Greg and Kristine Plath busy preparing for Debbie's arrival

Mr and Mrs Plath farm 100 hectares south of Mackay, and said their biggest concern was the wind expected to come with TC Debbie.

This year alone the farm has seen 1143mm of rain, and with plenty more on the way, Mr Plath said fallen cane was going to be the local industry’s issue come harvest in eight weeks’ time. 

Cyclones are part and parcel of living and farming in North Queensland, and certainly not a new experience for the Plath family, who felt the full brunt of Cyclone Louie in 2010. 

“It wiped our windmill out which was our house supply, we had no power for a bit over two weeks,” Mr Plath said.

“The generator is ready to go. We have a few jerry cans full of fuel, the cars are ready to be backed up against the roller doors and the light stuff is in the back of the shed. That’s just what you do.

“I don’t mean to sound blasé - but the fact that we’ve lived here all our lives, you get to know what to do.”

While growing conditions have been optimal this season, with long, hot days between heavy rainfall, it was not all smooth sailing for Mackay growers during the last crush.

Mr Plath said a wet harvest combined with poor mill performance saw between 500,000 and 700,000 tonnes of standover cane.

Cane growers generally harvest until mid-November, but last season the harvest did not finish until January 5 this year. 

“It has happened before where we have gone over Christmas, but it was very difficult, very wet, and pretty bloody heartbreaking to be harvesting that late,” Mr Plath said. 

With a solid crop in the ground now, Mr Plath said he was hoping for minimal damage from TC Debbie. 

“If we get stronger winds, which we expect tonight and tomorrow, a lot of the cane will be flat on the ground,” he said. 

“Given that it is in moist conditions, most of it will survive and start to curl towards the sun and keep going. 

“It is harvestable, but the harvester will have to go a bit slower because they have to process a lot more vegetation matter.

“It’s not like wheat or barley where once it falls down it’s very difficult to salvage anything.”