Insight Focus
The 2024 crush season faced challenges due to record-breaking floods and wet weather. Despite these setbacks, growers are relieved to finish the season and focus on crop maintenance for 2025.
What are you up to on the farm at present?
The 2024 harvest has been finalised with the South Johnstone Mill crushing out on November 22, while Mulgrave Mill finished its crush on November 9.
All focus now is on finishing off the fertilising in the paddocks, then its onto weed control and husbandry as the crop is highly active at this time of the year. Just as the harvest finished, we received some rain, which helps keep everything thriving in the paddocks. During the slack we will spend most of our time and resources with the ongoing maintenance program to ensure all our machinery is prepped and ready to go.
Harvest crews and growers are glad to finish the crush and put a disappointing 2024 crush behind them.
What stage is your crop at?
The crop this season has been very disappointing, after being heavily impacted by the record-breaking floods in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper at the end of 2023 and this year’s continual wet weather events.
The reality is that everyone is glad to see the end of this season and put a disappointing crush behind them. The crop for 2025 however is looking great, so its full steam ahead as growers hit the paddocks to maximise the crop for next year’s season.
The crop at this stage looks promising for the 2025 crush.
After Mulgrave Mill crushed out in early November, MSF Sugar has been carting the cane from Mossman down to South Johnstone Mill. It’s a long and expensive journey but it maximised the opportunities for those growers to get their cane off, after their mill closed last year.
The newly elected Queensland Premier David Crisafulli, the son of a Herbert River sugarcane grower, has announced commitments to agriculture including a AUD 12 million package for the Mossman sugarcane industry. The industry looks forward to seeing the outcomes of this support – read the CANEGROWERS welcomes Premier’s new Cabinet media release for more info.
After the ceasing of crushing at Mulgrave Mill, Mossman cane has been railed to South Johnstone Mill for processing. This is a six-hour journey but has given Mossman growers more valuable time to harvest their crop after their Mill closed last year.
What are you proud of?
I am really proud of the whole industry approach to a disappointing 2024 crush – from the growers and harvester contractors, through to the mill operatives – everyone has put in a maximum effort to get through this year. Well done. And now our focus is on the potential of the next crop.
Another positive development for our industry, particularly in our district, is a forthcoming visit to the Thailand sugar industry. MSF Sugar, part of the Mitr Phol Group, is sponsoring a two-week study tour to Thailand for a group of approximately 20 growers. The group, predominately young growers, will use this visit to gain a better understanding of the mill operations and it is hoped it will build relationships and strong foundations for the next generation.
It’s a great opportunity for both parties to learn about each other’s sector and to better understand the challenges and opportunities faced by both sides of the industry – growing and milling. The trip provides a unique pathway to continue building a sustainable industry for Australia.
