We live in a climate with freezes in winter that will knock sugar cane down to the ground, so this is the time of year we cut canes. It's got to happen before frost or the crop will be ruined.
Cane harvesting is fun because you get to use a machete. Anything is better with a machete. I cut the canes close to the ground, then strip off the leaves and throw them over the "stumps" I leave behind. Because sugar cane is a cold-sensitive perennial, covering up the roots will keep the plant safe until next spring when a whole new batch of homegrown sugar will rise from the ground as soon as the soil warms up enough.