Sugar Cane in the region
Sugar cane was first grown in the Mossman area in the 1890’s and the Mossman Mill was established in 1893. However, it was not until 1897 when the first cane passed through the mill and this cane came from a fire that “got away”. The season produced 2,965 tonnes of sugar from 27,905 tonnes of cane and concluded in February, 1898. The mill operated most successfully and in 1906 was the first mill in Queensland to crush over 100,000 tonnes. The mill is a Limited Co-operative and as such is owned and controlled by growers who supply it and is one of the few co-operative mills surviving in the industry.
The original mill was designed to crush 25 tonnes per hour. Today the mill crushes in excess of 1 million tonnes at a rate of around 375 tonnes cane per hour and draws cane from as far away as Mareeba. The present mill is still located on the original site.
There is 86 km of tramline in the area on which two single and two ‘double-header’ locomotives transport the cane to the mill. Cane from areas to the south, north and southwest is brought to the tramline by trucks.
What’s it all about?
Sugar cane belongs to the grass family of which there are approx. 5000 species. Other well known economic grass crops are barley, wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, as well as pastures for stock. One of the great attributes of sugar cane is its ability to 'ratoon'. This is the regrowth of the crop after it has been harvested and is one of the reasons that cane is an economical crop to grow. There are high costs associated with the plant crop and farmers generally rely on ratoons to make their investment worthwhile as costs of ratooning are much lower than those of the plant crop.
What’s your preference?
Contrary to some opinions, the difference between white sugar and brown sugar is not whether the crop is burned pre harvest. The sugar produced at the mill is all the same, regardless of the treatment of the crop - the different types of sugar available to the public are a result of processes carried out at refineries which are generally situated in the state capitals.
How much sugar?
Approximately 350 to 500 tonnes are harvested each day by each harvester during the season. Harvesters generally only operate 22 weeks per year. In most of Queensland, cane is harvested on an annual basis. Tropical weather is ideal for cane and ensures rapid growth.
The harvested crop is moved to the mill in 'canetainers' which have a capacity of 10 tonnes depending on the method of filling them. The 'canetainers' are moved to the mill by rail although some movement from outlying areas to rail sidings is carried out by trucks.
Protecting the environment…
Cane growing has changed dramatically with the acceptance of green cane harvesting. Following harvest most farmers leave the trash and tops on the ground as a trash blanket mulch. This has several beneficial effects. The blanket reduces soil erosion by protecting the soil from the direct effect of the heavy rain during the wet season; it conserves soil moisture in the dry periods by protecting the soil from the sun and wind; it reduces weed seed germination; it returns nutrients to the soil; it encourages earthworm and microbiological growth. The trash blanket also results in a reduction of growing costs as the farmer has no need to cultivate the soil.
One effect of the change in harvesting practice has been a great reduction in the spectacular cane fires which were once an integral part of the tourist scene.
What happens after crushing?
The sugar and molasses are taken to Cairns for export overseas by ‘B Double’ trucks. Sugar was last shipped out of Port Douglas in 1958. The residue from the crushed cane is used within the industry; the fibre (called Bagasse) is used to fire the boilers, which in turn provide the power for the mill while the waste from the extraction process (known as mill mud) is applied to paddocks as a fertiliser.
