Insight Focus
Farm operations focus on maintenance and preparation. Crop performance is average overall, with strong plant crops from early planting, though some late-cut cane remains below par. Rising diesel and fertiliser costs are tightening margins, but the farm remains focused on efficiency, careful spending and resilience.
What’s happening on the farm right now?
It’s very much business as usual at the moment, with a strong focus on maintenance and preparation. We’re keeping everything clean and up to date—machinery, paddocks, the lot. Repairs are a big job right now, particularly getting the planter ready for the upcoming season.
Planter maintenance while the rain falls
We’re also working through our pre-planting checks. That includes Ratoon Stunting Disease (RSD) testing to make sure we’re planting clean cane and not carrying disease into the next crop. RSD is a bacterial disease that can significantly reduce yields without always showing obvious symptoms, so starting with clean planting material is critical.
Alongside that, we’re taking soil samples to understand nutrient levels and meet regulatory requirements. It’s all part of making sure we’re setting ourselves up properly before we get cane in the ground.
We were hoping to get stuck into a few of those jobs earlier, but the rain has slowed things down a bit. On the positive side, we’re now through the cyclone season, which is always a big relief. After a few tense months, it feels like we can finally exhale and focus fully on the season ahead.
How’s the crop looking?
Overall, I’d call it an average crop across our farms. Some of the cane that was cut late last year, towards the end of November, is a bit ordinary, but the bulk of it is not too bad.
Where we’re seeing good results is in our plant crops. We make a real effort to plant early, aiming to get everything in within that optimal window, which in the tropics is from June through to mid-September. That early planting approach is paying dividends, with those crops looking strong and healthy.
SRA9 is showing promise as a newly released variety and has been widely adopted
Local mills are currently estimating a start to the crushing season around mid to late June, although this is not a final date at this stage and will depend on crop estimates and conditions.
What are the main challenges at the moment?
There’s no sugar-coating it—input costs are the big concern right now, particularly diesel and fertiliser.
Diesel prices have more than doubled. We used to get a bulk drop at the farm, before the Middle East conflict, at about AUD 1.61/litre, and now a bulk drop at the farm is AUD 3.35/litre. That’s before we even get into peak usage during harvest—we still have about six to eight weeks before harvest. It’s not just the cost that’s concerning; it’s also the uncertainty around supply and whether we’ll actually be able to get enough when we need it.
Fertiliser is in the same boat. Prices have doubled, and supply is uncertain. Urea, for example, has gone from around AUD 900/tonne to AUD 1,800. At those levels, every decision becomes critical.
We’re having a lot of discussions about how to adapt—looking at ways to reduce fuel use, improve efficiency in harvesting and make smarter decisions about where we invest inputs. In some cases, that might mean leaving poorer-performing blocks fallow rather than spending money where we won’t see a return.
The challenge is trying to work out your budget so that you’re at least cost neutral. With sugar prices low and input costs rising, the margins are tight—very tight.
What are you most proud of?
Honestly, the fact that we’re still here and still pushing forward.
It’s easy to get worn down in this environment, but we’ve made the decision to stay committed. We haven’t let things slide; we’re maintaining the farm, keeping everything in good condition, and planning properly for the season ahead.
Q186 is still proving a reliable performer amid a multitude of varietal failures in recent years
There’s a saying we go by: “You’re either in it or you’re out of it—there’s no halfway.” We’ve chosen to be in it.
It’s about taking the small wins where you can and staying organised, having a plan and keeping the farm in a position to make the most of any opportunity, whether that’s a better season or an improvement in prices.
At the end of the day, it’s about resilience. We’re still here, still planning, still planting, and that’s something to be proud of.
