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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF AUSTRALIA'S SUGARCANE INDUSTRY
Member benefit helps relieve that
BURNING ANXIETY
"It was terrible to witness a good size crop burn down three months out from harvest."
When Proserpine cane grower Peter Muller received a phone call earlier this year, telling him one of his cane paddocks was ablaze, it came as shock. It was 15 March and a thunderstorm had just rolled through the district. But rather than giving the crop a welcome drink, the storm had been dry. So, when lightning struck Peter's paddock, the cane immediately caught fire. Alerted to the smoke rising from his farmland by a neighbour, Peter rushed to the paddock, calling on neighbouring farms for help as he went. A dozen of his neighbours answered the call and the
blaze was quickly brought under control. Luckily, a light rain had started to fall, helping the group extinguish the fire and limiting the damaged area to around 3.5 hectares. Without the prompt actions of good neighbours and the support of the light rain, it’s easy to imagine that this fire could have engulfed the entire 23-hectare block.
"It was sad to see it go up in flames like that. The fire resulted in a total loss."
“It was not a good feeling seeing your crop burn,” Peter said. “It was terrible to witness a good size crop burn down three months out from harvest, knowing it would have grown even bigger and with the current high global sugar prices on offer. “It was sad to see it go up in flames like that. The fire resulted in a total loss. “Thank goodness for the CANEGROWERS member’s Crop insurance, it made a huge difference.” The CANEGROWERS Proserpine district office and the cane inspector provided efficient and very helpful support. The CANEGROWERS crop insurance claim process
