Cotton Yearbook 2019 by Greenmount Press

Volume 40 No.6 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; $20

COTTON YEARBOOK

2019

a r ting b e l e C 1979

C o tto

yrs

2019

s e c i n Growers Serv

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COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 SECTION 1

SECTION 9

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OVERVIEW 5

SUSTAINABLE COTTON FARMING

6 The lure of the north 6 Cotton production estimates 2018–19 8 A year full of challenges 14 High achievers recognised at the Australian Cotton Industry Awards 16 Tom and Charm Arnott – Bayer Cotton Grower of the Year 2019 18 Big year for Women in Cotton 24 First cotton plants sprout on the Moon 26 A smorgasbord of travel

SECTION 2

28 Predicted climate change impacts 33 Cotton production footprint getting bigger 34 Long way to Tipperary

RESEARCH & EXTENSION 45

SECTION 5

152 156 157 159 161

Burr breakthrough: Insights into Noogoora 2019 Excellence in Research – Dr Nicole McDonald Better dryland cotton yields with phosphorus CottonInfo and Meet Our Team CRDC list of current projects

BEYOND THE FARM GATE

SECTION 6

SECTION 14

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ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Michael Cook 07 4659 3555

168 172 175 176

167

ACCOUNTS Deb Meddleton

A new crop of chinos at M.J. Bale Converting low-grade cotton into gel with variable use qualities Australian brands switch on to better cotton BCI’s membership grows

Contents of advertisements are the responsibility of the advertisers. All statements and opinions expressed in the COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 are published after due consideration of information gained from sources believed to be authentic. No portion may be reproduced without permission from the publisher.

PROCESSING & MARKETING

177

178 Up-to-date marketing information including Processing, Marketing, Merchants and Classing Organisations

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101

INDUSTRY ORGANISATIONS

SECTION 16

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SUPPLIERS’ DIRECTORY

DEVELOPING WORKFORCE CAPACITY 111

199

200 Major industry organisations; Associated industry bodies; and, Regional cotton grower associations

SECTION 8

Education plays a key role The UNE/CRDC cotton course update and future plans Nuffield scholars announced Australian Rural Leadership program

PRODUCTION MANAGER Mick Allan

SECTION 15

SECTION 7

112 116 120 122

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lloyd O’Connell

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94 Cotton a profitable option on Maryborough cane farm 96 Returns from cotton provide benefits in the drought for Texas grower 98 Delungra growers taking cotton to new heights

102 On farm benefits of canopy temperature sensors 108 Microwaves: More bing for your weed control buck?

151

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80 Noble gases and clever science equals better grasp on groundwater 88 Cave secrets unlocked to show past drought and rainfall patterns 90 Cotton water storage snapshot 92 Megadrought caused mega biodiversity loss

INNOVATION & NEW TECHNOLOGY

MANAGING EDITOR David Dowling

SECTION 13

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NEW GROWER SNAPSHOT

143

SECTION 12

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WATER MATTERS

Published by The Australian Cottongrower PO BOX 766, TOOWOOMBA. 4350. Phone: (07) 4659 3555 Fax: (07) 4638 4520 Email: cotton@greenmountpress.com.au www.cottongrower.com.au

144 myBMP underpins Australia’s cotton sustainability credentials 148 Using drone technology to release beneficials in cotton

THIS SECTION BROUGHT TO YOU IN ASSOCIATION WITH

A wrap-up from all the cotton growing areas

COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

SECTION 11

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP

133

134 Help prevent spray drift with new crop mapping technology: SataCrop 138 Seeing green on green: A new way to look at weed control 142 Local group takes creative approach to spray drift

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

THIS SECTION BROUGHT TO YOU IN ASSOCIATION WITH An up-to-date look at the cotton industry in tables and figures.

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SECTION 3 THE INDUSTRY IN FIGURES

123

SECTION 10 SPRAY APPLICATION

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THE FUTURE

124 Cotton Landcare Tech-Innovations 2021 129 Diversity extends herbicide ‘life’ in triple-stacked cotton 131 New Texas variety can be used for food and fibre

211

MAIN COVER PHOTO: John Durham with his wife Meg and their son Charlie. John is the farm manager for Southern Cotton in the Riverina and is also President of the Southern Valleys Cotton Growers Association. Once again, the southern valleys grew more than a quarter of the Australian cotton crop. This year, John graduated from the Australian Rural Leadership Program, a course he undertook with the support of Cotton Australia. See story, page 122. (PHOTO: Nathan Dyer)

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The lure of the north........................................................... 6 Cotton production estimates 2018–19................................ 6 A year full of challenges...................................................... 8 High achievers recognised at the Australian Cotton Industry Awards............................................................ 14 Tom and Charm Arnott – Bayer Cotton Grower of the Year 2019..................................................................... 16 Big year for Women in Cotton........................................... 18 First cotton plants sprout on the Moon............................. 24 A smorgasbord of travel................................................... 26

S E C T I O N

OVERVIEW

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SECTION 1 OVERVIEW This section brought to you in association with

David Dowling.

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The lure of the north

ast year we flagged the fact that over 25 per cent of the Australian crop had been grown from Hillston south. Well, that percentage was even higher in the 2018–19 season, but unfortunately it was a higher percentage of a much smaller crop – about 50 per cent smaller in fact. The current drought is now approaching the severity of the Millenium drought from which we emerged only a decade ago. We live in a land of drought and flooding rain, but the scales seem to be tipping in one direction only at the moment. Not surprisingly, there are many growers who are frustrated with the continued lack of certainty about future crop prospects and are seriously turning their eyes, not to the south, but the north. In southern Australia, not only do irrigators have to attempt to farm with almost no water, but they are also blamed for the environmental problems in the Murray Darling which result from the country’s regular droughts.

The lure of the north is water, of course. There are some very attractive irrigation prospects in the Ord Irrigation Area as well as near some of the rivers in northern Queensland. Although all of Australia has variable rainfall, these rivers can be relied upon to run, and run well, in most wet seasons. Just as attractive are the prospects for extensive dryland production areas in the north, grown on lighter soils during the wet season and taking advantage of the subsequent dry weather to finish and pick the crop. For those who have seen cropping on the savannah country of Brazil, that story is familiar – although Brazil has a more reliable rainfall and the luxury of reliable double cropping options. Around 15,000 hectares of cotton will be grown in the north this season, which may constitute 10 per cent of the Australian crop. At the moment there is with no cotton gin north of Emerald. But this situation is unlikely to continue. In the meantime, all eyes will be facing north.

AUSTRALIAN COTTON PRODUCTION ESTIMATES 2018–19 Irrigated Hectares

Dryland

Yield bales/ha

Bales

Hectares4

Yield bales/ha

Total Bales

Hectares

Bales

Queensland Emerald1 Biloela/Theodore Darling Downs St George

12600 4950 22400 6990

9.9 11.5 9.8 13.3

124740 56925 219520 92967

4800 115 28100 900

1.2 1.5 1.4 0.8

5760 173 39340 720

17400 5065 50500 7890

130500 57098 258860 93687

Dirranbandi

250

11.0

2750

—

250

2750

Other (Ord & Nth Qld)

600

8.3

4950

4750

2.2

10450

5350

15400

47,790

10.5

501,852

38,665

1.5

56,443

86,455

558,295

Macintyre2 Gwydir Upper Namoi Lower Namoi3 Macquarie Bourke

24000 15100 13000 18000 19600 0

9.0 9.8 9.5 9.5 11.4 —

216000 147980 123500 171000 223440 0

27100 43500 10700 17600 1550 0

1.4 1.1 1.2 0.8 0.8 —

37940 47850 12840 14080 1240 0

51100 58600 23700 35600 21150 0

253940 195830 136340 185080 224680 0

Lachlan

12600

10.2

128520

—

12600

128520

46500 148,800 196,590

9.8 9.8 10.0

453375 1,463,815 1,965,667

—

100,450 139,115

1.1 1.2

113,950 170,393

46500 249,250 335,705

453375 1,577,765 2,136,060

Total NSW

Murrumbidgee/Murray Total Aust. total

Overall average lint yield: 6.36 bales/ha (1444 kg/ha). 1 Includes Mackenzie and Belyando. 2 About 40% of Macintyre cotton is grown in Queensland. Includes Mungindi. 3 Includes Walgett. 4 Planted area is in field hectares, not green hectares. Acknowledgement: Drawn largely from estimates supplied by Cotton Compass.

6 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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A year full of challenges

SECTION 1 OVERVIEW This section brought to you in association with

By Adam Kay – CEO, Cotton Australia

he past year has been one full of challenges for Australia’s cotton industry; but it has also been a year where we have banded together and achieved significant results. From drought to unedifying, uneducated public attacks on our industry, our growers and the Cotton Australia team have weathered a significant period in our industry’s history. Our team worked tirelessly across all our key areas, including policy, communications, education, stewardship, myBMP, Cotton to Market and workforce, to ensure the voices of growers were heard and meaningful results were achieved for our industry. We also actively collaborated with our industry’s allies, including the National Farmers’ Federation, the National Irrigators’ Council, Queensland Farmers’ Federation, the NSW Irrigators’ Council and a broad range of regionally-based Cotton Growers’ Associations

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Adam Kay – CEO, Cotton Australia.

and irrigator groups. This collaboration helped us achieve our key strategic goals and guaranteed our industry was well positioned and decision makers were educated about our industry. I’m pleased to report that engagement in the myBMP program has risen to 80 per cent (see page 114), which demonstrates our collective commitment to best practice and operating at a high level. In the face of a heated national debate, our communications team worked hard to meet with key political and media stakeholders and proactively defended our industry and shared our story across digital platforms and the media. While the debate was robust, our industry’s voice was prominently heard at a national level, and our team will continue to publicly advocate for our growers where appropriate. Thanks must also go to all those growers who attended Cotton Australia’s general meetings this year as representatives of our member organisations. Receiving input from our growers, particularly in guiding our industry’s research and development priorities, is essential in ensuring the voices of those on the land are properly heard. The 2019 Australian Cotton Collective and Australian Cotton Industry Awards were particular highlights of the year. The events were held in Griffith, New South Wales and showcased the strength of our industry as a leader in best practice, innovation, and collaboration. Planning has begun for next year’s Australian Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast, which is shaping up to be another valuable event for our industry.

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Over the next year, we will continue our work supporting all those doing it tough through the drought. I remind anyone who might be experiencing stress and hardship that support is available. Professional counselling services are on hand to help you deal with challenges you face, and I encourage you to visit the National Farmers’ Federation’s DroughtHub online portal for detailed information on the financial support available. All the best for the coming season, and I look forward to working with you all to ensure our industry remains strong now and into the future.

Water security The past year saw our industry endure one of the most difficult periods in its history. But despite the challenges, Cotton Australia worked hard to defend our industry from public attack and ensure we are well positioned to manage the crippling effects of drought.

National debate erupts over water management In January 2019, the combination of extreme drought, high temperatures and a deoxygenating algal bloom led to a series of major fish death events at Menindee in far west New South Wales. The sight of hundreds of thousands of dead fish was devastating and sparked a heated national debate around who was to blame for the ecological disaster. Across social and traditional media, our industry was unfairly the focus of many people’s anger for allegedly causing the fish deaths because of our water use. The vitriolic debate was exacerbated by the politicising of the issue in the lead-up to the NSW and federal elections.

Camp Cotton brings together a group of Australian brands and retailers for a two day farm and industry tour. 10 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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One federal senator from South Australia, a state where no cotton is grown, launched a dangerous political attack on our industry, growers and rural communities by introducing legislation to ban the export of cotton from Australia. We strongly condemned this move and passionately advocated for our industry in the face of such hostility. We would like to particularly thank all those growers and industry supporters who took the time to write to the Parliament and oppose this piece of divisive legislation. Cotton Australia proactively and strongly defended our industry through traditional media appearances, producing captivating social media content, and engaging with key stakeholders and decision makers. The pressure on our industry in the months following the fish deaths was relentless, and our efforts to educate about our industry, how water allocations work, and how cotton can be produced during a drought will continue.

Drought Over the past year, the devastating effects of drought were increasingly felt by our industry. The 2017–18 period saw either no new, or very limited, surface water allocations across most valleys. But with water reserves then mostly expended, the 2018–19 crop was reduced by 50 per cent. In 2017–18, 371,000 hectares of irrigated cotton and 154,000 hectares of dryland

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cotton was grown. In 2018–19, only 200,000 hectares of irrigated cotton and 180,000 hectares of dryland cotton was grown. At the time of writing, the outlook for the 2019–20 year is grim, with predictions that the crop will be less than half of the already much reduced 2018–19 crop.

Research direction and stewardship In the 2018–19 funding round, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) invested $24.3 million in RD&E, including 300 research and development projects, in collaboration with more than 100 research partners. Over the past 12 months, Cotton Australia continued to ensure the views of our growers were reflected in research investment decisions. Cotton Australia once again engaged with our grower panel representatives this year to collate their priorities for research and development investment, which guided CRDC’s allocations of project funding. This process involved growers having their say on research direction by completing the annual Grower Research Priority Survey. Cotton Australia staff actively worked with cotton grower associations (CGAs) to refine and further develop their priorities, which then informed CRDC. Over the past year, a major research priority identified by growers was around the incidence of disease being a significant limiting factor for cotton productivity. Of note, a lack of registered fungicide options for the control of cotton diseases was a concern. This led Cotton Australia, in conjunction with CRDC and some

Senior members of Cotton Australia met with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Minister Anthony Lynham in January. 12 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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agri-chemical companies, to apply for minor use permits to address the issue.

Communications In the past year, Cotton Australia’s Communications team proactively worked across digital and traditional media platforms to share our industry’s story and defend our social license. The January 2019 mass fish deaths at Menindee triggered a passionate national debate about the Australian cotton industry and the effectiveness of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Despite the hostile and vitriolic situation, Cotton Australia’s Communications team actively defended our industry by calling out political attacks and bringing facts and balance to the national debate through social and traditional media engagement. Cotton Australia also supported growers in becoming advocates for the industry by providing comprehensive social media training at nine locations in Queensland and New South Wales. Throughout the year, the Communications team actively worked with all sections of the organisation to ensure growers and the broader public received essential and accurate information about our industry. Cotton Australia’s Communications team adopted a targeted digital strategy to share its messages with key stakeholders and grow its audience on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. This strategic approach saw the team grow Cotton Australia’s Facebook following by 52 per cent over the year, while the organisation’s Twitter following increased by 17 per cent in the same period. Our website attracted more than 440,000 unique page views over the past year. Effectively engaging with stakeholders was the other key priority for Cotton Australia’s Communications team. In the lead-up to the New South Wales and Federal elections, the team advocated for our industry by meeting with key politicians and proactively engaging with the media. The past year has been a challenging one for our industry; but the above overview highlights the key achievements Cotton Australia has recorded in the face of a challenging drought and public attacks. We remain committed to our strategic plan objectives of ensuring Australia’s cotton industry remains strong, viable, valued and advanced, and we will continue our work over the next year to attain these goals. All the best for the year ahead and I look forward to meeting with you soon.

