With You For 100 Wet Seasons

By Joseph Borg, Chairman, CANEGROWERS Mackay

In the century of Queensland CANEGROWERS, the organisation has supported members weathering floods, droughts, cyclones.

One of the recent wins for growers, in the aftermath of the major floods in the Herbert and Burdekin last year, was successfully advocating to government and gaining the inclusion of plant cane losses in disaster recovery grants.

TC Koji certainly brought significant damage from flooding and erosion for many in the top parts of the Pioneer Valley, and other parts of the region like Koumala, Pindi Pindi and Calen copped some substantial falls. We have seen wash out damage to cane rail track and rural roads, and erosion on farms.

We are urging anyone that has sustained damage to complete the Queensland Department of Primary Industries’ disaster survey, to assist government in understanding where and how to direct any funding.

It has also been positive to see some dispensation to allow landholders affected by flooding to do any necessary clearing associated with clean up efforts. There is a fact sheet available to clarify that.

Monsoon activity is just part of life and farming in the tropics, but we can’t get complacent about the hazards that this can bring.

Swollen flooded creeks can present rapids and turbulence that look fun, but in reality, the creeks in flood are full of hidden snags, whether it’s the regular vegetation along the creek, fences, or flood debris like logs. Not great for swimming, and no-one wants to see a tragedy on our beautiful waterways running through the region.

Equally, people should be aware of the increased risk of risk of melioidosis, a serious tropical disease caused by bacteria found in wet soil, mud, and surface water. There’s plenty of people who like to walk about in the wet with no shoes on, but you really do need to have some sort of footwear.

I know growers who have walked through muddy flood waters and contracted it, and are sadly no longer with us because of it. It’s also worth acknowledging that at the time of writing, four cases had already been diagnosed in Mackay area from this rain event.

The floodwaters that have came with Cyclone Koji have receded, but you can bet we will have another pulse of the monsoon before the end of the wet.

On the whole, the rain, which properly began around Christmas has been welcomed by growers, and it has been good to see the sun break through and help the 2026 get a good kick-along, and that has been a real positive start to the Centenary Year for members of Canegrowers Mackay.

The sugarcane growing sector has weathered cyclones, droughts, market changes and technological revolutions and is a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of Queensland’s farming families.

We’re not just celebrating our past this year, we’re looking ahead to a sustainable and prosperous future, we are working on all those things that support our industry- including the resilience of our people and their farms to the challenges that come, whether social, economic or environmental.

From the rich soils of the upper Pioneer Valley to the state of the art, industry-best sugar terminal sheds at the Mackay Harbour, the centenary of Queensland Canegrowers stands as a proud reminder of the enduring spirit and unity that has defined the industry for a hundred years—and promises to carry it forward for many more to come: whatever the weather.

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With you, whatever the weather. Sarina cane farmers in the 1920’s. Farmers were far more exposed to weather conditions when Queensland CANEGROWERS formed in January 1926. Photo source: Mackay Canegrowers archive.

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