Fall Armyworm threatens future of Tablelands ag industries
FOR more than two years the Fall Armyworm has been decimating maize crops on the Atherton Tablelands, and now farmers are considering moving into other crops.
A shortage of maize production will have a major impact on the dairy, beef, chicken and pork industries as maize and corn silage is a feed-source for these animals.
Kennedy MP, Bob Katter, and Hill MP, Shane Knuth, inspected the damage caused by the Fall Armyworm on Jimmy Isabella and Jason Lea’s maize farm near Atherton, with 100 percent of the crop affected.
Jason Lea said that unless they secured government funding or another way to control these grubs, they will have no choice but to give up on maize and grow something else.
“This is the second year in a row that the Fall Armyworm has come in heavy from a young age. Corn is generally a good crop, nice and easy to grow and you only have to spray it once,” Lea said.
“Four to five times we have had to spray them with insecticide, just to try and let the bush take its own course and grow cobs and make us our living. It is a lot of hard work, and it’s not easy to see your crop being destroyed by the grub.
“These chemicals that are being brought in for these grubs are not cheap either. You're spending $2,000-$3,000 a drum and that brings profit margins right down, so now we are going backwards.
“Last year it caught everyone by surprise, and we saw a few farmers get rid of their crops all together and cut their losses, but you’ve got to stick with it and get in there early and get on top of them otherwise you can completely lose your crop,” he said.
Nearby maize farmer Geoff Riesen has also had a major Fall Armyworm infestation and is considering grassing down his farm and running cattle.
“Unless they come-up with something it won't be just me, it’ll mean a heap of other farmers getting out,” Riesen said.
“I’m worried for the future. If we don’t get rid of this Fall Armyworm it will be detrimental to all of Australia, not just Far North Queensland.
“I’m not the sort of a farmer that asks for a handout, but they need to try and combat this moth because we are going to lose guys in maize and then we’ll lose the dairy farmers, chicken farmers and feedlots because they won’t have the silage.
“It will be dearer to buy these products for the consumer. If we don’t produce, there will be a shortage of the product in the shops.”
Mr Riesen says Australia is falling behind and needs to follow what other countries are doing.
“It was an eye opener when I was in America. They have genetically modified (GM) corn and GM cotton. The caterpillar can’t eat it. The people in America don’t spray anymore, they plant their corn and walk away – jobs done. I think we should consider this.
“The way they are going now I don’t think we are going to be here much longer. I honestly don’t want to jump on a tractor and keep spraying. I feel our Ag Minister should be a bit more involved. It’ll be too late by the time he gets involved. That horse has already bolted.”
Hill MP, Shane Knuth, has labelled the Fall Armyworm spread a national disaster and continues to call on the State and Federal Governments to provide subsidies for the cost of the spraying.
“Both State and Federal government are doing very little, and biological control might take ten years – we won’t have these farmers then,” Mr Knuth said.
“Some farmers have sprayed these worms four to five times a week and they don’t have the funding, time or resources to keep it up. All they are asking for is a little bit of help.
“Now we are seeing the fall armyworm spread to flowers, paw paw, and other crops and it doesn’t stop there.
“There is a possibility we can beat this, but it is impossible if farmers don’t have the resources to combat them that the Government step in to make a difference in the form of a subsidy to help them to kill the fall armyworm.
“I will continue to raise this issue with Agriculture Minister Mark Furner and telling him that this is a very important issue. It is not enough to say they are researching biological control. The whole region is doing it tough, and now the farmers are giving up.”
Kennedy MP, Bob Katter, said multiple solutions were needed to control Fall Armyworm.
He is calling on the Federal Government to assist with subsidies for spraying and says the Minister should consider allowing GM corn into Australia, as well as establish a nationwide crop insurance scheme where farmers pay a 1 percent levy.
“Atherton is the most beautiful place in the world. It has the most beautiful soil in the world, nutrient rich, crumbly; a rich dark red soil – but these blokes are left no alternative than to go to suburban subdivision if they don’t get the help to battle the Fall Armyworm," he said.
“Do you really want this beautiful soil to become a suburban subdivision? Destroying all that beautiful rainforest up there. No jobs for any of our kids?
“The Government doesn’t govern. If we had a government that governed, then we would allow genetically modified corn, and this would not be happening. Our competitors have done this, so they don’t have the spraying problem.
“Every single farmer and agriculturalist in this country needs crop insurance. Everyone else will get a turn whether it is citrus canker or black sigatoka- everyone will get their turn. But we need money to fight it.
“A one percent levy on farmers would fund a big pool of money that could be reinvested when crops are taken out. In the meantime, the Federal Government must look at subsidising our farmers who are having to spray their crops five times to beat the Fall Armyworm.”
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