Significant changes in harvesting and tillage practices have taken place in the Australian sugar industry during the past four years. Each year an increasing proportion of the crop is harvested green and trash blanket farming is being practised more extensively. In the 1985 season, 33%, 30%, 50%, 12% and 25% of the cane were harvested green in the Mossman, Hambledon, Mulgrave, Tully and Ingham areas respectively. On the sloping lands around Innisfail, 9% of the crop was grown using burnt cane trash conservation principles. This paper outlines BSES experience and trial work to date on various aspects of trash retention. This includes evaluation of machinery and yield results for various tillage and fertiliser placement systems; aspects of harvesting and cane transport, and a brief cost/benefit analysis of various practices.