Local sugar cane farmer Doug Rasmussen expressed his "shock" after winning the Rural Award at the 2012 Queensland Premier's Sustainability Awards earlier this week.

Mr Rasmussen was one of 12 Queensland finalists before the field was narrowed down to just three prior to the announcement.

He told The Newsport he had no expectations of winning the award, and had not prepared a speech on the chance his name was read out.

"I was up against the overall Queensland cane farmer of 2011 who was sitting right there (points next to him). I thought I was only along for the ride."

Mr Rasmussen said the sustainability of sugar cane farming has come a long way since the burning off days which ceased in the early 1980s, but said public perceptions of the industry did not necessarily reflect this progress.

"I would like to take the general public out to the reef and let them take a look for themselves. It would be an eye-opener I'm sure.

"Since 1983 when basically the whole of the sugar industry, particularly in Far North Queensland where we have high rainfall converted to green cane trash planting, it has changed the whole aspect of the way we used to farm.

"Instead of going up and down rows of cane anything up to twenty times per annum, there was zero till for its whole lifecycle which could be up to ten years.

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"It changed everything. Can you think of the amount of diesel we saved? That's when this revolution started."

Mr Rasmussen said the application of fertiliser and chemicals is heavily monitored with strict regulations governing its usage.

"I think that type of thing will help convince the public we're not all environmental vandals," he said.

"It can be audited by the relevant government department at any time, it must help people's mindset that things are getting better (and) under control."

He said the industry can still improve its measurement of chemical runoff, suggesting daily samples be taken from rivers near sugar mill sites.

"If there was a monitor in that river that automatically took samples every 24 hours, 365 days a year, and it was sampling for phosphates or excess nitrogen or whatever, then they'd get a handle of what was in there."

Mr Rasmussen said the purchase of the Mossman Mill by Mackay Sugar was a positive for the local industry, but said the key to the long term sustainability of the industry lies in product diversification.

"It (the purchase) means that the like of my sons Rodney and Justin have, if they want it, a future in supplying sugar cane to the sugar mill.

"We're so tied up in the world market prices of sugar it's not a joke. And world market prices go up and down at a whim like the price of oil, probably worse.

"You've got to be at the forefront of what's going on.

"A certain percentage of petrol or diesel or both has to have ethanol in it, and it should be ethanol manufactured in this country.

"Then you've got two barrels to your gun. Sugar cane is a very versatile product," he said.

"I think it (the industry) is going to be ok, so long as we're not going to continue to rely just on raw sugar."

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