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High achievers recognised at the Australian Cotton Industry Awards

he excellence and achievements of the Australian cotton industry over the past year were recognised at the 2019 Australian Cotton Industry Awards in association with the Cotton Collective at Griffith in July. Tom and Charm Arnott from Boggabilla received the Bayer Grower of the Year award, recognising their efficient and effective farm management practices at their properties ‘Fairfield’ and ‘Tambalaka’. Australian Food and Fibre’s Moree farm manager, Murray Connor, was recognised for his commitment to innovation and passion for the cotton industry by receiving the Adama Chris Lehmann Trust Young Cotton Achiever of the Year award. One Tree Agriculture farm managers Jamie Traill and Ashley Tunks, of Warra in Queensland, were awarded the AgriRisk High Achiever of the

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Mark Dawson (Bayer) left with Charm and Tom Arnott.

Year award for their excellence and innovation in the cotton industry. The Cotton Seed Distributors Ltd Researcher of the Year award was presented to Dr Linda Smith from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for her work studying cotton pathology. The IPF Service to Industry award was presented to one of the industry’s longest serving regionally-based cotton extension officers, Kieran O’Keeffe. Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay congratulated the finalists and award recipients on their achievements. “The finalists for the 2019 Australian Cotton Industry Awards are all outstanding role models and advocates for our world-leading industry and are congratulated for their contributions to Australian cotton,” Adam said. “Particular congratulations must go to the recipients of the Awards. Our industry is incredibly proud of their achievements, and we applaud them for the work they do in

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James Quinn (CSD) and Dr Linda Smith. 14 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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TOM AND CHARM ARNOTT – BAYER COTTON GROWER OF THE YEAR 2019

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Troy Cosh (IPF) and Kieran O’Keeffe.

Tom and Charm Arnott have been awarded the prestigious Bayer Cotton Grower of the Year Award for 2019. The Arnotts, who farm at ‘Fairfield’ and ‘Tambalaka’ at Boggabilla, were awarded the title at the annual Australian Cotton Industry Awards dinner held in Griffith in July. Bayer Sales Lead, Mark Dawson, congratulated Tom and Charm and all other finalists on their steadfast commitment to water conservation, environmental responsibility, industry peers and local communities.

Murray Connor.

keeping Australian cotton at the cutting-edge of agriculture.” Adam said the 2019 Australian Cotton Industry Awards had shone a light on the sector’s resilience during what had been a tough season. “Despite this terrible drought, the Australian cotton industry has made significant gains across all areas, particularly around our sustainability targets and efficiency measures,” Adam said. “Our growers continue to produce the best and highest-yielding cotton in the world, and are supported by leading scientists and researchers right across the supply chain. “One of the strengths of our industry is our commitment to achieving excellence; with that in mind, I look forward to seeing what our Awards recipients and finalists achieve next,” Adam said.

“On behalf of all of us at Bayer I would like to congratulate Tom and Charm along with the other finalists. It’s no secret that our industry is facing significant headwinds because of the ongoing drought but it has been inspiring to see how cotton industry leaders have responded. The award nominees are a true reflection of the resilience of the cotton industry and provide leadership to our next generation of cotton growers.” Mark highlighted the value of these awards as a means of recognising the critical role that Australia’s leading cotton farmers play in the industry. “This awards program has always been important to us. I am proud of not only the winner of the award this evening, but all previous winners and finalists, who represent the excellence and dedication of Australia’s cotton farmers.” The Arnotts began farming at Fairfield in 2002 and purchased a second property Tambalaka in 2016. Since then, the Arnotts have implemented a five-year plan and strict 50/50 crop rotation schedule that incorporates wheat, barley and chickpeas. They put their success down to a continual focus on improvement across every aspect of their farming operations. Their implementation of a range of technologies, including a telemetry weather system, moisture probes and storage gauges, has made the management of their water use more efficient, enhancing their ability to nurture the land and increase profitability.

2019 Australian Cotton Industry Award finalists. 16 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

The results speak for themselves with their cotton harvest averaging an estimated yield of 12.7 bales per hectare.

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Big year for Women in Cotton By Sharna Holman

incott – Women in Cotton – was established in December 2000 to help develop the skills, knowledge and networks of women involved in all aspects and regions of the Australian cotton industry. Wincott has grown and expanded to provide professional and personal development opportunities for all women living in our cotton growing communities. Wincott functions with the dedication of volunteers geographically spread across the cotton industry. Our volunteers are passionate about the industry and assisting other women to achieve personal and professional growth, develop skills and have influence as community members. We would like to extend our greatest thanks and gratitude to the women, sponsors and our industry that continues to support our organisation. These people provide support in the form of time, energy, commitment and funding to help Wincott achieve our goals and help better our members, our industry and our communities. Some of the highlights from the 2018 – 2019 season include:

Wincott ‘Ladies of the Land Luncheon’ Wincott hosted the ‘Ladies of the Land Luncheon’ in Emerald in May. The luncheon provided the opportunity for women working in all sectors of agriculture across Central Queensland to learn, network and importantly celebrate being a woman in agriculture. A sold out crowd of 130 guests heard from two guest speakers, Elisha Parker from Cattlesales.com.au and Earle May from Sunsuper. Cattlesales.com.au co-founder Elisha Parker inspired guests as she represented the modern and multitasking women. Elisha shared her story of raising a family, running a cattle station, working externally for a Brisbane-based law firm and building a revolutionary online platform to market cattle, all from a remote property near Clermont. She inspired women not to be afraid to break traditions and to dream big. While Earle May put the spotlight on financial questions which most people prefer to put off, providing strategies and solutions to how women can overcome the challenges of wage equality, financial security 18 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Elisha Parker was a guest speaker at the Ladies of the Land luncheon.

and the breaks or reduced hours of employment which can often occur when raising a family. The goal was to facilitate an event where women from all associations of agriculture could come together to connect and share their unique experiences and skills so that we can grow together. The ‘Ladies of the Land Luncheon’ was an excuse for women to leave the paperwork at the desk, the dirty boots at the property gate and a note that they would be home late. The luncheon saw women travel as far as 200 kilometres from every direction in the Central Highlands to celebrate the beauty of being a woman and the exciting opportunities we have in agriculture. The connections and

Alexandria Galea and Liz Alexander at the Ladies of the Land luncheon.

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the conversations at this event were invaluable. “These conversations are what sparks confidence and creativity for women to take on new challenges” said Central Highlands Wincott Regional Representative Alexandria Galea. We are thankful for the support of sponsors The Glennie School, SunSuper, Rabobank, Louis Dreyfus Company and Central Highlands Cotton Growers and Irrigators Association who made the event possible.

not minimise member participation. The AGM saw a new committee elected with a number of new members joining the Wincott Committee and we had the chance to thank our outgoing members for their time and commitment.

Continued growth in our Facebook presence

The Australian Cotton Conference provides Wincott with the opportunity to run a luncheon focused on connecting women throughout the industry. The 2018 Australian Cotton Conference saw more than 300 women converge to attend the Wincott Luncheon, celebrating the theme “Making the most of where you are.” The luncheon was hosted by grower and Cotton Australia board member Fleur Anderson, with the crowd hearing from three panel speakers: • Jo Palmer, founder of Pointer Remote Roles; • Claire Dunn, editor and publisher of Graziher Magazine; and, • Simone Kain, co-founder of George the Farmer. Our panellists had the opportunity to share their stories and journeys as rural women and how they make the most of where they live and work. The 2018 Australian Cotton Conference also saw Wincott deliver Wincott Workshops for the first time. Panellist Jo Palmer helped deliver “Getting ideas from the kitchen table to market,” sharing how she actioned her kitchen table ideas and “table chat” and gave practical advice and actions for attendees to take home. Panellists Claire Dunn and Simone Kain delivered “The art of telling a good yarn… and being heard” where they shared their personal stories and delved into the art of perfecting a pitch and ideas on how to better communicate to ensure our stories get heard. Expect big things at the 2020 Australian Cotton Conference where Wincott celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Our Facebook presence has continued to grow with more consistent posting and promotion of posts, industry events and opportunities that are applicable to our subscribers and membership base. At the start of last season, the Wincott Facebook page had 1054 ‘likes’ and has since increased to 1356 ‘likes’. This increase in followers has allowed the organic reach of our posts to grow, capturing not just women in the cotton industry, but women in our communities and agriculture more broadly. If you have not ‘liked’ our page, we encourage you to get on Facebook, and give our page a like to keep up to date with upcoming Wincott events and opportunities targeted and applicable to our members. You can find our page by searching ‘Wincott – Women in Cotton’.

Annual general meeting Our Annual General Meeting was held at the Cotton Collective in Griffith in August. This year we also provided the opportunity for members to dial in to ensure distance would

Previous Wincott events and workshops Australian Cotton Conference luncheon and workshops

Talwood ladies morning tea

Gail Spargo, Alexandria Galea and Sharna Holman 20 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Wincott hosted the Talwood Ladies Morning Tea in June 2018. This event saw more than 80 women from the local area and surrounding district come together. The morning included a presentation from Chantel McAlister, owner of Chantel Renae Photography, about her ‘Truth about Wool’ campaign, delicious treats and a few bottles of bubbly. The event, which started in 2017, provides women in the region an opportunity to catch up, meet each other

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and support one another at a local social gettogether. These events are kindly supported by local businesses.

Banking and financial workshops Working alongside ANZ, Wincott has delivered interactive banking and financial workshops in southern NSW focusing on the key banking and financial skills for cotton producers. This workshops revolve around the three key themes of: • Helping your bank help you; • Financial markets; and, • Commodities.

Key challenges and goals for the 2019 – 2020 season The Wincott committee is working to identify the responsibilities of committee members so we can continue delivering benefits to our members. As volunteers, we are ensuring our

Jo Palmer, The Rock; Simone Kain, Penola, SA; Fleur Anderson, Theodore; and, Claire Dunne, Duaringa at the 2018 Cotton Conference.

responsibilities and goals are not onerous but achievable to allow our organisation and events to be sustainable in the long-term. Being a regional representative does take a small time commitment, but it is a rewarding role with liberty to host and organise events or workshops that reflect the needs and wants of the women in your community. We also provide the opportunity for multiple women to be a regional representative in one region, recognising that many hands make light work. With great excitement our Wincott Committee expanded this season with four new regional representatives joining us representing Brisbane. This reflects the true makeup of the Australian cotton industry with rural and city based industry members working together to make our industry stronger. We are currently developing our work plan for the season based on priorities identified in our previous planning sessions. Our aim is for Wincott to host or help support an event in every region each year with the emphasis of these events being to help support the professional or personal development of women in the cotton industry as well as women in agriculture broadly. We encourage women and industry to get in contact with your local Wincott regional representative if you have an idea for an event or workshop – we are always open to new ideas or those wanting to join our Wincott committee! If you have any ideas for a Wincott event in your region, want to know how to contact your local Regional Representative or become a Regional Representative yourself, please get in contact with us either via email: wincott@mail. tidyhq.com or through our Facebook page.

Part of the crowd at the Ladies of the Land luncheon. 22 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE INNOVATION INNOVATION PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTIVITY RESULTS RESULTS

Pioneering the way in Eastern Dry/and Cotton "Wallangra Station", NSW. Pioneering the way in Eastern Dry/and Cotton "Wallangra Station", NSW.

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First cotton plants sprout on the Moon

hen China’s Chang’e-4 spacecraft landed on the lunar far side on January 3, 2019, it made history. It was the first spacecraft to visit that part of the Moon, and among its payload was a 2.6 kg mini-biosphere called the Lunar Micro Ecosystem (LME). The sealed, cylindrical biosphere is only 18 cm long and 16 cm in diameter. The LME carried six lifeforms, kept in mostly earth-like conditions except for micro-gravity and lunar radiation.

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The LME carried: Cotton seeds; Potato seeds; Rape seeds; Yeast; Fruit fly eggs; and, Arabidopsis thaliana, a common, hardy weed.

This ground-breaking work by China is the first biological growth experiment on the Moon. Only the cotton seeds produced positive results. At first, the team behind this experiment thought that there was only one cotton leaf, but now data indicates there were two. The LME was unheated, so after the first lunar day – about 14 earth days – the cotton sprout died when the temperatures plunged to minus 190°C But the experiment continued, to test the longevity of the LME itself. In the past, experiments have been conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and China’s Tiangong-2 space lab – where plants, rice and arabidopsis were cultivated. But these experiments took place in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), which is a microgravity environment. The planners of the Chang’e-4 mission therefore sought to include an experiment that would test how organisms fared in lunar gravity.

The Chang’e-4 lander.

According to Professor Liu Hanlong – the Dean of Chongqing University’s School of Civil Engineering, who is leading the experiment – the first thing to sprout were the cotton seeds. An image sent back by the lander provided a glimpse inside of the experiment and showed a cotton sprout that was growing well, though no other plants appeared to be growing at the time. The results were then compared to an Earthbased control experiment, which showed much more substantial growth. While air pressure and a constant temperature of 25°C (77°F) are maintained inside the LME (as with the control group), the fact that it has to contend with less than 17 per cent of Earth gravity had some detrimental effects. On the next Chinese Moon mission, they hope to send more complex life forms, though they haven’t specified what they’ll be.

A sprouting cotton seed on China’s Chang’e 4 lunar lander is the first plant ever to germinate on another world, heralding a new era for life in space. 24 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

The bad news is that the Moon is as dry as the Murray-Darling basin at the moment, so doesn’t represent a potential new cotton production area.

