Insight Focus
- Cane crushing will start in mid-June.
- Yields expected to be a little above average.
- Recent cold weather should help sucrose content.
What are you up to on the farm at present?
This month our time has been spent on maintenance (Picture 1) as we look forward to the start of the 2023 crushing season. MSF Mulgrave Mill has advised that 13 June will be the start of crush and we’re all on track and I’m happy that we are ready to go.
The maintenance of harvesting equipment has been completed in preparation for the 2023 crushing season.
The estimate for the crop is in and it looks to be a little above the average at 89 tonne to the hectare, so that is a positive.
With the break in the weather, we’ve been using the time to soil prep for planting, (Picture 2). Weather permitting, we should start planting for next year’s crop during the last week of May.
Clear skies have allowed the spreading of trace elements onto fallow fields in preparation for planting.
What stage is your cane crop at?
The crop looks good and is growing well. Some of the cane is flowering so it’s well and truly ready for the start of the crush.
Last week there was a cold snap that will give the sugar content of the crop a boost.
What are you doing differently this year?
There are no big concerns at present, the weather outlook is favourable and hopefully that remains optimistic.
All the growers in the district are finalising their work before the start of the season and are optimistic about the harvest, especially with the current trend in global sugar prices.
What are you most proud of / doing differently this year?
We are running some maturity tests on a section of our cane. The first sample is taken and sent for CCS analysis, then two weeks later another sample is sent off, then another after a further two-week interval to provide an indication in the upward trend in the CCS content.
