Insight Focus
The rain continues to fall in Queensland, which is creating issues for farmers in the region. Not only has the current crop yield been affected, but it could cause delays in planting for the next season.
What’s Happening on The Farm?
Maintenance, maintenance, and more maintenance. Due to the almost non-stop rain, we’re spending lots of time in the shed getting the harvester ready for when the season finally kicks off in mid-June.
The planting gear and tractor are also tuned up and we’re ready to get stuck into planting as soon as the sun comes out. We’re also in the process of sending samples of our planting material off to get tested for Ratoon Stunting Disease (RSD) and we’re testing the soil for Pachymetra root rot.
Both RSD and Pachymetra can greatly reduce yield, so we want to ensure we use clean, RSD-free planting material and, if Pachymetra is present, we use resistant cane varieties.
At What Stage Is Your Crop?
The crop is ready to harvest, and some varieties have even started flowering, which is a sign it’s fully mature. Unfortunately, official crop estimates from the mill are predicting an average of just 70 tonnes per hectare, which is well down on the long-term average.
It’s probably about 20% below what we’d expect, and that’s a result of the impact of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper back in December and the continuous rain we’ve had since. We just haven’t had enough sunshine to give the cane a good growth spurt.
What Big Concerns Do You Have at The Moment?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, rain is the biggest concern at present. It just won’t let up. Yes, we’re farming in the wet tropics, but even for us the near continual rain at this time of the year is unusual.
We need to start planting in the next few weeks or it will have a negative impact on next year’s crop, but we need dry weather to do that. We also need dry weather to harvest, and the season is creeping closer and closer every day with no sign of sun. Fingers crossed the sun comes out soon.
Apart from the weather, workforce shortages are also an issue across the industry. There is a shortage of haul out and truck drivers and that could cause problems during harvest.
