Home but not hosed - cane crush to resume in January

Crushing is expected to temporarily resume tonight to clear the affected cane before the mill shuts down for Christmas, with operations scheduled to resume again on 5 January, weather permitting. 

With Rocky Point the final district still operating, the 2025 crushing season has now effectively wrapped up across Queensland’s other 12 cane-growing regions. 

Overall, Queensland’s 2025 crop has been disappointing, largely due to delays last year that saw several mills crushing into late December and even January, leaving more than one million tonnes unharvested And therefore a shorter growing period for this years crop. 

As a result, just over 27 million tonnes of cane have been cut and crushed statewide this season – around 600,000 tonnes below the original estimate, which was already well short of what is would be a strong production year. 

CANEGROWERS Chairman Owen Menkens said the season had been a mixed one for growers, falling short on yield and returns but finishing earlier than in recent years. 

“Finishing earlier has made a real difference on farm. It’s allowed growers to plant and fertilise in good conditions and gives the 2026 crop a much better start,” Mr Menkens said. 

“Importantly, it’s also given growers a chance to reset after several difficult years and spend some quality time with friends and family over the Christmas break.” 

More than half of Queensland’s mills wrapped up crushing operations within the optimal June to November window – the first time this has been achieved in several seasons. While improved performance played a role, the smaller crop also contributed to the earlier finish. 

“That progress is welcome,” Mr Menkens said. “But the real test will come in a bigger year. In a good season we could be looking at 30 to 32 million tonnes, and that will put real pressure on both mills and harvesting capacity.” 

Workforce challenges in the harvesting sector remain an ongoing constraint. 

“Growers, contractors and mills have worked hard this year, but labour shortages haven’t gone away,” Mr Menkens said. 

The declining crop and falling sugar prices were felt most sharply late in the season. 

“Prices have fallen off a cliff in recent months and that’s flowed straight through to growers. For some, November payments didn’t come through, and December and January are shaping up to be tight.” 

Even so, growers were heading into Christmas focused on the year ahead. 

“The early signs for the 2026 crop are encouraging,” Mr Menkens said. “What we need now is a clean run – reasonable weather and a sugar price that gets back above the cost of production.”