Every grower in the sugar industry today knows their greatest challenge is striking the balance between profitable cane production and the need to achieve this in an environmentally responsible manner.

As the Federal and State governments step up efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef from ‘excess’ nitrogen and phosphorus that may be derived from agricultural activities along the Queensland coast, the focus has shifted towards Best Management Practice (BMP).

BMP, together with Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE), Trace Elements and Product Consistency form part of the industry’s Six Easy Steps nutrient management program. Now Liquaforce has taken it to another level with the launch of the Ezy3. The simple three-step program with a ‘BMP Plus’ strategy takes the guess work out of growers’ nutrient management needs, with less work and more money in the pocket for the farmer.

Farmers in North and Far North Queensland – from Mackay to Ingham, Mossman, Mareeba, Innisfail and Tully – must ask themselves whether sticking with the old way of problematic granule fertilisers is really the best way.

Reduced nitrogen leaching, increased yield, better soil quality, waste reduction, as well as energy use and lower application costs, Ezy3 really is an innovative, safe and effective solution.

Other benefits include:

Plant and fertilise more area per day. Forget the bulky one tonne bags and bag lifters, liquid will offer a new and easier way of doing things, while easy placement onto cane sets at planting ensures greater efficiencies – and better yet, there is no rubbish at the end.Accurate and better placement with a five row subsurface applicator *available in the Tully and Herbert area onlyUse use of organic carbon to stablilise nitrate fixing bacteria in an ammonium form to inhibit nitrification.

Many farmers are recognising the value of Liquaforce liquid fertilisers during this unseasonably wet year. Unlike granular fertilisers which are plagued by problems in wet conditions, the Liquaforce system of fertilisers, trace elements and chemicals is far more versatile in irregular weather.

While those who are still reliant on bag lifters and granular fertiliser boxes take cover and wait for the rain to end, in the process losing precious time and money, users of liquid fertilisers are out there in the fields getting the job done.

Not only is the Liquaforce system highly accurate and effective in both wet and dry conditions, making it the ideal choice for unpredictable weather conditions, it has been scientifically proven to improve crop yield and reduce nutrient run off from leaching. There is less compaction with liquid fertiliser and larger areas can be covered daily. The only condition is that users must be able to drive into fields to apply Liquaforce blends.

Other features of the Liquaforce system are:

A 5 rows subsurface application which allows for grub control in the same passA 7 row surface application (plant cane side dress)9% organic carbon

Unlike granular fertilisers, there is no problem with jam up when applying liquid fertiliser and no need for bag lifters overhead, making this a safer option.

The current unseasonable weather has really driven home how important it is to use a fertilising system that is versatile and effective in all conditions. Liquaforce users are not hampered by unpredictable weather but can take any surprises in their stride, making Liquaforce the smart solution for your fertilising needs.

LiquaForce liquid fertilisers are the smart and sustainable choice for sugarcane farmers due to their versatility and effectiveness. Unlike granular fertilisers, which are limited in wet conditions, the Liquaforce system of fertilisers, trace elements and chemicals can be used all year round, saving precious time and money.

Here are three major benefits of liquid fertilisers:

Convenience. The only condition for using the Liquaforce system is that you have to be able drive into your field to apply it. Apart from this, the sky is the limit. In contrast with granular fertilisers, larger areas can be covered daily, and unseasonably wet years can be taken in your stride. With Liquaforce you can fertilise crops in windy, damp and wet conditions.Efficiency. LiquaForce has accurate rates for both wet and dry conditions and has been proven to increase crop yield. Its 7 row surface application and 5 row subsurface application allows for grub control in the same pass. Scientific tests have confirmed that leaching or run off of nutrients is significantly reduced, and there is less compaction.Safety. Liquaforce does not require overhead bag lifters, making this is a safer alternative to granular fertilisers. Placement onto cane sets is easy, and there are no problems with jam up. The 9% organic carbon in Liquaforce combined with the reduction in nutrient run-off makes this a gentler, safer alternative for your soil and the environment.

The benefits of liquid fertilising are many. Liquaforce offers a complete solution for farmers seeking a fertilising system that is convenient, efficient, safe and compatible with long-term sustainability.

