Inspiring farm of the future

Some farmers turned to small crops, pineapples, cattle - even solar power farms. Some kept growing sugar and trucked their raw cane to mills at either Beenleigh or Maryborough. But there is still much cane land left lying fallow - coveted by developers who are restricted by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council from building housing estates on flood plains.

In the council’s Sustainable Cane Lands Precinct Class, preferred uses are mainly agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, bed and breakfast, forestry or home-based businesses.

The council is currently working towards a Draft Canelands Masterplan to determine agricultural options, mixed use and entrepreneurial enterprises, environmental options and public use and recreation options for the old caneland. While much discussion is taking place with numerous key stakeholders, Mr

Phelan - a passionate advocate of regenerating canelands and training farmers of the future in the process - has put his money and energy where his mouth is and begun developing his Rosemount demonstration farm which features cattle, pigs, chickens, fruit and vegetables and is being set up not only as a training farm for Nambour State High School students, but also as a working model for community-supported agriculture (basically, bartering time working on the farm for produce).

According to Mr Phelan, it is not only economically vital to regenerate these canelands, it is also incredibly necessary from an environmental perspective.

“Our water tables are rising because the caneland is not being maintained as it used to be. The cane is gone.

“It used to be manicured land and the farmers regularly cleared their drains which fed into the river system.

“Now the drains are inundated with weeds and the water isn’t flowing freely.”

When Mr Phelan bought the Rosemount land - a former cane farm owned by the Moreton Mill - five years ago, the first step was developing a management plan for the block which straddles a section of upper Paynters Creek.

His qualifications for this venture are impressive, comprehensive and varied.

Mr Phelan hails from farming stock