Opinions Focus
- Monsoon rains have arrived in northern Queensland.
- The cane crush here has already finished.
- Rains should help cane develop for next season.
What Are You Doing On The Farm?
The monsoon season has arrived in Far North Queensland and since Christmas we’ve received 700mm in rainfall. As the harvest in our Cairns region finished in November last year, we had the chance to get fertiliser on so now our priority is weed control. There are always plenty of housekeeping and maintenance jobs to finish at this time of year, if the rain lets up.
What Stage is your Cane Crop At?
The crop is looking promising, by finishing in mid-November the crop has had some good growing opportunities we’re remaining hopeful about this season subject to the upcoming cyclone season.
What Are Your Biggest Concerns?
The next three months are critical as any cyclonic activities could destroy the cane. We obviously can’t control the weather, so if we get a bad cyclone season we’ll just have to buckle down and hope for the best.
The other concern going into this year’s season are the high input costs. Our fertiliser, fuel and chemical inputs dramatically impact the business’ profitability. We need to keep looking to find solutions to help rebalance these inequities.
What are you Most Proud Of/ Doing Differently This Year?
During the planting season I invested in a speed tiller to eliminate the use of the rotary hoe on my farm. I’ve done this to improve soil structure, and I’m impressed with the excellent results of using this implement, with the added bonus that by reducing the reliance on the rotary hoe my fuel costs in land preparation have been reduced.
