Sugar cane is harvested mechanically by self-propelled harvesting machines in combination with high flotation field haul out vehicles, which in turn load the cane billets into purpose built cane trailers (or rail wagons) for transport to the mill.

Sugar cane must be milled as soon as possible after harvesting to minimise deterioration.

The sugar cane seasion typically lasts about 22 weeks, beginning in late June or early July and ending in late November.

Green cane harvesting involves cutting the cane green allowing the leafy tops of the cane stalks to fall to the ground to act as a protective trash blanket. The use of this trash blanket as an organic mulch considerably reduces the level of soil erosion and preserves soil nutrition for crop growth. It also helps to prevent weed germination, reducing the need for herbicides.

Burnt cane harvesting involves burning the sugar cane before it is harvested. This removes leaves, weeds, and other matter, which can impede the harvesting and milling operations.

Green cane harvesting is not always possible in all sugar growing areas. In some cases, the mulch-like layer of residue can contribute to the waterlogging of fields, particularly where soils with high clay content are poorly drained. Trash blanketing has been found to lower soil temperature, which can impede early plant growth.

Whether the cane is harvested burnt or green, the stubble of the plants is left behind in the soil where it grows new shoots. This re-growth is called a 'ratoon' crop. One sugar cane plant usually grows three or four ratoon crops.

After a final ratoon crop is harvested, the remaining shoots are ploughed out and the ground is usually fallowed for a year. Legumes are often grown on the fallow ground to rejuvenate the soil. After the land has been rested, it is ploughed and replanted with sugar cane to restart the crop cycle again.

Juice extracted from the crushing mills contains impurities that are removed by adding lime and heating the limed juice. The lime neutralises acids and precipitates impurities that 'settle out' in large vessels called clarifiers. The clear sugar juice is run off the top of each clarifier and is concentrated by boiling it under vacuum in a series of connected vessels called effets or evaporators. The concentrated juice is called syrup.

The muddy juice extracted from the bottom of the clarifiers is mixed with fine bagasse and then filtered using a cylindrical rotating vacuum filter to recover any sugar. The mud and bagasse mix (filter mud) extracted by the filter is used as a fertiliser on cane farms and in gardens. This recycles the phosphorous taken up from the soil by the cane plant.

The syrup (about 65-70% sugar) is concentrated further by boiling in a vacuum pan and is seeded with small sugar crystals in a process called crystallisation. The sugar crystals are grown to the required size by adding more syrup while boiling continues. When the crystals reach the required size, the mixture of syrup and crystals called massecuite is discharged from the pan.

Syrup is separated from the raw sugar crystals in centrifugals that contain perforated baskets, which spin at high speeds (similar to a household washing machine). The dark brown syrup surrounding the crystals is 'thrown off' and passes through the perforations. The spun-off syrup is boiled again and more raw sugar crystals are recovered. This procedure is repeated until the amount of sugar obtained is too small to make further extractions economical. Molasses is the black syrup left over from the final centrifuging. This is stored for sale as stock food.

The raw sugar from the centrifugals is dried by tumbling through a stream of air in rotating drums. The raw sugar is transferred for short-term storage in a bulk bin at the mill.

The raw sugar produced by the Maryborough Sugar Factory is mainly sent to the Bulk Sugar Terminal located in Bundaberg that also services the Isis and Bundaberg mills. Sugar is transported by road in B-double trailers that carry approximately 35 tonnes. From there it is shipped to the company's domestic customer.

Raw sugar produced at Mulgrave Mill is transported by road to the Cairns Bulk Sugar Terminal where it is stored until loaded onto ships for export.

The sugar is weighed, off-loaded, and sampled for quality assurance purposes. The raw sugar is moved by conveyor belt and stored in huge sheds. When required for shipment, the raw sugar is fed by large front-end loaders through hoppers (holes in the storage shed floor) onto conveyor belts that load the sugar into ships' holds. Ships take the sugar to both domestic and overseas customer refineries.