3 minute read
Member benefit helps relieve that BURNING ANXIETY
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 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 with the support of CANEGROWERS insurance staff went smoothly and efficiently. Peter said he received great support and a good outcome.
“Sarah Addis from the CANEGROWERS Proserpine office and the Proserpine Sugar Services have been fantastic throughout this process,” Peter said.
And Frank Miller, the Cane Inspector, established the damaged area and the total crop loss promptly, which gave us peace of mind.
Overall, having the CANEGROWERS crop insurance cover combined with the support of the CANEGROWERS Proserpine and Brisbane office –turned bad into good.
Having the relevant insurance cover meant that the financial loss was minimal as the insurance will correspond to the loss of tonnes.
“I really can’t thank my neighbours, my local community and CANEGROWERS enough,” Peter said. He is grateful for the support and pleased with the positive outcome.
All CANEGROWERS members have access to the crop fire insurance cover should an accidental fire or hailstorm cause damage to their sugarcane crop.
For more information contact your local CANEGROWERS office or call 07 3864 6417.
