Cane and Cotton Lend Each Other Helping Hands
February 24, 2011 Although many different crops compete with each other for precious planting space, the actual growers can be a very collaborative group – especially when some of their colleagues are in trouble.
That is the case in Australia, where Cyclone Yasi did massive damage to sugarcane fields, leaving hundreds of workers with no crops to tend or harvest.
“There is nothing worse than staring at a flattened cane crop day after day, with no work and no cash flow till next season,” says Greg Trost, industrial relations manager for CaneGrowers, an industry organization that represents Australia’s sugarcane growers. As many as 500 cane growers and workers, whose crops were wiped out by the cyclone are now actively looking for work and badly needed additional income.
On the other side of the coin are the cotton growers, who are enjoying a bumper crop that avoided significant damage from the extreme weather. Cotton Australia’s David Bone says while the floods hit some cotton growers hard, the national crop appears to have weathered the storm and remains on track for a record harvest. The problem for cotton growers is a lack of experienced agricultural workers to bring in that excellent crop of fiber.
Matching those underemployed cane growers with cotton farmers who are desperate for experienced farm laborers is the goal of Operation Harvest Help, an innovative cross sector employment scheme launched in Toowoomba, a city in southern Queensland.
“Bringing in a cotton crop of around 3.7 million bales is a massive undertaking and the cotton industry will need every hand on deck to get the job done,” Bone says. “Harvest Help is about giving real jobs and plenty of real hard work to cane growers.”
The Harvest Help matching service will be operated by the National Harvest Labour Information Service, with no charge to employers or job seekers. Cotton growers with vacant jobs and cane growers looking for work can both register by calling 1800 062 332 or by visiting www.harvesttrial.org.au.
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