Persistent rain may have delayed the cane crush in some regions but expectations of higher-than-normal yields have given North Queensland farmers a sense of optimism.
The ongoing impact of COVID-19, a shortage of seasonal drivers and rising fuel prices have also presented their share of challenges, according to contract harvester Michael Scuderi.
But in spite of the challenges, Mr Scuderi has something to look forward to, when he puts his new Case IH Austoft 8010 through its paces.
Mr Scuderi grew up around the cane industry and runs Scuderi Harvesting (NQ) near Ayr in the Burdekin region.
He completed a diesel mechanic apprenticeship at 19 before getting behind the wheel of a cane harvester for the next few years, working for both family and several local farming groups.
In 2008 he purchased his own harvesting group in the Brandon area, with seven farmers and an average harvest of between 95,000 and 100,000 tonnes of cane.
Mr Scuderi previously ran a John Deere 3520, but decided to make the switch based on his assessment that the Austoft presents a lot of opportunity for his business.
"I was due to upgrade my harvester, and this time around, I wanted to be more open-minded to looking at different harvesters," Mr Scuderi said.
"Having run my previous harvester for the past six seasons, I was surprised how far the Case IH Austoft 8010 had come from the last time I looked at the 8000.
"The smart cruise system, vision out of the cab, larger fuel tank, external roller train bearings and fuel efficiency all appealed."
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It's not the first time Mr Scuderi has used an Austoft, he was actually behind the wheel of a 7000 Series for his first harvest back in 2005.
"Moving forward into the future, I believe the 8010 will offer my business more reliability and the potential to be more profitable given the rising costs of harvesting," he said.
"Dealing with Case IH and my local dealer, AgNorth, has also given me great confidence that in a time of need in the field, they will be there."
Mr Scuderi is keen to see how the 8010's features stack up when the pressure is on during the peak of the crush.
He said technology was moving very fast, and in harvesting sometimes too much technology is not the answer as it comes with a cost and can sometimes complicate a simple concept.
In his opinion, Case IH had struck a good balance, with yield monitoring easy to use and data mapped back at the dealer and downloaded on a memory stick.
"The job doesn't stop in the paddock either - there's always maintenance to do and in this area Case IH have made the improvements needed to save time with the likes of oil changes," he said.
"Another reason I feel that Case IH is really moving in the right direction when it comes to harvesting is that they want to listen to the customer.
"They want to find out what we need in the field and our local Case IH staff work closely with the factory where the Austofts are made to relay feedback from operators - that really does make a difference."
