Tully sugarcane grower Mario Raccanello has been named the 2011 Australian Sugarcane Grower of the year at the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards.

Mario was presented with the award last week at a ceremony in Sydney, hosted by Kondinin Group and ABC Rural.

Mario was recognised for introducing multiple innovative practices on his 370 hectare property on the Tully River floodplain. Reducing losses of nutrients, chemicals and soil from his farm has been a primary focus for Mario, who strongly believes in looking after the reef for future generations. "A lot of farmers are fishermen and natural environmentalists, and want to look after what they have," he said.

Funding from the Australian Government through Reef Rescue over two years has helped Mario to advance his plan for sustainable farming. Manager of Terrain's Sustainable Industries Unit, John Reghenzani said, "Reef Rescue provides the incentive for farmers to implement better practices that they may not otherwise afford to do."

Mario uses controlled traffic and precision fertiliser and chemical application which reduce soil compaction, sediment and chemical run-off. Other practices, such as sub-surface fertiliser placement and sediment traps act to reduce the amount of nutrients, pesticides and soil from the crop flowing downstream into the Reef lagoon.

"Farmers get a lot of bad press, but there are a lot of good farmers doing great things," said Mario who was surprised at being nominated for this award. Many farmers have practiced innovative farming techniques for years without receiving any recognition. Mario commented that, "it's a bit disappointing that farmers were not recognised for doing these practices earlier."

John Reghenzani said, "it's great to see growers like Mario who are leading the way in sustainable farming getting national recognition for their initiative."

Mario was also selected last year to participate in Project Catalyst, a pioneering partnership that supports farmers who are validating cutting-edge sugarcane farming practices to help reduce the environmental impact of sugar cane production on the Great Barrier Reef. Mario is one of ten Project Catalyst famers in the Wet Tropics, and is investigating ways to continue to improve his farming system with methods used in the Brazilian sugar industry.