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with super size multi-lift bins over B-double trailers.
Harvesting
Overview: . In NSW crops are generally harvested every 2 years. Harvesters and haul out equipment
is setup for extremely wet weather harvesting conditions (see below). The NSW sugarcane industry
claim to have highly efficient harvesting systems. Sugarcane harvesters cut and load into infield
transporters (haul outs) which transport cane to pads on or near the farm and either tip or elevate cane
into Multi-lift bins. These bins are then transported to the mill by road
There are currently 4 harvesting cooperatives in the Broadwater mill area which operates 7 harvesters.
The harvesting sector in NSW has undergone significant rationalisation in recent times with
harvesters cutting in excess of 80,000 tonnes per year compared to an industry average of less than
40,000 tonnes. The sector recognises that further rationalisation is achievable with an optimum of
100,000 tonnes per harvester (per year) targeted to maintain cost competitiveness.
Harvester & Buggy
(source: Sunshine Sugar)
Transferring cane from buggy
to bin for transport by road
(source: Sunshine Sugar)
Ownership: Harvesting is conducted by grower owned harvesting cooperatives / partnerships. Each
harvesting co-op is managed by an operations manager who is responsible for general management of
the harvesting equipment including repairs, maintenance and replacement. The operations manager
also oversees the daily harvesting operations. The harvesting cooperative is operated as a single
sustainable business unit.
Payment and Costs: Harvesting is contracted on the basis of a fixed price per tonne of cane delivered
to multi-lift transport bins located on / near the farm. Some increase in harvesting costs may be
negotiated on an individual basis where harvesting costs are likely to be significantly more than the
basic fixed cost. Typical examples include fields that are poorly presented for mechanical harvesting
such as short rows, narrow and difficult to navigate headlands.
Penalties / Performance Criteria: There are no criteria in place for assessing cane quality and
harvester performance (and therefore no penalties). There is however a bonus / penalty scheme based
on appropriate bin weights.
Growing
Overview: The NSW sugar industry largely comprises of small privately owned farming enterprises
with an average size of 60 Ha. Each farm harvests around half the cultivated area every year given the
majority of the NSW sugar industry operates on a two year cropping cycle. Three quarters of the
region’s farms yield less than 5,000 tonnes per year, the balance between 5,000 and 15,000 tonnes,
with only a handful of farms producing more than 15,000 tonnes annually (Sunshine Sugar, 2005).
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