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A smorgasbord of travel

xploring diverse farmlands, countries and cultures across four continents was the focus of five separate Greenmount Travel study tours in 2019. Travelling through the impossibly green, rolling hills and valleys of the UK and Ireland was a welcome change for drought-weary Australian eyes. And catching up on farming developments from The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal involved a tasty smorgasbord of farming practices, WWI battlefields, fast trains, slow boats and magnificent scenery. Southern Africa introduced us to spectacular waterfalls, wonderful wildlife and tenacious

Spain is the second biggest cotton producer in the EU (after Greece). Our group was very impressed with this Pima cotton crop about 70 km south of Seville in the Guadalquivir River delta.

After checking out how some of the local Japanese farmers grow a vast array of food products, a traditional cooking class in a private Kyoto home completed the paddock to plate journey. 26 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

farmers going about their business in often hostile political and environmental conditions. Mexico and colourful Cuba revealed many of their cultural and farming delights while giving us a peek into their unique lifestyles. And Japan rounded out our travel year nicely as we learned how centuries old traditions – blended with ultra modern lifestyles and gadgets – create a unique and intriguing country. See www.greenmounttravel.com.au for the Greenmount Travel farm tours on offer in 2020.

Your spirits are always lifted when Irish farmers ride roughshod over the Queen’s English with very colourful descriptions of their productive operations. James O’Reilly (left) points out some of the electronic wizardry being employed on his Kilkenny district farm to three interested and amused Aussie onlookers.

The spectacular landscape of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast easily qualifies the region as one of Greenmount Travel’s more off the beaten track destinations.

Predicted climate change impacts ��28 Cotton production footprint getting bigger ��33 Long way to Tipperary ��34

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Predicted climate change impacts on northern farming systems By Steven Crimp and Mark Howden, ANU

AT A GLANCE… An increasing body of scientific evidence regarding the impact of human activity on the earth’s climate has shifted the debate from “Is climate change real?” to “What can we do about it?” Adapting current management activities must include considerations of both climate variability and change. Advisers have a vital role in helping to develop information-rich farming systems that will improve responses to current climate variability and that can enhance adaptation to climate changes.

FIGURE 1: Probability distributions of mean daily maximum temperature (left) and mean daily minimum temperatures (right) for Dubbo for two periods, 1960 to 1985 and 1986 to 2018

FIGURE 2: Mean annual dry spell length (left) and seasonal dry spell length for December to January (DJF), March to May (MAM), June to August (JJA) and September to November (SON)

Dry spell lengths are expressed in days

28 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Historical changes in climate? Globally averaged air temperature has warmed by over 1°C since records began in 1850, and each of the last four decades has been warmer than the previous one. This warming is driven by increasing concentrations of all the major long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, with carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations rising above 400ppm and the CO equivalent (CO2-e) of all gases reaching 500ppm for the first time in at least 800,000 years. In Australia, the pattern of warming (average temperature) has been largely similar to that experienced globally, with warming of just over 1°C since 1910. Examining the shift in the distributions of monthly day and night-time temperature shows that very high monthly maximum temperatures that occurred around 2 per cent of the time in the past (1951–80) now occur around 12 per cent of the time (2003–17). Very warm monthly minimum, or night-time, temperatures have shown a similar change from 2 per cent of the time in the past (1951–80) to 12 per cent more recently. This shift in the distributions towards hotter temperatures and more extreme high temperature conditions has occurred across all seasons, with the largest change being in spring. In the Dubbo region over the period 1950 to 2018 (the length of the temperature record), warming has occurred in both minimum and maximum temperatures, with mean temperatures now approximately 1.2°C warmer than in 1950. For the period 1950 to 1985 a maximum daily temperature of 25°C occurred, on average, 18 per cent of the year i.e. 66 times. More recently (1986 to 2018), this temperature now occurs on average 31 per cent of the time i.e. 113 times. Similarly, mean minimum temperatures have warmed with the frequency of a minimum temperature of 19°C increasing from 11 to 29 times each year on average (Figure 1). The Dubbo rainfall record exhibits a declining trend, with declines during the December to February period most pronounced. Mean dry spell lengths have also increased, with the average time between rainfall events now four days

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longer during June to August (i.e. an average dry spell length of 8 days for 2018: Figure 2). Despite declines in annual rainfall totals, the number of heavy rainfall events (i.e. greater than the 90 percentile) across the whole year has increased, most notably during the September to November period. The maximum number of consecutive dry days has increased across the whole year (i.e. from 33 to 38 days) with March to May and September to November periods increasing by two and five days respectively (i.e. now 30 and 23 days respectively). The current acceleration of global warming is expected to continue based on future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trajectories.

What is expected to happen in the future? In response to the continued growth in atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, scientists estimate that global average temperatures could increase by up to 4.8°C by the end of the present century, dependent on global population growth, technological advancement and economic growth. To put this in context, the difference between our historical temperatures and those of the last ice age was only about 5°C. So even though 4.8°C does not sound like much,

TABLE 1: Projected changes in temperature and rainfall for Dubbo Variable

Mean temperature and temperature change (°C)

Mean rainfall (mm) and rainfall change (% change)

Season

Historical mean (1986 to 2005)

Annual

17.1°C

Summer

24.4°C

Autumn

17.6°C

Winter

9.9°C

Spring

16.7°C

Annual

604 mm

Summer

160 mm

Autumn

141 mm

Winter

139 mm

Spring

162 mm

2030

2070

0.7 (0.5 to 0.9) 0.9 (0.5 to 1.6) 0.6 (0.4 to 0.9) 0.4 (0.2 to 0.6) 0.8 (0.6 to 1.2) 0 (-12 to +11) -1 (-15 to +17) +14 (-11 to +42) -4 (-12 to +3) -8 (-25 to +11)

2.1 (1.7 to 2.6) 2.4 (1.8 to 3.1) 2.0 (1.4 to 2.6) 1.7 (1.1 to 2.0) 2.3 (1.9 to 2.9) +7 (-10 to +22) +13 (-10 to +26) +13 (-9 to +45) +5 (-25 to +34) -6 (-25 to +17)

Present average temperatures and rainfall are calculated for the period 1986 to 2005. The data contained in this table represents information compiled from the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, SILO database and New South Wales Department of Environment and Heritage.

30 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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it signals a huge change in how the climateocean-land systems of the earth function and hence how agriculture will operate. In Australia, national projections suggest up to 1.3°C of additional warming could be experienced by 2030 and up to 5.1°C of warming by 2090, with the greatest warming being in inland Australia and the lesser warming along the southern coast and Tasmania. Global studies indicate that a rule of thumb is that global potential crop production drops by 6 per cent per degree of warming. While changes in rainfall are more uncertain, projections suggest drier conditions in the southern half of Australia, particularly in the south-west and during the cool season months of May to October with as much as 20 per cent less by 2030 and up to 50 per cent less rainfall by 2090. At a regional scale, projected change in climate for Dubbo (representing a central town in this study region) are summarised in Table 1. In addition to warmer temperatures and no change (2030) to slight increases in mean annual rainfall (2070), evaporation rates are likely to increase. The impacts of climate change on wheat production for the Dubbo region have been simulated using the Agricultural Production Simulator (APSIM). If the 1990 to 2018 climate were to change, with a mean increase in temperature of 0.7°C with no change in annual rainfall (i.e. the mean 2030 projection) small improvements (approximately 55 kg per hectare) might be possible for 5 , 25 and 50 percentile yields. The 75 percentile yields could also improve by as much as 185 kg per hectare, but the 95 percentile yields could decline by as much as 470 kg per hectare. Looking at the 2070 scenarios, if temperatures were to increase by 2.1°C and annual rainfall were to increase by 7 per cent, significant changes in yields are likely. Increases in 75 and 95 percentile yields are possible (i.e. 420 kg per hectare and 435 kg per hectare respectively). This is coupled with possible large declines in both 25 and 5 percentile yields (i.e. declines of 380 kg per hectare and 1020kg per hectare respectively). With little change in 50 percentile yields from those simulated for the baseline period, production variability could increase by more than 35 per cent by 2070 (i.e. the difference between high yields and low yields is likely to increase significantly). This simple example does not take into consideration the compounding effects such as changes in runoff (Figure 3). This simulation

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exercise does begin to make a case for adaptation at a range of spatial scales including farm-level and regional scales as well as changes to strategic planning and polices at the state and national level. Runoff integrates the effects of changes in temperature, rainfall and evaporation. For example, where the map shows a 25 per cent reduction in runoff per degree and global temperatures rose by 2°C then runoff is likely to halve (i.e. 2 times 25 per cent) with major implications for water resource management including for irrigated agriculture.

Adapting to projected climate changes Climate change is likely to pose a significant challenge for Australian agriculture. Of greatest concern are likely to be changes in water availability, and the change in frequency of climatic extremes (e.g. heatwaves, drought and floods). Many of the actions required for adapting to climate change are extensions of those currently used for managing climate variability. For this reason, efforts to improve current levels of adaptation to climate variability will have positive benefits in addressing likely climate change impacts. Examples of likely farm level adaptation options include longer-term decisions at a family farm level – to sell up, to buy more land or

FIGURE 3: Mid-range assessment of changes in average runoff per degree global temperature increase (IPCC 2014)

Runoff integrates the effects of changes in temperature, rainfall and evaporation. For example, where the map shows a 25 per cent reduction in runoff per degree and global temperatures rose by 2°C then runoff is likely to halve (i.e. 2 times 25 per cent) with major implications for water resource management including for irrigated agriculture.

32 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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where to invest. These are especially pertinent for farmers in low rainfall regions and it will increasingly be more difficult to find no-regret decisions if climate change progresses as anticipated. These decisions, along with industry infrastructure (silos etc.) and industry support (drought policy) are hard decisions requiring full understanding of the likely future risks.

The value of adaptation There is a growing international body of research examining the benefits of adaptation to climate variability and change, showing a number of adaptation options are available to reduce the possible impacts of climate change. In Australia a number of studies have examined the economic benefits of adaptation in the wheat industry at both national and regional scales under a range of likely future climate conditions. Hochman et al. (2017) highlighted that the adoption of new technology and management systems has held actual yields fairly steady – without these advances, water-limited yield would have dropped by 27 per cent. It was estimated that rainfall declines should have accounted for about three-quarters of the fall in simulated yield potential, while observed warming should have accounted for about a quarter of the fall in yield potential. Continued adaptation to climate change has been estimated to add an additional AU$500M per annum to Australia’s annual income from wheat exports via the introduction of improved water-use efficiency options and may mitigate potential yield losses by up to 18 per cent through broader scale adaptation. The results suggest a number of adaptation options exist to manage increased future downside risk but the effectiveness of adaptation is driven by the extent of future change. Under conditions of large climate change, tactical adaptation will only have limited effectiveness and more extensive adaptation options, often defined as transformation adaptation, may be required. Advisers have a key role to play in changing the nature of the climate change dialogue. In the space of about five years many grain growers and their advisers have moved from asking “What is climate change?” or “Is it real?” to “How do we manage for climate change?” and “What will the impact be on agriculture?” The authors would also like to acknowledge that this research was made possible via financial support from the New South Wales Department of Environment and Heritage. We would like to acknowledge the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) for provision of its Australian Climate Observations Reference Network – Surface Air Temperature (ACORN-SAT) data and the Science Division of the Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) for provision of it SILO climate projections for analysis.

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Cotton production footprint is getting bigger By Sam Lee, CSD Extension & Development Manager – Queensland

otton has gradually begun its expansion into northern Australia over the past couple of seasons, under both irrigation and dryland, and we now see cotton being grown in almost every state and territory in Australia. This season in northern Queensland saw cotton being grown in the Belyando region, the Burdekin, just outside Mareeba and near Georgetown, where the crop has been grown for a few seasons now. And closer to the more traditional cotton growing regions in Queensland, cotton was also grown in a number of places around the Fraser coast last season. While some of these regions have previously grown cotton, others are completely new to the cotton industry. In the Northern Territory, cotton is being grown in the Katherine and Douglas-Daly regions, with a mix of dryland and irrigated cotton. Although it is very early days, indications of results look promising. This follows a season which mirrored many of the regions across the far north, where the wet season rainfall was only about half or even less than half of the annual average. There is much interest in not just cotton, but cropping in general across the Northern Territory, as landholders look to diversify. In the Ord River region of Western Australia, cotton has made a return to cropping systems over the past couple of seasons, with the introduction of new varieties containing Bollgard 3 technology. Results for both yield and quality were positive following last year’s picking and the crops in the area this season also look very good. There were challenges faced by growers in the north this past season, as was the case with the rest of the industry. While some regions battled very wet and cloudy conditions, others fell short of their required rainfall to finish the crop. As the industry builds in these northern areas and the opportunity to expand continues, the establishment of infrastructure such as cotton gins will no doubt see an increase in cotton production, as part of a cropping system. As anyone who is involved in the cotton industry knows, there is a great unity within

and a large amount of information is willingly shared by all. This includes not only growers, but extends to all of those who have an active involvement in the industry, both past and present. The northern regions are no different and they are keen to be involved in such an innovative and proactive industry. Further to this, they are also uniting as a northern industry, as they share many of the same common and often unique issues and challenges, whether located in northern Queensland, the Northern Territory or Western Australia. The prospect of the northern Australian cotton industry is an exciting development and one that will be keenly watched by all as it continues to grow and progress.

Cotton is making a return to the Ord.

