Insight Focus
- Dry weather means we can prepare for the 2023 cane harvest.
- Mulgrave Mill has advised a 14th June crush start date.
- Sugar prices are high and cane farmers are optimistic.
What are you up to on the farm at present?
It’s a busy time on farm in the lead up to the 2023 harvest. About two weeks ago the wet weather broke and currently we have beautiful clear skies. This good weather has allowed us to spray out the legume crop in preparation for planting next month. We planted the soybeans to help our overall soil health.
The good weather has also provided an opportunity to get in some groundwork in preparation for planting on new country.
One of the opportunities we took during the wet season was to get up to speed with harvester and haulout maintenance.
One of the challenges of growing sugarcane in Queensland’s Wet Tropics is finding native animals like crocodiles in the dam when checking the water levels – I decided not to jump in and check this day for obvious reasons.
What Stage is your Cane Crop At?
The crop is growing well, and we expect a slightly better than average crop for the district.
MSF Sugar’s Mulgrave Mill, our local mill, has advised that 14 June is the anticipated date for the start of harvest, and everything appears to be on track for this year’s crush. Maintenance at the mill is on schedule and workforce is not currently an issue.
After successfully navigating the cyclone season and with the global sugar prices at a record high, the feeling amongst growers is optimistic. With the sustained sugar prices on offer we have forward priced future crops at favourable prices, we are pretty happy with how we’re travelling at this point in time.
What are you doing differently this year?
Recently we have taken on an extra 50 hectares of a rundown farm, and we are looking at the possibilities and opportunities this will provide for our business.
