Mr Swindley said the chairman of Queensland Canegrowers, Owen Menken, would be rolling up his sleeves to help the children with the planting.
"It's planted, they look after it for 12 months, they will crush it through the SRA mini mill and we'll announce the winner at the Sweet Days Hot Night festival in May 2025, he said."
"The prize money of $1000 will go to the school, hopefully some of the smaller schools might have a chance to take out the trophy."
Kelly Mason
Brisbane-based journalist covering stories from rural and regional Queensland. kelly.mason@queenslandcountrylife.com.au
Brisbane-based journalist covering stories from rural and regional Queensland. kelly.mason@queenslandcountrylife.com.au