Lake Argyle on the Ord River. COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 33

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Long way to Tipperary

t literally is a long way to Tipperary from traditional cotton growing regions, yet this isn’t daunting the enthusiasm of some Northern Territory farmers. ‘Tipperary Station’ in the Douglas/Daly region has recently received the results of their first crop of cotton, and the only one grown in the Territory in the past 15 years. The Tipperary Group’s Bruce and David Connolly recently harvested the first commercial cotton trial at Tipperary, with good results. “We are really pleased, yield and turnout were high – seven bales per hectare in country which we didn’t fully irrigate and which only got 80 mm more water than the dryland which yielded four bales,” Bruce said. After a pretty rushed first attempt at cotton last year in the Douglas Daly region, approximately 50 hectares of supplementary irrigated and 30 hectares of raingrown were planted. This coming season there may be about 1000 hectares of cotton grown in the region by approximately seven growers. Modules were transported to St George in south-west Queensland for ginning, which is where Bruce spent time contract farming in the cotton industry. Even though familiar with growing cotton, Bruce said the north poses unique and ever-

The crop produced good results on Tipperary. 34 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

changing issues which require taking a slightly different approach. The region has a 60 inch rainfall, with defined wet and dry seasons with high humidity. Managing intense crop growth is a major factor, with potential fungal infections and boll rot in particularly wet seasons. This year the station only received half its average rainfall with around 30 inches, so it was decided to opt for semi-irrigated rather than a fully irrigated crop. “With developments and new technology in cotton with Bollgard 3, we thought we could have a go at it,” Bruce said. “We knew an agronomist – Greg Nicol from Total Ag Services in Dirranbandi – who had experience growing cotton in a tropical climate so we got him on board, along with local agronomist Matt Dennis from E E Muir and Sons in Katherine.” According to Greg Nicol, the Douglas-Daly is on the same latitude as the Matto Grosso in Brazil, with very similar climate and soils. So it’s already a successful growing model, just in a different part of the world. “Agronomy, IPM and nutrition are essentially similar to traditional areas,” says Greg. “Everything just happens quicker and the fertiliser has to be applied in small doses often. “Quality is paramount to the success. We are trying to grow long, strong white cotton. Identical to that of the east coast of Australia where they often attract a premium over and above the global prices. “Cotton seed will also provide a valuable protein source for the Northern Territory cattle industry. “We have one season under our belt and this first year we have learned a great deal. “What we have seen this season is very encouraging. It is a case of monitoring your crop closely and being ready to deal with unforeseen circumstances as they arise.” Bruce says their interest in growing cotton is because the region and farmers “need another crop up here to form an industry.” “The added benefit of growing cotton is that when we can build a gin we can keep the cotton seed in the north. This will provide an essential protein alternative for feed supplements in the grazing industry, thus allowing a vertical integration for producers who have cotton and cattle or a second income stream for the cotton grower. “The added benefit to the livestock industry

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is that this protein will be produced locally with lower freight costs.” A business case study is being put together by Price Waterhouse to determine the benefits of a cotton Gin in Katherine or somewhere in the Territory. “There are a lot of smart farmers up here looking for an opportunity. We now need the scientists and researchers with experience to help us develop our management style and government support to help develop the industry.” NT farmers’ Andrew Philip led a study tour of potential NT cotton growers ‘down south’ earlier this year, through support from a CRDC Grassroots Grant. He expects another 10

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growers to trial cotton next season. “Cotton looks to be the crop that can be a cornerstone of an NT cropping system and with the development of ginning in the north, cotton and the crop rotations that will come with a sustainable cropping system will lead to greater intensification of the NT beef industry,” Andrew says. “There has been major interest in significant expansion of cotton in the NT, especially to grow dryland to make the most of the considerable and consistent wet season conditions, with guaranteed dry harvest period to produce high quality cotton.” For more Andrew Philip kido@ntfarmers.org.au

Other options In late 2018, the CSIRO delivered the most extensive, integrated assessment of northern Australia’s water resources and the potential for further irrigated agricultural development. Of the regions considered, two have the potential for large scale cotton development in the future, although both face major hurdles. The two areas are the Mitchell River of north Queensland and the Fitzroy in Western Australia.

Crunching the numbers in the Mitchell

The semi-irrigated crop on Tipperary on June 4.

The Mitchell River in Queensland has the biggest flow of any river in northern Australia – and one main road, which is only party sealed, from Mareeba to Kowanyama. The road follows a similar path to the river’s 750 km journey across Cape York into the Gulf of Carpentaria. That’s when you begin to understand that potential irrigated agricultural development in Queensland’s Mitchell River catchment might have as much to do with accessibility and transport costs as available water. This is also about infrastructure. In the Mitchell, it is physically possible for water harvesting to extract up to 2000 GL a year— although less is delivered through transmission – enough to irrigate 200,000 hectares of dry-season cotton in 85 out of 100 years.

Mosaic development in Fitzroy

The Assessment report says there is “strong incentive to start any new irrigation development with well-established and understood crops, farming systems and technologies.” (IMAGE: CSIRO/Nathan Dyer) 36 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

The Assessment found that with appropriately-sited groundwater bores, up to 120 GL/year (<5 per cent of recharge) of groundwater could be extracted from Fitzroy aquifers for irrigated agriculture. The case study estimates that 12,000 hectares (0.1 per cent of catchment area) of cottonmungbean-forage sorghum rotation spread across multiple properties could produce a gross value of production of about $84 million per year, potentially creating 490 jobs.

(PHOTO: David Petrikas)

Price movement over time ��41 Stocks to use ratio and price ��42 New York cotton futures ��42 World cotton (textile) consumption and market share ��43 Cotton’s market share by region ��43 Australian exports ��44 Australian exports by destination ��44 Major cotton exporters ��44

Australian cotton production ��38 Australian cotton area ��38 NSW and Queensland area ��38 Value of production and exports ��39 Australian yields over time ��39 State area and production ��39 World cotton supply and use ��40 Major cotton producers ��40 World’s highest average yields ��41

S E C T I O N

THE INDUSTRY IN FIGURES

THIS SECTION BROUGHT TO YOU IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION

SECTION 3 THE INDUSTRY IN FIGURES

Australian cotton production

5000

This section brought to you in association with

4500 4000 3500

2000 1500 1000

NSW & Qld area (‘000 ha)

2009–10

124

2010–11

348 243

2011–12

358 241

2012–13

284 159

2013-14

256 136

2014-15

124

2015-16

163 107

2016-17

370 187

2017-18

310 190

2018-19*

229 107

SOURCE: ABARES *Provisional

2018/19

2017/18

2016/17

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

2011/12

2010/11

2009/10

2008/09

2007/08

2006/07

2005/06

2004/05

2003/04

2002/03

200

100

Queensland

ABOVE: The area planted to cotton fell significantly in 2018-19. 38 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

NSW

2018/19

2008–09

2017/18

2007–08

2016/17

2015/16

109

2014/15

2006–07

300

2013/14

214 121

2012/13

2005–06

2011/12

163 158

2010/11

101

2004–05

2009/10

2003–04

400

2008/09

2007/08

165

2006/07

290 119

2002–03

Australia

500

2005/06

2001–02

Queensland

Australian cotton area

2004/05

328 199

New South Wales

2003/04

313 151

2000–01

'000 hectares

NSW Qld

1999–00

600

SOURCE: ABARE

Year

500

2002/03

NOTE: All cotton bales in this section have been converted to Australian standard 227 kg bales.

2500

SOURCE: ABARE and ACG Est.

RIGHT: Production fell sharply in response to reduced plantings and drought conditions.

'000 bales

3000

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Value of Australian production and exports ($million)

3000

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SECTION 3 THE INDUSTRY IN FIGURES

2500

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$ million

2000

1500

1000

500

LEFT: Production and export values have been buoyed by high prices but volumes are expected to fall next season.

Gross value of production

2019/20*

2018/19

2017/18

2016/17

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

2011/12

2010/11

2009/10

2008/09

2007/08

2006/07

2005/06

SOURCE: ABARE *Forecast

Value of exports

Australian yields over time

2600

350

2400

Yield (kg/ha)

2000

250

1800 200

1600 1400

% of world average yield

300

2200

150

1200

Australia

2018/19

2017/18

2016/17

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

2011/12

2010/11

2009/10

2008/09

2007/08

2006/07

2005/06

2004/05

2003/04

2002/03

2001/02

2000/01

100

1999/00

SOURCE: ICAC

1000

% of world average

ABOVE: Drought conditions dragged Australian yields to the lowest level for 20 years at least. COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 39

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WORLD PRODUCTION

SECTION 3 THE INDUSTRY IN FIGURES

World cotton supply and use

This section brought to you in association with

130

120

million hectares

110 100

million bales

•

29 80 27

70 60

Area (million ha)

Production (million bales)

2018-19

2017-18

2016-17

2015-16

2014-15

2013-14

2012-13

2011-12

2010-11

2009-10

2008-09

SOURCE: ICAC

2007-08

Consumption (million bales)

Major cotton producers

120

35 30

World total (million 227kg bales)

110

RIGHT: Brazilian production continues to expand rapidly.

100

20 90 15 80

SOURCE: ICAC

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

World total

China

Uzbekistan

United States

India

Australia

Brazil

Pakistan

Turkey

40 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Countries (million 227kg bales)

RIGHT: World consumption exceeded production in 2018-19 but this situation is expected to change in 2019-20.

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World’s highest average yields 2000

Yield (kg/ha) of lint

SECTION 3 THE INDUSTRY IN FIGURES

1944 1794

1800

•

This section brought to you in association with

1692 1673

1600 1444 1400 1200

1132 968

1000

933 787

800

737

712

710

LEFT: A large, low yielding dryland crop has pushed average Australian yields down from previous lofty levels

782

600 Turkey

Brazil

United States

China

Australia

Spain

Mexico

Greece

Ethiopia

Iran

Uzbekistan

World Average

SOURCE: ICAC.

Egypt

(Only countries producing over 200,000 bales.)

COTTON AND FUTURES PRICES Price movement over time

180

350

160

300

120

250

100

200

A c/kg

US c/pound

140

80 150

100

40 20

Cotlook "A" index (US c/lb)

SOURCE: ABARE (*Forecast)

2019/20*

2018/19

2017/18

2016/17

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

2011/12

2010/11

2009/10

2008/09

2007/08

2006/07

2005/06

2004/05

2003/04

2002/03

Australian base price (A c/kg)

NOTE: The Cotlook “A” index is an annual average figure.

COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 41

LEFT: Cotton prices remain high, although down from recent highs.

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0.3

SOURCE: ABARE *Forecast

Stocks/use ratio

2019/20*

0.4

2018/19

2017/18

0.5

2016/17

100

2015/16

0.6

2014/15

120

2013/14

0.7

2012/13

140

2011/12

0.8

2010/11

160

2009/10

0.9

2006/07

180

2008/09

World ending stocks to use ratio

RIGHT: World stocks are expected to move higher in 2019-20, placing downward pressure on prices.

Cotlook A Index (US c/pound)

World stocks to use ratio and price

SECTION 3 THE INDUSTRY IN FIGURES This section brought to you in association with

I N

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•

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New York cotton futures: life of May contract 100 95

85 80 75 70 65 60 55

Expiring in May 2016

42 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

2017

2018

2019

2020

Apr.

Mar.

Jan.

Feb.

Dec.

Nov.

Sep.

Oct.

Aug.

Jul.

Jun.

May.

Apr.

Mar.

Feb.

Jan.

Dec.

Nov.

Oct.

Sep.

Aug.

Jul.

Jun.

50 SOURCE: ICAC

RIGHT: The May 2020 Futures Contract has dropped from recent highs.

US c/pound (monthly average)

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CONSUMPTION AND MARKET SHARE

SECTION 3 THE INDUSTRY IN FIGURES

World cotton (textile) consumption and market share 4

This section brought to you in association with

3.9

•

3.8 41

3.6 3.5

3.4

% market share

kg per person

3.7

3.3 31

3.2 3.1 3

LEFT: Cotton’s market share of the fibre market seems to have stabilised.

SOURCE: ICAC

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Consumption per capita (kg)

Cotton market share (%)

Cotton’s market share by region 50

Cotton's share of textile market (%)

45 40 35

LEFT: Cotton’s share of most markets has remained stable.

30 25 20

Eastern Europe

Western Europe

North America

Asia/Oceania

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

SOURCE: ICAC

Developing countries

COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 43

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EXPORTS AND IMPORTS Australian exports — 2018-19 1%

2% 3%

4% 11% 50% 22%

China (1352)

Malaysia (58)

Vietnam (587)

Japan (44)

Bangladesh (303)

Turkey (37)

Indonesia (110)

Pakistan (21)

Thailand (88)

Other (20) SOURCE: ABARE NOTE: Numbers in brackets are thousands of 227 kg bales

India (86)

ABOVE: China was again the most important export destination.

BOTTOM: Brazil’s cotton exports have boomed in recent years.

BELOW: Vietnam and Bangladesh remain very important markets.

Australian cotton exports — by destination (‘000 bales)

4000 3500

'000 bales

3000

1500

1000

SOURCE: ABS

500

-0 2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

China*

Bangladesh

Thailand

Malaysia

Turkey

Vietnam

Indonesia

India

Japan

Pakistan

Major cotton exporters — 2018–19 (million bales) Tajikistan Cameroon Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Turkey Cote D'Ivoire Burkina Faso Greece Benin Mali India Australia Brazil United States 0

Million bales (227kg)

SOURCE: ICAC

44 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Border Rivers �� 62 Darling Downs �� 67 St George–Dirranbandi �� 70 Dawson–Callide �� 73 Central Highlands �� 76

S E C T I O N

Southern NSW �� 46 Macquarie Valley �� 50 Bourke �� 53 Namoi Valley �� 56 Gwydir Valley �� 58

AREA ROUND-UP

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Southern NSW

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP

Lachlan, Murrumbidgee and Murray

This section brought to you in association with

By Jorian Millyard Crop area The 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19 cotton crop was down on last year for southern NSW with 61,799 hectares being sown (a decrease of around 28,211 hectares from last year). The breakup of the area was: â&#x20AC;˘ Lachlan â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 13152, down 5199 hectares from last season. Southern NSW: Area and production 100000

1200000

90000 1000000

80000

Growing conditions

800000

60000 50000

600000

Bales

Hectares

70000

40000 400000

30000 20000

200000

10000

Production (bales)

2018/19

2017/18

2016/17

2015/16

2014/15

2013/14

2012/13

2011/12

2010/11

2009/10

2008/09

0 2007/08

Area (hectares)

Ave Day Degrees*

$ " # " $ "

Total Day Degrees: 2672 (+391); Total rain: 148 mm (-102)

The 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19 season got off to a good start with some warm temperatures in late September, early October. Day Degrees were tracking just above last year and above the average. There were some emergence issues with a few crops that were watered up as some storm events caused water to lay on fields, resulting in crusting and cold damp conditions. Some crops were hit by hail, which delayed crop development (no time to replant). The temperatures were fairly consistent

PLEASE NOTEâ&#x20AC;Ś

Hay 2018-19 seasonal climate

â&#x20AC;˘ Murrumbidgee â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 45382, down 21,838 hectares from last season. â&#x20AC;˘ Murray â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3265 hectares, down 1174 hectares from last season. The area planted fell as the drought started to have an impact on production in the region. The valleys started with a low water allocation, and about 30 per cent of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production was due to the availability of carryover water. This year the average yield was 9.86 bales per hectare for the southern cropping area, about two bales per hectare down from last year.

$ " #

Days

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

Total

Cold shock

88 (â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2)

Hot shock

53 (+23)

*Average day degrees from 1957 to 2018. Source: CSIRO.

