Sugar vs the Reef ?
   STORIES FROM THE CANEFIELDS OF MACKAY
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kim coral drawings
November 3, 2016

Reef Madness – a camping weekend on Hook Island

Kim Williams Learning 0 Comments

In 1987 I had my first Great Barrier Reef experience, snorkelling on one of the outer reefs off Cairns. Seeing for the first time a wonderland of corals and tropical fish remains one of the most astonishing things I’ve witnessed. It was sheer, glorious, teeming beauty. The second Great Barrier Reef snorkelling trip was in […]

crown of thorns 2
October 28, 2016

Runoff, river, reef

Kim Williams Learning 1 Comment

Tuesday 4th October – Lucas and I got an early start this morning to drive from Mackay to Townsville for a 1pm meeting with environmental scientist Jon Brodie at James Cook University. Jon is the Chief Research Scientist, Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER). He has a long list of research articles […]

sugar wars
October 16, 2016

Trouble at Mill

Lucas Ihlein Learning 0 Comments

This article was published in the Daily Mercury yesterday. Here’s a link to it online. And here’s a second article about the “trouble at mill” published on the same day. I have to admit, for me, trying to get my head around those articles is a bit like how my 5 year old daughter Albie […]

bmp coreflute sign 1
October 14, 2016

Thinking about “Smartcane”

Lucas Ihlein Learning 1 Comment

This is a shout out to Sonia Ball from Canegrowers, who we had a fantastic meeting with a few weeks ago. A lot of the difficult thinking in my earlier blog post emerged from our discussion with Sonia, who is the Canegrowers Manager of Communications. Canegrowers is “the principal body representing the state’s sugarcane growers”, advocating […]

chromatographs 1
October 13, 2016

Farmers and soil health

Kim Williams Learning 0 Comments

Over the past month while I’ve been here in Mackay I’ve met many people who are in some way connected with agriculture – soil scientists, environmental scientists, official representatives of the sugarcane industry, local food producers, Australian South Sea Islanders who are descended from the indentured canefield labourers of the last century, a local MP […]

demonstration farm diagram
October 3, 2016

What might a Demonstration Farm look like?

Lucas Ihlein Ideas 0 Comments

Following our meeting with Jim Pearce MP, we’ve been thinking about what a Sugar Cane Demonstration Farm could look like. On Saturday Kim and I sat down with farmer Simon Mattsson and brainstormed a few ideas. I made the scrappy sketch pictured above while we talked. Fundamental idea 1: The Sugar Cane Demonstration Farm needs […]

spoonful of sugar
October 3, 2016

A Spoonful of Sugar

Kim Williams Ideas 7 Comments

On Friday Lucas and I spent the day at Simon Mattson’s farm, having a fun time printmaking with his wife Susie, son Luke and daughter Sophie while Simon was out in the paddocks working. The harvesting crew could be seen in the background, giving the fully grown sugarcane a number one clip to the ground. […]

kim and jim 3d model
October 1, 2016

A Demonstration Farm?

Lucas Ihlein Ideas 0 Comments

John Sweet called up Jim Pearce, the state Labor MP for Mirani and asked for a meeting. As part of John’s vision to redesign the entire Great Barrier Reef Catchment along Keyline principles, he brings together people to catalyse that small thing which might just set something big in motion. So the fact that Kim and I are visiting Mackay was John’s occasion to “Summon […]

john sweet cropped
September 29, 2016

John Sweet

Lucas Ihlein Portraits 0 Comments

This is John Sweet. John’s a retired farmer, Keyline Design Consultant (and good mate of PA Yeomans), community activator and health advocate. It’s his determination which got us up to Queensland in the first place. John connects people with people. He doesn’t use computers or mobile phones but he has a stronger social network than […]

harvest
September 28, 2016

The Work of Harvesting

Lucas Ihlein Events 0 Comments

It’s busy times for artists and farmers in Mackay. With “the crush” now in full swing, harvesters are out in the fields, those cute little trains are chuffing around hauling carriages full of cane to the mills, and the mills are working 24/7 to process it all. Tis a mighty effort, and all over town […]

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Our journey into the complex world of sugar cane farming on the shores of the Coral Sea

Recent Posts

  • ihlein-04-john-sweet-with-soilDirt → soil → earth: the art of building life.
    June 12, 2019
  • catalog cover croppedArtspace Mackay Exhibition Catalogue
    December 11, 2018
  • news clipping mercuryCULTURE AND AGRICULTURE BLEND IN NEW EXHIBITION
    November 7, 2018
  • Invitation_sugar vs the reef (3)Exhibition at Artspace Mackay
    October 22, 2018
  • salmon creek farmGrowing plants and community at Salmon Creek Farm
    September 24, 2018
  • central queensland demonstration farm 2Central Queensland Demonstration Farm Sketch
    September 20, 2018
  • LA river concreted 475-250Scale in Californian Eco-Art
    July 30, 2018
  • bleached coral 475 x 250Closing the loop between land and sea
    July 6, 2018
  • future garden harrison studio 475 x 250Future Garden in Santa Cruz
    May 10, 2018
  • watershed mackay website screenshotWatershed Mackay – New Website Up Now
    March 15, 2018

Recent Comments

  • Lucas Ihlein on Central Queensland Demonstration Farm Sketch
  • Mailin on Growing plants and community at Salmon Creek Farm
  • Earning my “L” plates – Baking Dirt on The Narrow Road to the Deep North
  • Lucas Ihlein on Closing the loop between land and sea
  • Lucas Ihlein on Future Garden in Santa Cruz
  • KATH WINZER on Elegant Excretion in the Field
  • Lucas Ihlein on Runoff, river, reef
  • Jasmin Stephens on Back in Mackay – planning the Botanic Gardens Land Art Project
  • Lizzie on The Narrow Road to the Deep North
  • Cleaning up runoff onto the Great Barrier Reef: how art and science are inspiring farmers to help | Central Queensland Soil Health Systems on Sunflowers as agricultural and cultural change agents

Bookmarks

  • Canegrowers
  • Central Queensland Soil Health Systems
  • Dakota Lakes Research Farm
  • Futurelands 2
  • Healthy Soils Australia
  • Soils for Life

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