2005 McKell Medal Award

Margie, Robert and the Minister
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Robert Quirk with his partner Margie Hall was presented with the 2005 McKell Medal by Hon Peter McGauran,a former Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The Tweed Valley sugar cane grower won the McKell Medal for excellence in natural resource management.

The award commemorates the outstanding contribution made to soil and land conservation by Sir William McKell, Premier of NSW from 1941 to 1947 and Australian Governor-General from 1947 to 1953.

For nearly 45 years, Robert has run a 200 hectare farm devoted to intensive cultivation of sugarcane in northern NSW’s Tweed Valley. He has worked hard to get the best out of the region’s volcanic and tidal soils with their high acid sulfate content.

The results have been impressive—25 per cent less chemical use, 80 per cent less heavy metal and acidity discharges and a 38 per cent increase in productivity. ’It’s possible to reconcile environmental and economic aims on farm,’ Robert said.

Robert Quirk on his farm
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“Through my environmental stewardship I’ve had an increase in productivity and reduced my inputs of fertiliser and chemicals to give a unit cost decrease of about 50 per cent."

Robert’s system enables a single harvester and seven workers to harvest 150 thousand tonnes of sugarcane a year. He is also involved in a milling venture that includes its own sugar refinery that can co-generate electricity by burning bagasse. His practices are considered world's best for farming acid sulfate soils. The Quirk family farm at Duranbah is a popular stop-over for politicians, growers, engineers, tourists and students.

‘I think it’s terribly important that farmers start to realise that you can link environmental stewardship to productivity increases,’ Robert said. ‘I’m looking forward over the next 12 months to push this message forward on behalf of the McKell Medal.’

Robert is a regular contributor to local newspapers and journals and a frequent participant in local, national and international conferences. He was one of five farmers who prepared a self-assessment workbook ‘COMPASS’ which enables growers to compare their performance against that of their peers.
Robert is developing a two-hectare wetland to reduce discharges from his farm and recover harmful monosulfides and heavy metals.

Robert with his machinery
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The wetland project is sponsored by the Sugar Research and Development Corporation and it’s a very successful project,’ he said. It involves monitoring the weather, the water table, drain levels and the acidity of discharges. The farm has been electronically mapped, enabling him to assess—at a moment’s notice—his operations, production methods and farm accounts via computer.

Robert is a prominent community leader, keen to pass on his farming methods. He played a key role in developing the NSW Sugar Cane Industry's Best Management Guidelines for Farming Practices in Acid Sulfate Soils. He is a board member of the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority and chair of the Better Sugarcane Initiative Global Forum.

In 2001 Robert received a Churchill Fellowship to research ways of eliminating the acid content of water leaving his property. It led to presentations and conferences in the USA, the Netherlands and China.