46 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

This section contains a seasonal climate graph for each production area which compares day degrees, rainfall, hot days and cold shocks with the long term calculated average. It is important to note that the long term average figures used here relate to the 1957 to 2018 period, and will differ from the Bureau of Meteorologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long term average information which generally goes back further (particularly for rainfall). The information used for these graphs was generated using data provided through the SILO project, a business unit of the Bureau of Meteorology, and made available through funding from CRDC. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Further information regarding these organisations can be found at: â&#x20AC;˘ CSIRO at www.csiro.au; â&#x20AC;˘ CottAssist at www.cottassist.com.au; â&#x20AC;˘ The SILO project at www.bom.gov.au/silo; and, â&#x20AC;˘ The Cotton Research and Development Corporation at www.crdc.com.au.

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with the LT average, with the maximum up but minimums still quite cold early on. Crops started flowering by Christmas, which was similar to the previous season. There was a mix of row spacing – 40 inch, 36 inch and 30 inch, with an increase in 30 inch especially towards the Murray area. The narrow row spacing is becoming popular as the crop goes further south, with this year seeing some good yields from the 30 inch crops in Victoria. Hormone drift damage was still evident this season, but nowhere near as bad as the past two seasons. Early-season: This season saw temperatures rise in early September, but they fell off towards the end of that month. By early October the south had optimal planting conditions but there were a few isolated storms which produced some hail for a few growers. Mid-season: Early fruit set was low in the crop this year, with the crops starting to flower by late December. There was a significant increase in day temperatures above 40°C this season from last season and compared to the long term average. Night temperatures were also significantly up, which affected the crop’s pollen, resulting in high levels of cavitation and pollen blast. Heat units and solar radiation tracked along the average during the flowering period, but evapotranspiration through the flowering period was way up on the average for the south this year. Late-season: Crops during the February/ March period experienced an increase in heat and also an increase in evapotranspiration. Days over 35°C were well up on the average as were days over 40°C. This put a lot of pressure on getting the last irrigation right. It was a mistake to delay or stretch out an irrigation during this phase. Fibre quality was good, with only a little discounting occurring due to the effects of high temperatures and some growers chasing lost yield and trying to put on a late/top crop. Rainfall was lower than average for the whole season this year. The area is not summer dominant with an average of 220 mm, with this season only receiving 140 mm across the southern growing area. Most of the rain fell during the early months (September–December), resulting in a dry pick for the valley.

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Southern NSW

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when about 85 per cent of the crop was planted dry and watered up. The hot season meant that the average crop water use was 11.37 ML per hectare, compared to the average of 10 ML per hectare. Generally, the extra heat caused the crops to use about one ML per hectare more than expected and

Water use This year there was an even split between crops that were planted into moisture (preirrigated) and those that were watered up. This was a vast difference from the previous season COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 47

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crop irrigation cycles came back to five day rotations during the peak heat. The five year average for water used per bale is 1.4 bales per ML for southern NSW, but this year it was back to 0.87 bales per hectare due to the increase in-crop water use and also due to the lower yields as a result of the heat (pollen blast and lower boll weight).

Insects Early soil insect pressure was low as growers selected fields that didn’t have the potential for pressure. Once again, many growers used either in-furrow sprays or granular protection, as replanting is not an option for the south. Thrip numbers were up early in the seedling phase. As planting insecticide residuals ran out, many crops were sprayed to minimise early fruit loss or any reduction in leaf surface area. Mirid pressure came in early and early square loss was seen as the crops started producing squaring sites. Early retention levels were around 70 per cent, with a few crops as low as 50 per cent as a result of this early mirid damage. Heliothis pressure was low with a few egg lays in the early part of the season but heliothis pressure didn’t pose a problem this year. The hot conditions allowed more generations of silverleaf whitefly to cycle through as bolls started to open. The populations quickly increased in February as the conditions became favourable. The crops were closely monitored and there were some releases of small beneficial wasps, while a few crops had preventive chemical sprays. There were no reports of sticky cotton caused by whitefly. Mite pressure was low, even in crops that were sprayed early for thrips. Once again there were a few hot spots in crops, and with drones and variable rate spraying (VRS) technology, these were easily brought under control and didn’t cause too much damage.

Disease Black root rot continues to be a problem on back to back country and in the areas where cotton has been grown for a number of years. Growers are trying to rotate and plant into warmer soils and we are seeing more trials (farmer) being conducted to help overcome this problem. Plastic is being used as a means of keeping the soil temperature warmer for the establishment phase, not as an option to plant earlier under colder conditions but to keep temperatures up during the establishment phase and stimulate root growth. Of the fields surveyed this year, 70 per cent were confirmed having the disease. Rhizoctonia was once again seen mainly on 48 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

D I S T R I B U T O R S

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older cotton country. Growers are now applying additional fungicide to control this disease as they don’t want to risk a replant. Alternaria leaf spot was low this year early, mainly due to the low rainfall and lack of favourable conditions for this disease, but levels did increase later in the season. Fusarium levels were once again low, with only two fields identified as carrying the disease.

Weeds As a result of the reliance on glyphosate, some growers are now making the switch to include residual herbicides in their program. This trend will increase as growers in the south start to become more confident in using these products. The one concern is around establishment and the potential damage they could do under cool, wet growing conditions at the start. Hormone drift still poses a problem, but this year there was less compared to the previous two seasons. Pre-season meetings and neighbour notification have helped reduce this problem and increased awareness of drift potential of some of these products.

Defoliation and picking Defoliation in the south started early, with picking starting in mid-April for some growers. There were not a lot of discounts and quality was good. There were some high trash levels which also effected the turnout percentage which was lower this year. Strength and length were excellent, but there were a few crops with low micronaire discounts. The better yields came from crops that were finished off first and also from Sicot 714 B3F. The Sicot 746 B3F didn’t go as well due to the peak flowering time coinciding with the extreme heat, resulting in high levels of pollen blast and small seed size. Sicot 714 B3F had about 15 per cent higher in yield than Sicot 746 B3F or Sicot 748 B3F. The next experimental lines were higher again and look promising for the south.

Summary Overall the 2018–19 season was a hot one for southern NSW. There were some good yields and there were some disappointing ones. Irrigation timing and managing the crop growth through nutrition and growth regulants were the keys for getting good yields. If you were late on irrigation, not enough nutrition or wrong timing, you paid the price. Next season looks to be down on hectares for the south as the drought continues. High water prices are also seeing growers trade the water, with river water trading well above $500/ML.

Contact your local CSD E&D Agronomist today to discuss your growing options JAMES QUINN

 Marketing, Extension & Development Lead  0428 950 028  jquinn@csd.net.au

STEWART BROTHERTON  Central Queensland  0455 682 068  stewartb@csd.net.au

SAM LEE

JORIAN MILLYARD

 Extension & Development Manager - Queensland  0427 437 236  saml@csd.net.au

 Extension & Development Manager - NSW  0428 950 009  jmillyard@csd.net.au

CHRIS BARRY

LARISSA HOLLAND

 Darling Downs, Burnett & Fraser Coast  0491 212 705  cbarry@csd.net.au

 Queensland  0428 950 003  lholland@csd.net.au

CHRIS TEAGUE

ALICE CURKPATRICK

ANGUS MARSHALL

 Border Rivers & Balonne  0428 950 021  cteague@csd.net.au

 Gwydir Valley  0418 818 142  acurkpatrick@csd.net.au

 Northern NSW  0428 950 054  amarshall@csd.net.au

BOB FORD

CRAIG MCDONALD

ELLA STEINFORT

 Namoi Valley & Walgett  0428 950 015  bford@csd.net.au

 Central NSW  0484 513 566  cmcdonald@csd.net.au

 Central & Southern NSW  0428 950 033  esteinfort@csd.net.au

 www.csd.net.au

 /CottonSeedDistributors

 @csd_cotton

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Macquarie Valley

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP

By Amanda Thomas

This section brought to you in association with

Early season The 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19 season got off to a fair start with projected plantings of around 19,000 hectares. There were some cold shock days early in the season that resulted in some areas being replanted. This gave the valley a pretty spaced out planting window for the 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19 season. Early in the season, there was some insect pressure in a few areas. As cereals dried off, thrips moved into cotton and damaged the growing tips, but together with some early helicoverpa eggs, also provided the opportunity for beneficial beetle numbers to build up. The usual disease suspects were present early in the season. There was a high incidence of Rhizoctonia and black root rot but the severity of the diseases was not significant. Cold shock days were well below the average, but there were big temperature variations across the region. There was some early storm activity that saw around 40 mm north of Warren and 70 mm around Narromine after the October 1 planting window. Due to windy conditions, some cases of bronzing of the cotyledons and first few true leaves were evident in areas across the valley, but the plant seemed to grow out of this. First irrigation was generally a thirsty one with some fields north of Warren taking 1.5 megs per hectare and those south of Warren on average

Macquarie Valley cotton area

around one meg per hectare.

Mid season By December 12, we were behind the average

Warren 2018-19 seasonal climate

Ave Day Degrees*

& $ % "! $" & $

Total Day Degrees: 3033 (+509); Total rain: 230 mm (â&#x20AC;&#x201C;111)

& $ % "!

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*Average day degrees from 1957 to 2018. Source: CSIRO.

50 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Stu Denston hosted the Smart Farm Showcase on February 21, 2019.

This section brought to you in association with

Macquarie Valley: Area and production

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Camp cotton 2019. The fashion industry getting hands on experience of the cotton industry. COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 51

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The total water use was sitting around 6.08.5 ML per hectare for overhead irrigation and around 9.0 ML per hectare for furrow irrigation with an average of nine in-crop and one water up. Many growers were short one or two waters and this had a major impact on yield potential. The late season insect pressure was generally pretty low compared with previous seasons. There was the odd mite hot spot around the valley. Defoliation began around March 18 as growers were waiting for bolls to mature in top heavy crops. Conditions were good for steady leaf drop and also some fields were slow to defoliate, but there were not too many issues across the board. By April the valley had experienced the highest day degrees on record. The picking conditions were generally pretty good due to the dry circumstances, but the yields were a “bit of a mixed bag.” The later planted crops seem to have better yields in general due to extreme

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP

Given that the valley is experiencing one of the worst droughts on record we got through the 2018-2019 season with some pretty pleasing results. The prospect for the coming season is around 4000 hectares of cotton which will be predominantly grown with ground water allocations, as like many other valleys we have zero general security allocation and have no carry over in the system.

2013/14

There was some Verticillium and Fusarium wilt confirmed late in the season, but it was very low in incidence and severity. The architecture of some crops was a bit light on in the middle, and the hope of filling the top bolls was running out with increased temperatures and high demand for water every irrigation.

•

heat in the peak flowering period. The cotton was very dry through the gins, but length was not as good as it was the previous season and there were some reports of high micronaire and short staple in some samples. But base grade was generally produced where water was not limited. The average yield for the valley is estimated to be somewhere around 11.4 bales per hectare, but the range was very wide.

2012/13

Late season

D I S T R I B U T O R S

2011/12

The heat had hit by the first weeks of January and accumulated day degrees were at record levels. The irrigation cycles were tightened up and sitting around seven to nine day cycles by late January. Shedding of bolls was starting to occur due to the heatwave conditions and many were starting to realise they may be short of water if in-crop rainfall did not come soon.

S E E D

2010/11

Mirid pressure was starting to build in some areas but there were lots or reports of good beneficial numbers including ladybird beetles, damsel bugs, and lots of spiders. Early retention was very high during mid to late December and the crop was sitting around 21 nodes, 8 nodes above white flower. Late December did have a pleasant surprise – a substantial reduction in off target spray drift. The Macquarie valley had a very targeted awareness program in the pre-season pulled together and promoted by the Stop Off Target Spray Committee (sosmacquarievalley.com.au) which had a big impact across the whole valley.

C O T T O N

2009/10

on hot days with only one at Narromine and four at Warren and Trangie and patchy rainfall was still happening with storms popping up around the valley. The crop was progressing well at 10–14 nodes, squaring at around nodes 7–8.

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SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP This section brought to you in association with

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Highlights The valley hosted some great field days in the 2018–19 season. The ‘smart farm showcase’ was a big success with 110 in attendance to check out the latest in telemetry and learn about bankless irrigation layouts. Growers are very interested in this area and we hope to continue on with the smart farm theme in our future field days. The Macquarie Valley hosted Camp Cotton 2019. Brooke Summers who runs Cotton Australia’s Cotton to Market Program, along with Mike Murray, Sarah Clarry and Lucy Brennan from Cotton Australia came out with around 20 representatives from the fashion industry. Many brands were represented including MJ Bale, Sussan, Bonds, Trenery and Outland Denim. CottonInfo and Cotton Australia (Julie Wise and Sally Ceeney) were proud to showcase the Macquarie Valley to our visitors. The industry took the group through some of the challenges the industry is facing and shared the story of Australian cotton’s quality, sustainability and innovation. To say they were receptive was an understatement. Over the two days the attendees got to talk to growers, ginners, marketers and those who

D I S T R I B U T O R S

•

benefit from the local cotton industry and they came together for a camp oven dinner under the stars. They got to go through a gin and ride on pickers and many of them saw cotton growing for the first time. Over the course of the two days the participants of “Camp Cotton 2019“ learned that no one wears just one hat when you’re a cotton grower. From our photographer, Claire Gill to the many family farms that produce cotton and other commodities, they got to see that “it’s a way of life” and that we are all very proud of what goes into producing the “world’s best cotton.” It was a great collaboration for all involved and we hope to see it continue into the future.

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Bourke

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP

By Craig McDonald Bourke town is soon to go to Level 5 water restrictions. No water has flowed over the Bourke Weir for more than 400 days. The Bourke growers and the supporting industries are looking forward to a season when cotton can be grown again. Employment in the area would be boosted by up to 60 workers when cotton is planted there.

Bourke 2018-19 seasonal climate Total Day Degrees: 3483 (+477); Total rain: 146 mm (â&#x20AC;&#x201C;112)

Ave Day Degrees*

$ " #

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Dec

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*Average day degrees from 1957 to 2018. Source: CSIRO.

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COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 53

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he Bourke region experienced another very hot and dry season during 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19. There was no cotton grown in the area due to the lack of available irrigation water. Between October 1, 2018 and April 20, 2019 there were 109 days above 35Â°C and 40 days above 40Â°C. These are 142 per cent and 184 per cent above the long term averages respectively. There were also 43 nights above 25Â°C. Crop evapotranspiration for the same period was 2122 compared to the long term average of 1777. The peak period of crop Et was the week of January 15â&#x20AC;&#x201C;22, 2019. Day degrees for the 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19 season were 3183 compared to 3103 the previous year and the long term average of 2642 DD.

