No regrets, but cane farmer says it's time to go

THIRD generation cane farmer Rex Stroppiana always knew he would be the last cane farmer in his family and he started preparing to go almost 3 decades ago

Rex Stroppiana has sold his farm and on Saturday he'll auction his farm machinery and equipment. Picture: Stuart Quinn

THIRD generation cane farmer Rex Stroppiana always knew he would be the last cane farmer in his family and he started preparing to leave almost three decades ago.

Until this year, Mr Stroppiana had 250 hectares of land under cane on the banks of the Pioneer River near Marian - land on which he, his father and his grandfather built their homes and raised their families.

But now he's signed off on the sale of his property to one of Mackay Sugar's leading cane growers, Graeme Blackburn, and while he doesn't regret the decision is coming to terms with letting go of a family legacy.

Other Mackay Sugar farmers think Mr Stroppiana is lucky. Many envy his ability to sell and be done with the stress clouding cane growers' futures, but few can find a buyer.

Knowing he would ultimately give up the land that had been in the family for more than 65 years, the outspoken farmer still fought for a better deal for himself and fellow growers.

READ: Frustrated with the state of the sugar industry in Mackay, two Pioneer Valley cane growers are selling more than a million of their Mackay Sugar shares

He was on the board of Mackay Sugar, championing mill performance at a time when Mackay Sugar was focused on aggressive expansion.

He fought the $2 a tonne levy imposed on growers last year as part of Mackay Sugar's recapitalisation plan; and he called for the miller to be sold about three years ago.

In October Mr Stroppiana was one of a small group of growers who won a Supreme Court challenge against the levy, although Mackay Sugar has since moved to sidestep the ruling and deduct the payments.

Despite the ongoing challenges, in the end Mr Stroppiana faced a problem many in the industry are grappling with: Who would be prepared to take over the farm and continue in an industry that had become somewhat of a burden to cane growers?

He has a family of daughters and none are interested in continuing the business.

"My situation is that I have four daughters and they are all off studying," Mr Stroppiana said. "The reality was the farm was going to be sold some day.

Finally, a mix of opportunity and industry outlook triggered the sale.

"When's the right time to sell? Well the right time is when you have a buyer," he said. "There are not a lot of buyers around for a farm this size, that's the issue as well."

However, Mr Stroppiana also said the industry was struggling and he would expect it to take years to recover - if at all.

"The reality is the industry locally is a bit distressed, and I wasn't prepared to wait the five or so years for it to recover," he said. "Historically when there was a problem the growers and the millers used to band together, but it is different this time."

He said the outlook for the industry should be good but the enthusiasm for cane growing had weakened in the Mackay region.

"That was a big reason why I left. In the last two years there was 7000 tonnes of crop unharvested on my farm and you just can't keep doing that.

"While it's been 68 years here, the reality is being sentimental about things doesn't pay the bills."

Originally published as No regrets, but cane farmer says it's time to go