A recent “bus tour” allowed more than 20 local growers to visit four Mossman cane farms to see LiquaForce in action. Organised in conjunction with local grower Rodney Rassmussen, this is another example of the way Liddle & Sons works directly with the local community. Feedback for this practical, hands-on display has been so positive that and Liddle & Sons plan to hold similar events in the future.

Over the past four years, Rodney has found LiquaForce to be more friendly and efficient than traditional fertilisers, with equal or better outcomes. He strongly believes in working smarter, not harder, and has found that LiquaForce achieves this goal. The cost per hectare is similar to traditional fertilisers; however, he can fertilise 40% more in a day.

Growers had the opportunity to see how LiquaForce works in a variety of soils in the district. As a plant starter, participants could see that liquid fertilisers give crops almost immediate benefits due to quick absorption. A mix to help improve yield for ratoon cane was also demonstrated. Essential micronutrients can be included in the mix and applied more evenly and consistently than traditional products. Putting molasses back into the ground also enhances efficiacy.

Many growers who are considering the switch to liquid fertilisers are curious about the equipment used to apply them. To meet this need, a five row Liquaforce fertiliser applicator was on display as well as two planter set ups with liquid conversions. This gave growers the chance to see how easily liquid fertilisers can be applied, thus improving speed and efficiency.

Liddle & Sons hopes that such educational programs will help make liquid fertiliser as popular in North Queensland as it is in southern regions. Increasingly, the financial and environmental advantages of LiquaForce products such as Plant Starter and Big Shot are being recognised. Blends such as Burdekin 15 which are designed for the soil in specific regions are also changing perceptions. As a local company, Liddle & Sons is perfectly positioned to produce custom blends for north Queensland soils in order to ensure success in early growth stages.

The team behind LiquaForce is passionate about its products. This chance to see liquid fertilisers being used on real properties will help growers to appreciate their superior qualities. Whilst granular fertilisers have served their purpose for a century, it is hoped that these farm visits will encourage growers to accept that liquid fertilisers are the way forward.

Liddle & Sons is proud that its efforts to continuously innovate and strive for improvement have resulted in being named “Champion Agribusiness” at the 2016 Australian Small Business Awards in April. Having previously won this award in 2007 and 2010, and being named National Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013, this is timely recognition for Cameron Liddle, general manager of Liddle & Sons.

Over the past two years, Liddle & Sons has implemented a strategic plan which balances profits with sustainability. This has allowed the business to focus on expansion and marketing. After this restructure, Mr. Liddle finds it exhilarating that his company is still seen as an industry leader in agriculture which continues to set the benchmark. He acknowledges that success can only be achieved through a willingness to change. “Our Company ethos has always been that the most adaptable to change, will have the strongest future, and that is how we have always positioned ourselves,” Mr. Liddle said.

As an important small business within the Ingham district, twenty-two staff are employed within Liddle & Sons’ three subsidiaries – Liquaforce (manufactures liquid fertiliser and cattle feed), Crop Dusting & Aerial Charter and Agricultural Sales. Steve Loe, founder of the awards, is acutely aware that small businesses such as these are the backbone of their local economies. “The awards is a way to recognise the efforts of small business people whose efforts contribute to the prosperity and vitality of communities across Australia,” Mr. Loe said.

The awards were presented at a gala dinner held at the Westin in Sydney. This annual event gives small businesses the opportunity to congregate and appreciate the achievements of others across a broad range of fields. Liddle & Sons is honoured to be judged a winner amidst such distinguished company.

Liddle & Sons is proud to be announced as a finalist in the Australian Small Business Champion Awards for 2016. This nomination is doubly exciting for Liddle & Sons as it won Champion Agribusiness at these awards in 2014. It is greatly encouraging that the company’s efforts for continuous improvement have once again been affirmed through this prestigious program.

Judges for the Australian Small Business Awards are people who are acknowledged as having expert insights into the categories they will be reviewing. The awards are heartily endorsed by such luminaries as the honourable Kelly O’Dwyer, the Federal Minister for Small Business. In reference to small businesses she says, “You are the ones who make our economy tick.”