This section brought to you in association with

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R O U N D - U P

Area (hectares)

Bales

A R E A

2018/19

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By Bob Ford

This section brought to you in association with

his was one of the toughest seasons for growers across the Namoi as water ran short due to the persistent hot weather that started at planting and, with little reprieve apart from November, continued through one of the hottest, most prolonged seasons on record. For the third year running temperatures were well above average with very little rainfall falling past December, although there was reasonable rainfall in October. Major plant stress occurred to

Narrabri West 2018-19 seasonal climate

Ave Day Degrees*

$ " # " $ "

Total Day Degrees: 3099 (+425); Total rain: 302 mm (-187)

$ " #

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38 (â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18)

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68 (+37)

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56 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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irrigation crops through flowering and well into February as every scenario with water shortages played out from one water short to three or four waters short. There were also many issues, particularly in the upper Namoi, with bores and overhead irrigators not being able to keep up with crop demands. The amount of water that was used to water-up crops averaged 1.8 megalitres per hectare but in the upper Namoi got as high as 3.0 megalitres per hectare. This effectively placed growers in a difficult situation in January having to work out which fields got watered and which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. There was around 27,000 hectares of irrigated cotton planted last season across the Namoi and around 20,000 hectares of dryland that had a wide planting window from midOctober to just after Christmas as growers waited for the opportunity for some rain and a soil moisture profile. Unfortunately, many growers took a punt and planted on less than ideal soil moisture profiles hoping for rain in January. In didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come. A majority of the dryland crops were sown well into November and early December. The main varieties of choice were Sicot 748B3F at 59 per cent in the lower Namoi and Sicot 746B3F at

Upper Namoi Valley

*Average day degrees from 1957 to 2018. Source: CSIRO.

Hectares

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SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP

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50 per cent in the Upper Namoi. Most dryland crops grown in the lower Namoi were Sicot 748B3F and in the upper Namoi there was a mix of Sicot 746B3F and Sicot 714B3F. Insect pressure was relatively light, probably due to the dry weather, and very few sprays were applied. There was some whitefly pressure during late January and into February requiring one or two sprays which added an extra and unwanted cost late in the season. There was very little growth control used last season as water stress and boll load cut crops out. For those growers that were able to keep up with the water demands of the crop, boll numbers were good and yields at the end of the season were around 14 to 15 bales per hectare. Any ‘water-short’ farms lost around 1.5 bales per hectare for each water short, with a majority of the lower Namoi yielding around 12 bales per hectare and the upper Namoi yielding around 10 bales per hectare. Dryland yields across the Namoi were very poor with around 25 per cent of dryland crops being abandoned. The rest probably should have been abandoned with many quality discounts and yields below one bale per hectare. There were very few good news stories with dryland this season, with the best yields being around

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two bales per hectare. A majority of dryland crops were stripped by either conventional strippers or the new 12 metre strippers. At this point of time both Keepit Dam and Split Rock Dam are at one per cent with no water allocation for next season. Bore allocations have been cut back but remain OK at the moment. It is predicted that there will be around 16,000 hectares of irrigated cotton grown on bore water across the Namoi in 2019–20, which is around 20 per cent of the what can be grown across the valley. Dryland cotton soil profiles are very empty and require a minor/medium flood to fill them up before any dryland cotton will be sown.

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP This section brought to you in association with

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COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 57

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Gwydir Valley By Alice Curkpatrick

he 2018–19 season got off to a reasonable start, as storms swept across the Gwydir Valley in early and mid October, and while patchy, they did provide some optimism for the season ahead. With a relatively small area to go in to irrigated country, most crops were planted in the last two weeks of October in a tight timeframe. Conditions at planting were good, but a heatwave coupled with high winds in the first week of November put pressure on emerging

The Gwydir Valley cotton area

MAP LEGEND

cotyledons, with some reports of sandblasting. This was followed by a very cool change and a couple of cold shock events, before temperatures heated up and the dry winds returned. The opportunity that dryland growers had been waiting for arrived with an inch of rain around November 21 with more than 5000 hectares going in on the back of this event. December forecasts for rain had dryland growers optimistic for follow-ups, but unfortunately falls weren’t as widespread this time. But further dryland area did go in, stretching the dryland planting window out considerably. Final numbers at the close of the window were just under 30,000 hectares green area for dryland cotton and 15,000 hectares of irrigated. Early planted dryland crops started squaring nicely with most of their flowering completed in December and very early January when temperatures were milder. Crops planted into stubble generally established well, whereas the considerable area that went into irrigated country struggled to hold onto planting moisture with the hot, dry winds that followed the rain events. The irrigated crop boasted a lot of potential

Gwydir Valley: Area and production 1200000 120000 1000000 100000

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58 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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This section brought to you in association with

R O U N D - U P

2013/14

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP

A R E A

Why cotton is the crop to pick

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Consistently higher gross margins

Biotechnology in cotton means less insecticides

Greater flexibility in planting windows allows optimum planting schedules

Advances in breeding and biotech have reduced risk

Forwarding options and the small size of the domestic market

More and more Australian growers are discovering the benefits of including cotton in their crop rotations. If you’ve been thinking about joining them, the Acres of Opportunity website is a great place to start.

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This section brought to you in association with

Moree 2018-19 seasonal climate

Ave Day Degrees*

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Total Day Degrees: 3170 (+457); Total rain: 217 mm (â&#x20AC;&#x201C;228)

$ " #

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â&#x20AC;˘

1.5 bales per hectare. Breakeven points varied across businesses, but many of those contracting pickers and thinking about their rotation options decided not to persevere. Those who left their dryland crops to grow on did benefit a little from some mid and late March rainfall. Crops to the east of Moree saw some moderate yet respectable yields considering the lack of rainfall, and quality discounts in these parts were a little better than expected, with ginners reporting lengths of 34 and 35. Overall, average dryland yields hovered between 0.5 and 1.5 bales per hectare. Those who planted into a full moisture profile and then received next to no effective in-crop rainfall have for the most part broken even financially. This has shown the robustness of dryland cotton â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that the very worst case scenario in season can still deliver a fair outcome. Final irrigated yields were almost in direct correlation to the amount of water available and the timeliness of its application. Those crops that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t receive their full water program achieved yields anywhere from 9 to 12 bales per hectare, depending on exactly how limited they were. But the standout results have come from those who were in a position to allocate a full budget â&#x20AC;&#x201C; yields of 15 bales per hectare were common, with results even up around 16 and 17 bales per hectare. This really shows the potential of the varieties and the fact that this season actually had very good cotton growing conditions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as long as you had the water to irrigate. Quality was excellent in the irrigated cotton â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the only issue being reports of small amounts of high micronaire in the order of 5.0 to 5.2. But given the fact that we had almost 80 days over 35Â°C this season this is not surprising. Turn outs were strong with Sicot 746B3F hovering around 42 per cent.

through flowering, with retentions remaining high at around 90 per cent thanks to very little insect pressure and seemingly endless sunny days. With next to no effective in-crop rainfall, growers became nervous about their water budgets around the end of January, with some choosing to cut their crops out early to maximise boll fill on the fruit that they had. At the start of defoliation, boll numbers were encouraging, averaging around 150 to 160

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP

D I S T R I B U T O R S

*Average day degrees from 1957 to 2018. Source: CSIRO.

with a few nudging the 200 mark. Silver leaf whitefly numbers were significant on some fields and difficult to control, requiring knock-downs before defoliation. At the end of the season, approximately one quarter of the dryland crop was destroyed and not picked. Very difficult decisions were made around yield estimates of around 0.5 to

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•

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP This section brought to you in association with

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Border Rivers By Chris Teague

he 2018–19 season started out with some hope of perhaps a return to a ‘normal’ growing season where it rains a bit and the river runs. Turns out that wasn’t to be, so we saw a mixed bag of results. The lead up to the season was dry with no significant inflows into upstream storages. This impacted on water availability for irrigators and areas were back on the previous season with approximately 27,000 hectares planted. Dryland growers were able to respond to several opportunities with approximately 16,500 green hectares planted. The season offered a few challenges for crop managers who were not helped climatically with well below average rainfall and hot, dry and windy conditions prevailed. These conditions

The Border Rivers cotton area

saw increased crop evapotranspiration, particularly for December through February, which put extra pressure on all crops. Dryland crops did it tough with little effective in-crop rainfall and mostly surviving on profile moisture. A stand out this season was that a record number of hot days (≥36°C) was experienced. This rising trend has persisted for the past few seasons and can be observed in Figure 1 for Goondiwindi airport. Dates range from October 1 to April 20 for the past 10 years. This season saw 71 hot days recorded, which is unprecedented in records going back to 1957. For perspective, CottASSIST indicates the long term average number of hot days for this site is 27 days, yet the past five-year average is 54 days. Although a record number of hot days was recorded, we were fortunate that this season didn’t see drawn out periods of extreme +40°C days or too many hot nights as seen several seasons ago. As a consequence of the mixed scenarios experienced, the valley saw high variability in yields, exacerbated in some cases by shrinking water budgets, stretched irrigations, solid fields converted to single skip or crop removal which all contributed to less area picked than planted.

FIGURE 1: Goondiwindi Airport hot days ≥36°C

Crops that ran short of water or were semi irrigated yielded in the five to eight bales per hectare range. Irrigated crops with full water performed pretty well, but those with stretched irrigation intervals fell short. The range for these scenarios was around 9.5 to 15 bales per hectare. Dryland crops that made it to harvest ranged from 0.5 to 2.5 bales per hectare with many at the lower end of the scale. Quality in general was good to excellent from irrigated crops but many dryland crops did suffer penalties.

Planting

(CottAssist – April 1 to October 20)

62 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

With weather warming up through early September some took advantage of planting opportunities which saw some cotton going in the ground around the middle of September through to early October. Conditions for establishment varied significantly for these crops with growth and development checked at times due to fluctuations in temperatures and windy weather. The mid-October cold snap didn’t show this season but in its place were some handy falls of rain.

Stay safe on the land this harvest season.

Take a moment to get to know these safety considerations as they could help to save a life when working on the LAND: L ook up and live. Overhead powerlines should be identified and marked at ground level.

Essential Energy can provide electrical network maps showing the location of overhead powerlines on your property.

Always be aware. Before accessing paddocks and work areas, check the location and condition of poles and wires. Conditions can change without notice and heat can affect powerline height.

N eed to know. Know the height of farm machinery in raised and lowered positions so you can maintain safe clearance distances from powerlines. ALWAYS lower machinery fully before moving off.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disembark. If your machinery comes into contact with overhead powerlines, stay in the vehicle, if safe to do so, and call Essential Energy immediately on 13 20 80.

Plan for a safe harvest season with free resources, tools, machinery signage and network maps. Visit us at essentialenergy.com.au/safety or call 13 23 91

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The bulk of planting commenced around October 20. Some growers intended to plant before then but were delayed due to the rain. Planting saw a mix of pre irrigated, rain moisture and watered up scenarios with some pre irrigated fields delayed as a consequence of the rain.

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP This section brought to you in association with

Growing season Conditions at the start of November saw temperatures exceeding 36Â°C combined with strong winds which took a toll on crops establishing at the time. Crops planted through November experienced excellent soil temperatures with good establishment with seedlings emerging quickly.

Goondiwindi 2018-19 seasonal climate

Ave Day Degrees*

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*Average day degrees from 1957 to 2018. Source: CSIRO.

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64 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Mixed falls of rain in mid to late November of around 25â&#x20AC;&#x201C;90 mm allowed some dryland planting opportunities. Good growing conditions persisted through early December, and generally speaking insect pressure was light with the exception of some high helicoverpa egg lays with susceptible crops requiring intervention. Sporadic mirid activity was reported with numbers starting to build. December and January remained hot and dry with above average crop evapotranspiration observed. This placed further pressure on irrigation scheduling and requirements. Fortunately, night time temperatures remained relatively cool, allowing crops to recover overnight. By this stage with no help from the sky, water budgets were becoming a concern with many looking very tight with plenty of season ahead. Some tough decisions were made by growers faced with the prospect of being at least one to three irrigations short. This harsh reality saw some fields being dropped out, some solid configurations being skipped out and/or irrigations being stretched. Early and main season planted dryland crops were looking down the barrel of premature cut out due to the persistent high temperatures and lack of rainfall. Late planted crops fared better at this stage with everyone counting on some January and February storms to help them through. Insect activity through January remained relatively low to moderate with mirid activity proving variable with many fields reaching threshold and requiring control. Silverleaf whitefly (SLW) activity remained low although populations were building in more advanced crops. By late January through February, summer storms were looking to be a non-event. By late February the fate of irrigated crops remained a mixed bag with some fields doing it tough while others were shaping up well. Dryland fields struggled through with growers starting to contemplate the decision on whether to pick, strip or to plough fields out. February and March saw insect management generally focussed on monitoring and managing SLW as crops matured. Sporadic observations of mealybug were reported again this season with several reports of good results from IPM measures used for control. There was finally a decent storm event of 125-220mm on March 15 and 16 but it was localised around Goondiwindi and Boggabilla and highly variable. Significant rain fell within a three to four hour period causing some

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issues for those under the heaviest falls, but the problems were mostly outweighed by the opportunity to capture on-farm runoff. This event was too late for the greater majority of dryland crops but some late crops did benefit and grew on to make some relatively respectable yields.

Yield and quality Yields in irrigated crops were influenced by irrigation availability and timing with a range of 9 to 15 bales per hectare – some outliers exist at either end of this range. Crops that ran out of water or were semi irrigated fall back to the five to eight bales per hectare range. Quality held up well in general with good colour, leaf, length and strength in fully irrigated crops, with some high micronaire observed. Dryland cotton on the other hand has suffered with low yields ranging from 0.5 bales per hectare to 2.5 bales per hectare. Quality was hit particularly hard, with shorter staple and lower strength not uncommon.

Disease Disease levels were generally low but there were reports of incidence of Verticillium wilt in fields with a known area or history. The early season disease survey by QDAF found relatively low incidence of Rhizoctonia, Pythium and Black root rot as conditions generally were not conducive. Late season assessments for Verticillium and Fusarium wilt suggested a relatively low level of Fusarium wilt, but Verticillium wilt incidence was relatively high.

