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Insight Focus
- This year’s cyclone season has created chronically wet conditions.
- With persistent rains, sugarcane yields are likely to be affected.
- Farmers are also running up against challenges sourcing labour.
What’s Happening on The Farm?
It hasn’t stopped raining this month. In fact, since February 1, there has been about three days of sunshine. The wet paddock conditions mean that we are doing maintenance, general fixing and preparing the machinery and tools in preparation for harvest as we can’t get out in the fields.
Many growers are continuing to embrace drone technology to spray for vines, as its not dry enough to get the regular machinery in the fields.
MSF Sugar has been actively fixing the rail line network that was impacted by the frequent flooding events, although that has proved a challenge for the company due to the wet weather. The good news is that the factories themselves are all on schedule for the start of the crush.
A common site in the area as growers embrace drone technology due to wet field conditions.
At What Stage Is Your Crop?
The constant rain has had a negative impact on the crop especially in the low-lying fields. These areas have had six floods since ex Tropical Cyclone Jasper made landfall in Far North Queensland last December.
The tonnage for this year will not be as high as originally estimated as all the crop in the district needs more hours of sunshine to grow effectively.
Low lying paddocks have been constantly flooded over the past eight weeks.
What Big Concerns Do You Have at The Moment?
One of my biggest worries is workforce challenges within the industry.
The lack of available workers is becoming a real issue. For example, we are having to install GPS into the tractors ourselves, as there just isn’t the skilled labour available.
The mining industry is stripping agriculture’s workforce, and while some growers are looking at sourcing backpackers for farm-hand type of work, it is actually experienced and knowledgeable labour that is needed on the ground.
It’s also been hard watching what our fellow growers in Mossman have been going through, with their mill going into liquidation. This will have a massive effect on the sugarcane industry not only in Mossman.
The only good thing is that we are nearly at the end of the cyclone season, so we’re all doing the best we can, and we keep looking to the sky for sunshine.