The latest data available for the Australian economy shows that small business contributes 33.1% of total industry value added. Small businesses also employ around 4.5 million people. “The Awards seek to acknowledge the hard work that business owners contribute to the local community in generating employment for millions of Australians, as well as their contribution to the Australian economy,” says Steve Lowe, the founder of the awards. From sales representatives to technical managers, a small business such as Liddle & Sons can provide work for people with a broad range and skills and even allow them to move into new fields.

The Small Business Champion Awards are designed to celebrate small businesses and their contribution to the Australian lifestyle. They also recognise entrepreneurship and a desire to meet customer needs. These criteria are at the heart of Liddle & Sons’ business culture with its sixty-year history of proud service to North Queensland growers.

The willingness of small businesses like Liddle & Sons to be innovative and at the cutting edge of changes in an industry are highly commended through the Small Business Champion Awards. Liddle & Sons has been at the forefront of changes in the agricultural sector. It began as an aerial agricultural business before branching out into agricultural protection and plant nutrition products. Its latest foray into the manufacturing of fertilisers has garnered praise from growers across Australia.

The National Presentation Evening held at the Westin Hotel Sydney on Saturday 23rd April is a glamorous event which allows attendees to network and appreciate the achievements of other small businesses. The champion business for each category will be announced and trophies presented. Liddle & Sons is thrilled to once again be included amongst the highly distinguished list of finalists.

The family business just keeps growing. In June this year, a chance meeting at a Agricultural show between Liquaforce and Rockhampton-based family company Rural Supplements initiated a new alliance in beef cattle nutrition. The strengths of location and manufacturing setup of Liquaforce, combined with the knowledge and know-how of Rural Supplements, a dynamic synergy was created between the two well-respected family companies. As a result, the manufacturing and supplying of molasses-based supplements, Multilik and MaxiLick, for beef cattle producers in drought stricken North Queensland was accomplished. Liddles’ Liquaforce operation manufactures the stock lick under licence for Rural Supplements and supplies the northern and north-western beef cattle producers with the popular stock lick from their Ingham factory. The timing has been near perfect for both companies as the demand for liquid fertilisers has begun to slow down, and the record demand on the Rural Supplement plant in Rockhampton has meant it has reached total manufacturing capacity. Cameron Liddle said this benefits all parties concerned as it allows Liddles to improve their manufacturing facilities at Ingham, and at the same time increases the level of supply and service of molasses supplements for current Rural Supplements customers in the northern region. While Liquaforce and Rural Supplements are currently focusing on the continual supply of molasses supplements to existing customers in North Western Queensland, Liddles and Sons intend to also start to service the nutritional needs of the northern tropical region cattle producer with Mulitilik and Maxilick being available in bulk deliveries on farm or in 1000-litre shuttles from their current depots. Liddles and Sons have further plans to increase the range of molasses based supplements and cater for the specific needs of cattle in Northern Queesland. There will be information and producer day seminars held throughout the region during the early part of 2014 when Rural Supplements, Liddles and invited specialists will discuss and outline the benefits of controlled consumption molasses supplementation. In these changing and challenging times, a long-established family business is a rarity. Liddle and Sons strive to make the most of their integrity and honest work ethics to provide a winning result for cattle producers and canegrowers in Northern Queensland.

Liddle & Sons from Ingham has been named Champion Agribusiness at the Australian Small Business Champion Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony held on Saturday 20th November at the Westin Sydney. The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is the only national program of its kind to recognise the achievements and performances of small businesses. Forty small business categories including two entrepreneur categories and two business growth categories were presented on the night. Award recipients were delighted to receive their gold Champion statuette, certificate and national recognition. In addition, having their passion, dedication, commitment and hard work celebrated amongst their peers was an experience they will never forget. Small businesses from across Australia delivered an impressive array of entries, with national winners representing a broad range of industries from all states and territories. One of the aims of the Small Business Champion Awards is to encourage excellence. “The Small Business Champion Awards is a celebration of small business and its contribution to the Australian way of life”, said Steve Loe, Managing Director of Precedent Productions and founder of the awards. “I congratulate all the winners and finalists who entered the awards as they displayed passion, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit," said Mr Loe. The Awards are proudly presented by Precedent Productions, a small business in its own right and supported by the Associate Sponsors Growth By Design, Australian Certified Chartered Accountants, Australian Defence Force – Defence Reserves Support, Sports Rewards, Guava Latino Keratin, Castaway Financial Forecasting Systems and Australian Businesswomen’s Network.

