Falls over the district during October averaged 180 millimetres and a further 200mm in November kept some paddocks too wet for harvest machinery.

CSR Sugar Herbert Region is expecting to receive somewhere between 4.6 and 4.7 million tonnes of cane, the difference being the amount not able to be delivered before the mills are shut down.

Last year, the Herbert Region delivered 4.9 million tonnes.

However, the ratoons and plant cane couldn't have had a better start in life.

So hopes are high for a good sized crop to harvest in 2009, to make up for this year's low tonnage.

The Burdekin is scheduled to finish on Sunday. However, as it only takes 10mm of rain to stop haulout trucks operating on the clay soils.

Falls of 60-75mm were recorded on November 27 across the district.

There were smaller falls on the following two days, meaning the finish date may have to be extended or some cane will have to be left to stand over.

In any case, the tonnage delivered to CSR should be somewhere about 7.5 million tonnes, down from 8.19mt last year.

This is to some extent due to not finishing the crush until January 9 this year.

This has resulted in poor ratooning of late cut crops.

There's a rule of thumb amongst the older growers that says: "You shouldn't ratoon a crop cut after November 5".

Recently, Qld Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation Minister Andrew McNamara held a public meeting at Ingham for the local community to voice its opinions about the proposed regulation of chemicals and fertiliser on farms adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon.

As the sugar industry is the major stake holder in the region, it was a bit like throwing the Christians to the lions.

Almost 100 people turned up, with a delegation from Canegrowers and a number of other people giving the minister an earful.