Sweet Return of the Herbert’s Sugarcane Crushing Season

4 June 2025

Hinchinbrook MP and KAP Deputy Leader, Nick Dametto.

The 2025 sugarcane crushing season is scheduled to commence on 10 June and will mark a significant moment for Hinchinbrook as the region continues to repair and rebuild after the devastating February floods.

The weather event inflicted significant crop damage across the Herbert District, with many growers suffering losses to their ratooning and plant cane.

Lawrence Di Bella, QCAR Senior Technical Agricultural Officer, stated the Lower Herbert in particular was impacted the most after the weather event back in February.

“Areas that have been hit the hardest are Lower Herbert, Seymour, Lannercost and Hamleigh. Abergowrie is actually not looking too bad, the weather event seems to have had less of an effect on that area.

“The recent dry weather has been good for the ripening process however at this stage we don’t know what we are dealing with until we start crushing.

“The start date of 10 June is a good step forward; an early start will allow growers to get the crop off in a timely manner. If the mills finish early, it will also allow growers to get standover crop off and gives growers the opportunity to fix blocks there were damaged earlier in this year due to the flood.”

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said that this year’s crush would be vitally important, with little room for error and delays.

“Growers, harvesting contractors, and mill workers are potentially looking at a shorter season with crop yields down. This year’s crush will be below average, with Wilmar estimating they will crush around 3.27 million tonnes of sugar cane, compared to an average season of 4.08 million tonnes,” he said.

“I want to acknowledge the maintenance crews and the navvies at Victoria and Macknade Mills who worked tirelessly throughout the slack to repair and prepare the mills and the rail network in record time. Growers have also put in the hard work to deliver the best crop possible during this year’s unfavourable conditions.

“Seeing harvesters in the paddocks and cane trains back on the tracks will be a welcome sight and a sign of our district’s ability to wipe the mud off our knees and get up again.

“As this year’s season kicks off, I’d like to wish our harvester operators, haulout drivers and mill workers a safe and productive season. You all work incredibly long hours to ensure our season is a success and this is what keeps our local economy ticking.

“As always, the broader community must now remember to be on the lookout for haulout tractors, heavy machinery and cane trains as they begin to move around the district.”

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