Field days and events Area Wide Management meetings with CottonInfo and Cotton Australia were held at Boomi, Toobeah and Boggabilla. The Bayer Cotton Grower of the Year field day was held on March 20 with hosts Brett and Anna Corish and the team at Mundine showcasing their farm. The Macintyre Valley Cotton Field Day Committee (MVCFDC) with the assistance of the Mundine team offered a “roots and all” theme for the day, providing six practical sessions of which attendees could choose any three, including a farm tour. The day wrapped up with some entertaining yarns from representatives from the Classic Wallabies and Queensland Women’s Rugby. The MVCFDC held another successful golf day on July 19 with a full field of 144 players in attendance. Players generously contributed to novelty holes and auction at the end of play, with all proceeds of the day going to the local high school bursary. For the second year in a row a Macintyre

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valley grower won the Bayer Grower of the Year Award. The award was presented on July 24 at the Cotton Collective and went to Tom and Charm Arnott ‘Fairfield’ and ‘Tambalaka,’ Boggabilla. The Mungindi Cotton Growers Association Charity Golf Day was held at ‘Royal Mungindi’ on September 13 and saw a huge roll up for the day. Fundraising and donations raised $16,000 which went straight back into the Mungindi community with cheques presented on the day. The 2018–19 annual cotton awards dinner was held on the evening of Friday, August 30. The crop awards for this season went to the following recipients. Farm of the Year ‘Carrington’ Thomas Popp, RMI Irrigated Crop Award 1st: ‘Carrington’ Thomas Popp, RMI 2: Place ‘Macintyre Downs’ Carbrooke Farms, MCA Ag Management 3rd: ‘Wirindi’ Carbrooke Farms, MCA Ag Management Efficiency Award (bales/ML) 1st: ‘Myall Downs’ Angus Doolan 2nd: ‘Getta Getta’ Will Coulton 3rd: ‘Orton Park’ Sam Dight Dryland Crop Award 1st: ‘Booroondoo North’ D&R Gurner 2nd: ‘Strathmore’ Cameron Henwood 3rd: ‘Welltown’ Bob Morris Service to the Industry Award Glen Smith Patricia Coulton Award Craig Collyer, RMI Innovation Award Maurice Hayes, Hayes Spraying Young Achiever Award Tom Coulton Also acknowledged for outstanding service and commitment to the Macintyre valley cotton industry were Iain Macpherson, Jim O’Connor and Phil Sloan.

2019–20 season At the time of writing prospects for summer crop planting are very limited and the dryland planting opportunities will be reliant upon significant falls of rain. Irrigated crops will be few and far between. Pindari dam is at 4.7 per cent and Glenlyon dam is at 2.9 per cent, which sees a combined 3.9 per cent capacity.

COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 65

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP This section brought to you in association with

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By Sam Lee, CSD

s was the case with the majority of cotton growing regions throughout Australia, the Darling Downs 2018–19 season saw below average rainfall and warm weather, as we continue to battle the current drought. Despite conditions which delivered a wide range of yield and quality across the region, there were still some very good results, which is a testament to the resilience and adaptation of the growers’ crop management.

This section brought to you in association with led to variable establishment in both irrigated and dryland crops, with many irrigated fields requiring a quick flush to help emergence.

Darling Downs cotton area MAP LEGEND

Establishment and growing conditions After suffering through another dry season with very little winter crop to speak of, the region welcomed some good October rainfall, with some areas even breaking rainfall records for the month. This gave a sense of hope early in the season and many planted on moisture in late October/early November. The hope was that the rain would also boost profiles in dryland country, but unfortunately due to the intensity of many falls, the moisture had not penetrated as far as hoped and profiles dried down very quickly. This

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of temperatures in the high 30s, combined with strong northerly winds, quickly turning conditions to less than ideal for

establishment. To add insult Ave Day Degrees* to injury, temperatures then dropped dramatically, with maximums lower by 10Â°C and a number of cold shock ! # $ "

!" days to follow, as minimums plummeted into single $ " # figures. Final establishment was variable, with many Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr Days Total patchy areas and some 3 4 0 0 0 1 4 32 (â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12) Cold shock 20 replanting. 0 0 3 4 9 9 4 0 29 (+16) Hot shock In-crop rainfall was very *Average day degrees from 1957 to 2018. Source: CSIRO. sparse from November onward, with the only was quite light, possibly a factor of the very major event a large storm system in December, small winter crop area in the nearby regions. which dumped up to 300mm in a very short Once the season got underway and crops space of time over a small area of the Downs. began to reach squaring and flowering, insect Although quite a narrow band, those who were numbers began to increase, with non-Bollgard underneath did manage to see some water run. crops coming under quite heavy pressure and The effects of this cell were not long lasting in requiring a number of spray applications. A few terms of moisture in profiles, but did allow some mirid sprays were also required in GM crops, irrigators the opportunity to apply some extra but in general the pressure was still reasonably water to finish the crop late season. low. Beneficials were in good number and many There was cotton planted right up until the growers and consultants made use of this, end of the planting window on the Downs due relying on softer programs to maintain these to the December rainfall event. The hopes that populations. there would be some follow up in the new year Weeds were well controlled, partly due to the were unsubstantiated and very little help from fact that there was very little significant rainfall above came for the remainder of the growing to promote weed growth, but also due to the season, apart from some mid-March rainfall good IWM practices in place and the effective which was for many, too little too late. methods of application being implemented $ " # " $ "

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Insects, disease and weeds Early season insect pressure on the Downs

by growers. Feathertop Rhodes grass and fleabane remain a constant threat, but there is a much greater use now of selective chemicals, the rotation of chemistry and the use of new technology such as weed seekers is also certainly on the increase.

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Chesterfield High Achiever of the Year â&#x20AC;&#x201C; David and Liza Balmain with Anthony Shore from Chesterfield. (PHOTO: MRP Images) 68 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

As expected, cotton areas were well below previous years. The total dryland area finished with approximately 25,000 paddock hectares. The irrigation area was also reduced from previous seasons and totalled approximately 27,000 hectares. A reasonable amount of dryland cotton was removed before picking, due to not being viable or profitable following the harsh conditions. There was a wide range in yield and quality, particularly in dryland cotton, which was quite

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the industry, with a retirement gift presented on the night.

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The coming season There are no surprises that the current outlook for the 2019–20 season is for a reduced summer crop planting. At this stage there is very little stored water anywhere and bore allocations have also been heavily cut back in the region. Fallows, while widespread and large in number are very dry. Good rainfall will be required during spring or early summer in order to increase the current forecast, which includes very little dryland area at all. The forecast area for irrigated cotton is also very minimal, with approximately 5000 to 10,000 hectares likely at this stage across the Downs. While the outlook might not be the best, those in the industry have certainly seen this situation before and are aware of the possibility that things can turn around very quickly with the right change in conditions.

This section brought to you in association with

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Vanderfield Grower of the Year – Ash Geldard with Bruce Vandersee of Vanderfield. (PHOTO: MRP Images)

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The DDCGI awards dinner was held in September and was a very well attended night. Guests were treated to another great event and there were some very deserving winners announced on the night. Vanderfield Grower of the Year: Ash and Rebecca Geldard (Miles) Consultants: Tim Richards and Frank Valentine (MCA Agriculture) Chesterfield High Achiever of the Year: David and Liza Balmain (Cecil Plains) Consultant: Jamie Innes (Landmark) DDCGInc Service to Industry Award: Lyn and Bobbie Brazil ANZ Highest Irrigated Yield Award: Jason and Briony Sinclair (New Leaf Ag, Condamine) – 17.32 bales per hectare ANZ Highest Dryland Yield Award: Mike and Andrea Stewart (Byee) – 4.41 bales per hectare Greg McVeigh Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Yield & Water Use Efficiency: Skerman Farming (Kupunn) – 14.08 bales per hectare, 1.969 bales per mL Tilco Unsung Hero Award: Steven MacNellie (QC/Olam Dalby Gin) Retiring local consultant Bernie Caffery was also recognised for his long term commitment to

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dependent on planting date and the conditions during flowering and boll fill. Yields mostly ranged between 0.75 to 2.5 bales per hectare in dryland and from about 9.0 bales per hectare to 13 bales per hectare in irrigated crops. There were of course outliers outside of these ranges and this included some particularly good yields in skip row irrigated crops, with some 60 inch and single skip irrigated fields yielding up to 14 bales per hectare. As evidenced in the local yield awards, there were some very good top end yields, which included over four bales per hectare in dryland and over 17 bales per hectare in irrigation. In terms of quality, irrigated cotton was quite good. The majority of bales made base grade in micronaire and although there were some instances of high micronaire, it was not a major problem. Strength, length and colour were also very good, although there were some leaf issues in crops where defoliation was made difficult by the conditions. Dryland cotton was a very mixed bag in terms of quality. There were some issues with micronaire and strength, but the area which was often most affected was length. Again there were no real issues with colour, due to the dry conditions when most of the crop was picked.

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finished last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report with a statement that it surely couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get much drier and if it did there could be a mass exodus of people up to the Ord. Well low and behold if we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just developed a whole lot more character and become even more resilient due to the fact that we ended up enduring the driest summer on record! Everyone out here now has more character and resilience than they can possibly bear. With regards to a mass exodus to

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Due to some minor rainfall during midOctober there was a spread of planting dates within the area. A number of growers had planted in the first week of October though the majority of crop was planted in the last 10 days of October or the first week of November. With another record dry winter, ground preparation and trash incorporation were less than perfect. But due to our recent history of dry seasons, growers have generally budgeted a couple of extra workings with cultivators and cultipackers during the winter so as to prepare a decent seed bed. Overall there was very little replanting and the back to back fields generally averaged 8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10 plants per metre while the fallow fields tended to be slightly higher at an average of 10â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12 plants per metre. The dry summers have resulted in more enforced fallows and less back

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the Ord, well I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say it has been a mass exodus yet but there are a number of growers from St George and Dirranbandi currently looking to plant crops in the Ord and NT during the coming 2019â&#x20AC;&#x201C;20 summer. Last year looked as though it would be one of the smallest plantings of cotton within the lower Balonne region in the past 40 years and only slightly bigger than the area planted in 2007. This year, due to the high price of hay and with water very limited, it appears as though it will be the smallest area of cotton planted in the past 40 years at around 1000 hectares.

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to back planting. I am very confident that all growers would dearly love to have the problems associated with back to back planting as their major issue! A number of growers took the punt on some semi-irrigated cotton with double skip being the favoured configuration though there was some single skip / 80” planted. The biggest gamble which paid off extremely well were some fields that were planted between Christmas and New Year due to a small flow that came into Beardmore Dam originating from 200 mm of rain at Cecil Plains. These crops went on to average around 10 bales per hectare which, although lower than the district average of 13.5 bales per hectare, was a great result. This was especially so considering no discounts for colour downgrades and the price of cotton seed and lint at the time. This also gives growers for this coming season the confidence to push their planting dates out to at least mid-December should decent rain or a river flow eventuate.

Early season Perhaps due to the drought and two very dry winters in a row, insect pressure especially in the form of mirids remained very light. Although we did have some influxes of Heliothis punctigera in November with decent egg lays, the Bollgard 3 handled this pressure easily. The low insect pressure resulted in very high fruit retention with numbers consistently hovering around 85–90 per cent first position fruit retained. The high retention combined with dry weather in November and December meant that crops required vigilant monitoring for irrigations. Fortunately November was quite a cool month which meant most growers were able to hold off on the first irrigation until just before December. Although the weather had been kind with regards to temperatures it had certainly remained dry and little did we realise that this would persist for the next four months. By early December growers at St George, Thallon and Dirranbandi were becoming concerned with water budgets, though the St George growers were saved by an inflow from a huge storm at Cecil Plains just before Christmas. Unfortunately Beardmore didn’t spill so there was no flood harvesting further down the river. This inflow guaranteed that all of the crops in the irrigation area would now have enough water to finish off the season.

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that there was no rain in December, January or February and only 21 mm in March. Fortunately temperatures were not as hot as previous years with very few days exceeding 40°C. Had this been the case then most growers may have run short of water even with the small inflow in December. Generally the majority of crops averaged 10–13 irrigations with the semi-irrigated cotton having four to six in-crop waterings. There was the odd field which did fall one or two irrigations short especially at Thallon while the couple of fields that had been planted at Dirranbandi ran two to three irrigations short. Due to lower mirid pressure, fruit retention remained high throughout the growing season to cut out. This translated to high yields at picking.

Late season The cooler weather continued during February and March with only two days hitting temperatures above 40°C though the majority of days were around 36°C. The cooler weather combined with full water and low mirid pressure saw retention remain high with crops looking very promising. Fields that had been planted in early October were being defoliated in the last few days of February and the first week of March with picking of these fields beginning around the third week of March. But the majority of crops were defoliated in March with picking during early April. Overall crops defoliated well with most requiring only two to three applications.

Mid-season Although the BOM had been forecasting a dry summer at no stage did we expect it to be the driest summer on record! This meant COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 71

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Insects As stated previously mirid pressure remained low throughout the season with most crops only requiring one application for mirids. But fields that were sprayed early season with low rates of fipronil generally went on to average two to three mirid applications for the season. These sprays then had a massive impact on flaring whitefly throughout the area with the highest numbers of whitefly we have ever experienced. One grower commented that once his crop had received its second defoliation there was a “cloud of whitefly moving out onto surrounding fields.” With no cool weather or rain during February and beneficials decimated by early season fipronil spraying, the whitefly population exploded. Although fields that had only received one Transform application for mirids had very low numbers of whitefly adults and nymphs, these fields were eventually inundated by adult whitefly from surrounding defoliated fields. Fields that had been sprayed two or more times with fipronil then went on to need two to three applications for whitefly, with these generally being Pegasus, Admiral and Skope. Quite a few fields ended up with either Pegasus or Skope in the first defoliation which gave good control but indicates how desperate the situation had become. The need to achieve decent control was only exacerbated by the lack of rain in February and March with some growers holding off picking until after rainfall. A clear indication of how we are creating our own problem within the area is the fact that most crops outside of the irrigation area didn’t require spraying for whitefly – some for the third season in a row. The major concern is not necessarily the extra $100–$120 per hectare in insecticide costs but rather the risk to the quality of the cotton and the impact that this will have, not just on our area but on the industry as a whole. Never can I recall a situation where growers have been hoping for rain before picking.