Liddle & Sons, the award-winning company that pioneered liquid fertiliser for use in sugar cane has begun distributing its proprietary Liquaforce® range through Landmark in north Queensland. Based in Ingham, the third generation family business began experimenting with liquids 10 years ago with the aim of combining multiple nutrients into a single product for one-pass application. According to Cameron Liddle who heads the company’s agricultural division, liquid fertilisers save growers time and money and are easier and safer to use than dusty, bulky granular products. “When crops need fertiliser, the window of application is often limited,” he said. “Delays can reduce yield and profit and many growers recognise this. “More growers also put a dollar value on their time these days, particularly corporate farm managers and the younger generation. Some have off-farm jobs in mining and others just want to spend more time with their families. So the growth potential is enormous.” Further to its fertiliser business, Liddle & Sons is an independent rural merchandise reseller that operates its own aerial spraying and engineering businesses, making it a one-stop shop for growers. Cameron said that with liquid fertilisers, growers could cover more ground, more quickly, saving time and money. “With granules, farmers could only fertilise three rows of sugar cane in one pass. Using Liquaforce, our customers are doing seven rows and capable of doing nine in one pass, which cuts their hours on the tractor by at least half.” A perennial problem with granular fertiliser was its heavy bags which Cameron said had to be lifted by a tractor, then opened manually from underneath. “When a hose breaks, those one-tonne bags can crush an operator, something which happens all too often in this industry,” he said. “There’s also the packaging cost associated with bagged fertiliser and if empty bags aren’t returned to the manufacturer, growers incur extra charges,” he said Liquids also offer technical and productivity benefits, according to Cameron. “Granules flow at different rates depending on humidity and shake out of balance in transport unlike liquids what stay consistent in solution. “With liquids, we can add micronutrients like trace elements and soil conditioners to create unique blends based on exact soil test results. “Our crop trials also point to faster crop uptake when nutrients are applied in liquid form plus there’s no waiting for rain to activate it.” Independent research data Cameron said that in 2011, an independent research project was set up to look at the environmental impacts of various fertilisers and application methods. “This work showed that surface-applied liquid fertiliser outperformed surface-applied granular fertiliser – even with an extreme rainfall event of 80mm in one hour.” “More data from that trial with be published in May which we believe will strengthen the case for our Liquaforce range in local farming systems. “For the 2013-2014 cane season, we’ve engaged the University of Southern Queensland to conduct a new trial to help validate these early findings and explore comparative costs of various products and delivery systems.” Cameron said the company’s Plant Starter product was already widely used by cane growers at planting time because it’s basically a cheaper source of nutrients than granules. “Plant Starter helps keep costs down early in the season when cash is tight,” he said. “We believe a regime of Plant Starter at planting time, then a side dressing of our Big Shot hi analysis ratooning product 12 -14 weeks later, will improve cash-flow for many growers because the second dose coincides with revenue inflow from of cane harvest.” “We have around 25% of farmers applying Big Shot to ratoon cane. That’s more than 10,000 hectares in the Ingham region alone and we’ve opened a depot in Tully to service cane and banana markets. “With Landmark now distributing Plant Starter and Big Shot in Mackay, Proserpine and Burdekin, volumes look set to keep growing,” he said. Cameron described Liquaforce as an independent mixing and formulating business that adds value for growers and fertiliser distributors alike.

“Basically, growers source granular fertiliser from their preferred distributor in bulk and deliver it to our plant for liquid conversion. While most business comes via individual growers, distributors are also starting to commission our services.”

Winner of a state government innovation award last year, Liddles has also won small business awards in 2007 and 2010 and is hoping for a hat trick at the Australian Small Business Champion Awards to be held in Sydney on April 13th.