Harvesting sugar cane

[watgate]

I am wondering how cost effective it is to use those big sugar cane machines which I see being used sparingly to harvest the sugar cane stalks while it strips or removes the stubble or dense stringy leafs? Normally the farmers burn the dense thicket of stubble to get at the stalks since it can be a very painstaking operation to harvest the stalks by hand. I am wondering, by using these large machines to separate the dense stubble it has to quickly fill up a truck and then another truck is needed to continue the operation as the first truck has to unload all the stubble somewhere. That leads me to a second question and that is what is done with all the stubble that is stripped from the stalks by these machines? I understand when the farmers resort to burning the stubble it lessens the amount they get for their haul. So my question is with the added expense to  the farmers in using these large machines and the need for more trucks to cart away the stripped stubble versus just burning the stubble as most seemingly do and getting less money due to the burning, which method is most profitable for the farmer?

[CLW]

Hello and welcome to the farming community.

The stubble is blown on the field and stays on the ground as mulch in some case of bi-annual cropping. Some farmers bale it for resale or use as bio energy feedstock.
If the field is replanted the stubble is plown under. That is my knowledge of that topic.

[notagain]

Why be different burn it. With the low price of sugar not sure you could absorb the cost of machinery doing it unless you were contract farming it.

[kickstart]

Is it cost effective, some farmers have not got a lot of choices trying to find cutters to cut cane is getting more difficult, most are Burmese or Cambodian, or in our area, Lao's from Issan, this year more farmers are using machines, they are far from being used sparingly.

With the price of a machine of about 350 baht/ton to cut and haul cane to the mill, with a price of 700 baht/ton, not a big profit. 

Have a look at some photos I posted, on-farm photos one guy bailing some sugar cane straw. this straw is going for making paper, as a feed for cattle, not a lot of protein or energy, in sugar cane straw, probably less than rice straw.

[notagain]

If they could bale it this is a nice way to grow your vegetables and after your done you can disc it into the soil.

https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/straw-bale-gardens/8882.html

https://sympathink.com/straw-bale-gardening-instructions/

[ShortTimed]

Is it cost effective, some farmers have not got a lot of choices trying to find cutters to cut cane is getting more difficult, most are Burmese or Cambodian, or in our area, Lao's from Issan, this year more farmers are using machines, they are far from being used sparingly.

With the price of a machine of about 350 baht/ton to cut and haul cane to the mill, with a price of 700 baht/ton, not a big profit. 

Have a look at some photos I posted, on-farm photos one guy bailing some sugar cane straw. this straw is going for making paper, as a feed for cattle, not a lot of protein or energy, in sugar cane straw, probably less than rice straw.

 

Hi kickstart.

 

I have much interest in learning more about sugar can growing and harvest and processing techniques.

 

Where do you post your photos?

 

Very kind of you to do that for everybody on the forum.

[kickstart]

8 hours ago, ShortTimed said:

 

Hi kickstart.

 

I have much interest in learning more about sugar can growing and harvest and processing techniques.

 

Where do you post your photos?

 

Very kind of you to do that for everybody on the forum.

Have a look at The official farm photo thread 2019, it is a pinned topic.

Also, they are several posts on the Maize and Rotational crop thread, also pined. about the growing of cane.

Youtube has videos of the processing techniques, we have a sugar mill near here, often thought how it all works, so had a look at Youtube.

[ShortTimed]

Thanks.

Yes, have sure watched some great YouTube videos on the harvesting practices and several with drone footage.

 

I will search for some about processing the Cane.