Yields and quality Due to the slightly cooler summer combined with both low mirid pressure and full water, the St George area went on to achieve high yields with farms averaging between 12–14 bales per hectare depending on the amount of back to back country planted. Fallow fields achieved yields of around 15 bales per hectare with most between 13.5 to 14.5 bales per hectare. Back to back fields were slightly lower with averages of 12–14 bales per hectare though the odd field did reach 15 bales per hectare. All in all a great result though 72 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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unfortunately just not enough of an area planted to take advantage of a high yielding season. As is generally the case, with high yields comes good quality. With full water, length and strength were good as was colour. The only concern was some high micronaire cotton especially with the Sicot 746B3F which tends to load up earlier and have less of a top crop.

The season ahead Depending on whether you’re a glass half full or a glass half empty kind of person will determine how you’re looking at the season ahead. From a glass half full perspective we are now drier than the Federation drought and the Millennium drought and may break the 1915 record for the driest year at 120 mm with the area now with only 86 mm of rain for the year. To beat the 1915 record we need another 40 mm of rain for the remainder of the year. In a best case scenario we should be due at least 430 mm of rain before the end of December to reach our yearly average! As one grower from Dirranbandi said the other day there has never been a drought that hasn’t broken and as the old cliché goes we are a day closer, if we can hold on. From the glass half empty perspective the Simpson Desert is just on the other side of the tree line and moving this way rapidly! But with the current BOM forecasts of a dry October, November and December it looks as though we will have our smallest cotton planting within the district in 40 years. Although the hectares are changing daily due to growers being offered huge prices from the feedlots for sorghum hay or sorghum and corn silage it appears as though we may see 800–1000 hectares planted to cotton. Some of this may not have enough water to be fully irrigated. Should we be fortunate enough that we do receive decent rains in November or December then I would expect that some growers will gamble and plant some more fields to cotton. With the fields planted between Christmas and New Year last season yielding quite well and the price of cotton and cotton seed remaining high, growers will be confident to push the planting date out a little further this year. Should we not receive rain until next January or February then there will be a large area planted to mung beans, sorghum, corn or sunflowers. If we don’t receive any decent rain this summer then it is a fairly moot point as the majority of us will have shifted to Kununurra and will be working out what to do when you have too much water. What a great problem to have!

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Dawson–Callide

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By Simon Struss

This section brought to you in association with

he area planted in the Dawson and Callide valleys was 5000 hectares of irrigation. There were no dryland plantings. 174 hectares of conventional cotton was planted.

Dawson–Callide cotton area

Sicot 714 accounted for half the area followed by Sicot 746. Only minor plantings of Sicot 748 resulted. Plantings started in August and defoliations in January.

Growing conditions Although the major planting started in September there were few problems getting crops established whenever they were planted. A major rainfall event (150 mm) occurred in mid October that provided a flow in the river. The resultant increased irrigation allocations ensured sufficient water to grow the crop to maturity. Previously the season started with zero allocation which is usually the case for the Dawson Valley. What followed could only be described as the perfect growing season with little rain to affect crops.

MAP LEGEND

As a result record yields and quality were achieved.

Insects Heliothis were present with large egg lays recorded for the first few months. Minor pin square loss resulted with no sprays required. Green mirids showed up in early December requiring two to three sprays.

Pale cotton stainers presented in December. They continue to be difficult to control given their propensity to inhabit lower sections of the plant and their hard shell inhibiting chemical penetration.

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9 Pratten St, PO Box 422, Goondiwindi Qld 4390 Ph (07) 4671 2445; Fax (07) 4671 2561 Contact: Ralph Kinsella, Mike Henderson Email: qld@smk.com.au COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 73

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Most of the other bugs (green vegetable bugs, green stink bugs, rutherglen bugs, harlequin bugs and thrips) while present did not require treating. The conventional fields came under high early heliothis pressure and were treated five times. Reniform nematodes have been identified in many fields by Dr Linda Smith and her team over the past two years. While it is highly probable that there is some yield erosion by their presence, it is hard to quantify this figure and even harder to develop a strategy to control their impact in both the short and long term.

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP This section brought to you in association with

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cornerstone of weed control with most fields sprayed three times. Problems with increasing herbicide tolerance with many weeds continues to tick away. Barnyard grass, sesbania, and feathertop Rhodes grass are the main culprits at this stage. Alternative chemistries to glyphosate for the control of grass weeds are starting to exhibit early signs of herbicide tolerance. There needs to be a re-evaluation of weed control strategies if we are to avert problems currently facing other states and countries.

Yield and quality The Moura gin processed 60,000 bales with an average yield of 11 bales per hectare. One farm averaged 13.5 bales per hectare. This would surely be a record for the area. The average GTO was 42.6 per cent. Given that there was no impact from weather on the crop the quality was excellent. It is not often that high yields and quality coincide with near record prices for lint and seed as they did this season.

Prospects for 2019â&#x20AC;&#x201C;20 As at the end of October the area planted is down 50 per cent from the previous years plantings. This is a direct result of irrigation water shortages, a similar theme facing the rest of irrigated agriculture in Queensland and NSW. This may well change with a flow in the river. But if this expected rainfall doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eventuate shortly, sorghum not cotton may well be the beneficiary given the unreliability of December planted cotton.

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HE 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19 season was another long and opportunistic one for cotton growers in the Central Highlands district, with cotton being planted from early August to late December, resulting in an extended pick from January to July. Approximately 12,000 hectares of irrigated cotton and 3500 hectares of dryland cotton

Emerald 2018-19 seasonal climate

Ave Day Degrees*

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Total Day Degrees: 3608 (+318); Total rain: 346 mm (â&#x20AC;&#x201C;147)

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$ " #

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73 (+32)

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*Average day degrees from 1957 to 2018 Source: CSIRO.

were planted in the Central Highlands during the 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19 season. A large proportion of the crop was planted before October 31, with a spring rain event allowing growers to take full advantage of the planting window until the end of December. With the flexibility of the planting window allowing growers to capitalise on any early summer rain events combined with the current price, cotton is an attractive and profitable crop choice for many dryland growers in the Central Queensland region. Last season resulted in a number of new dryland growers being welcomed to the industry. Dryland cotton meetings were held in the CQ region in an effort to share information about growing cotton. These meetings also provided broadacre farmers who are considering cotton as a rotation crop, the opportunity for updates on cotton varieties and the stewardship of Bollgard 3 technology.

Growing conditions Warm conditions ensured growers took advantage of the early planting window, but mid-August resulted in severe cold shock, with frost recorded over parts of CQ, which led to some replant. The crops planted later in August onwards had good establishment. After a relatively dry winter and early spring the Central Highlands received some welcome rain in October, which helped growers save at least one irrigation, while other growers took the opportunity to increase their area and plant irrigated and/or dryland cotton. Good weather for these early planted cotton crops and low insect populations saw many growers enter the boll opening period with cautious optimism. Crops planted in the latter half of the window struggled to hold onto fruit after being exposed to more variable weather conditions. These crops were exposed to extreme heat from the end of November through to mid- February, with multiple heat shock days and high humidity levels.

Pests and disease Cameron Geddes and Tracey Geddes from CT Farming, Emerald accepting the 1st place Cotton Quality Award from Joanne Morrison from Louis Dreyfus Company. 76 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Another dry winter meant that a significant amount of cotton trash was evident in fields. The amount of crop residue at planting is important because some pathogens which affect

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Central Highlands cotton area

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Early season surveys conducted by QDAF pathologists found low incidences of leaf spot and no black root rot spores in fields surveyed in Emerald. Early crops largely escaped with minor mirid pressure while thrip populations began to build up. Mites, jassids and silverleaf whitefly were also noted in crops around the region but at levels that were not concerning. A late season survey reported low incidence of boll rot, tight lock and seed rot due to the dry

SECTION 4 AREA ROUND-UP This section brought to you in association with

Emerald: Area and production

35000

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0 2006/07

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COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 77

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conditions. No cotton bunchy top was detected in any of the fields surveyed in Emerald. Silverleaf whitefly was abundant, driven by hot and dry conditions. Mealybugs were observed in a few fields and were controlled by a timely release of predatory insects.

Yield and fibre Pickers started mid-January and finished late July. There was a wide range of yields, reflecting the different planting dates and growing conditions experienced by each crop. The valley average for irrigated cotton was 9.9 bales per hectare and one bale per hectare for rain grown cotton, with another year of exceptional fibre quality in which 90 per cent of the cotton made the top grade. The better yields were mostly from early planted crops, which remains consistent over the past three years, where CQ has avoided rain in January and February for picking. Overall, yields were between 11–14 bales per hectare, and were

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assisted by good turnouts ranging from 41 to 46 per cent, depending on variety.

Annual Grower Awards To celebrate the end of a great season, the Central Highlands Cotton Growers and Irrigators Association Annual Awards Dinner was held in August, with over 240 people attending from across the cotton industry. Cameron Geddes and Tracey Geddes from CT Farming took out the Cotton Quality Award, which is judged using the characteristics of strength, length, colour and micronaire. CT Farming also won the Cotton Yield Award, achieving an incredible farm average of 13.72 bales per hectare. Sam and Lizzie Bradford of ‘Arcturus’ won the Rain Grown Cotton Award with a double skip crop that averaged 1.67 bales per hectare. The results from the awards reflected the high quality and yields coming from the Central Highlands district.

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So to get the ball rolling on solving your short-term labour needs, go to www.the-gate.com.au and register (for free) on The-Gate’s database or contact Catherine on 0408 717 459

www.the-gate.com.au 78 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Noble gases and clever science equals better grasp on groundwater �� 80 Cave secrets unlocked to show past drought and rainfall patterns �� 88 Cotton water storage snapshot �� 90 Megadrought caused mega biodiversity loss �� 92

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SECTION 5 WATER MATTERS This section brought to you in association with

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Noble gases and clever science equals better grasp on groundwater By Thea Williams, CSIRO

HE gas trapped in Antarctic ice cores is known to provide unique insights into Earth’s ancient atmosphere. Perhaps lesser known is the value of gases in Australian groundwater – the terrestrial equivalent. That’s because underneath parts of our flat, dry, ancient continent runs – very slowly – some of the oldest water on Earth. A new laboratory at CSIRO is now able to contribute to telling us the history of Australian groundwater, its origins and how it has moved through space and time, with much greater precision and accuracy. The Noble Gas Facility – the first in the Southern Hemisphere – provides an entirely new facility to contribute to Australian groundwater investigations. It has been a labour of love, taking physicists three years to build from scratch, especially adapted to Australian conditions. Its applications range from paleoclimate studies to pollution and hydrology. Most of all, we’ll get a much better understanding of the precious resource and how it might be impacted through use and by development.

Back to the periodic table Forgotten your high school chemistry or physics? It’s UNESCO’s International Year of the Periodic Table this year, 150 years since Dmitri

The periodic table. 80 – COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Mendeleev discovered the Periodic Law on March 1, 1869, which came to be considered the ‘common language for science’. CSIRO physicist Dr Axel Suckow has made a career from noble gases. “They’re the elements on the right side of the Periodic Table of elements and they don’t react – they are helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon,” he says. “Helium was first seen on the sun when Bunsen and Kirchhoff developed spectral analysis. Argon has the highest mixing ratio in the atmosphere – there is 10,000 times more argon than helium. “Krypton and xenon are difficult because they are hard to separate.” They have unique signatures because of radioactive decay from the rocks hosting aquifers where the groundwater flows, and each tells a different story of geological history of the groundwater. Axel likens them to a footprint in the sand – pieces of information you can follow. They are, in fact, called tracers. “A traced substance can allow you to follow a natural process – in water it can tell us how fast water moves, how does it mix, where does

CSIRO physicist Dr Axel Suckow has made a career from noble gases.

anz.valleyirrigation.com

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it infiltrate, at which temperature, how fast does it infiltrate, where does it exit,” Axel explains.

Building a noble gas facility There aren’t many people in the world who know how to build a noble gas machine. Axel spent time towards the end of his PhD in Heidelberg sleeping in the lab with an alarm waking him up every 20 minutes to change valves. He knew then, the machine had to be automated.

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He built a noble gas machine in Vienna – 3.5 years to build the hardware, two years spent developing the software and another 18 months ‘teaching’ it to calibrate the data from samples. With that experience, and help from CSIRO staff in the ‘Environmental Tracers and Applications’ team, it has ‘only’ taken three years to build the new machine in Adelaide – instead of seven. The Noble Gas Facility in Adelaide is completely automated. This doesn’t just make it simpler to use, it makes it much more accurate, he says. The water samples are collected in the field in copper tubes that can be tightly clamped off to ensure there is no contact with air. Back in the laboratory the water samples start in the gas preparation line, where the gas is extracted – using liquid nitrogen which freezes the H2O, to an industrial hairdryer which progressively releases noble gases. A second room is dedicated to the mass spectrometer.

Sampling groundwater from an artesian stock bore screened in the Poole Sandstone aquifer of the Fitzroy catchment.

Here, the noble gas machine uses three cryotraps, separating out the gases at extreme cold temperatures – 10 Kelvin where 0 K is equivalent to −273.15 °C. The mass spectrometer blasts the gas with

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electrons to ionise the inert atoms and uses magnetic fields to measure the ratio of each gas. The mass spectrometer provides a clear ratio of the chosen noble gas in the sample and its isotopes. “We constructed the machine for Australian groundwater. There are about 12 noble gas machines, mostly in Europe and Northern America, this is the first in the Southern Hemisphere,” says Axel. He explains that the new noble gas machine is especially adapted for analysing Australian groundwater which includes high concentrations of reactive gases such as CH4 (methane) and helium. And, put simply, distinct ratios of these gases define precise periods in Earth’s history, in rock or water.

What noble gases tell us about Australia’s ancient groundwater CSIRO has a long-standing history with capability in the use of environmental tracers across various projects. But historically, other existing environmental tracers used to investigate groundwater challenges have a limited range for dating old groundwater, are often not geochemically inert and provide limited information on recharge conditions, for example the temperature at the time the water entered the underground system. Noble gases – helium, neon, argon, krypton and xenon – can be used to quantify very small flow velocity through aquitards and can determine recharge temperatures, says Axel. Noble gases are particularly useful in telling us about groundwater because they can be traced to show us how quickly, or slowly, water moves

The first noble gas machine in the Southern Hemisphere, capable of analysing fossil water unique to Australia. (IMAGE: CSIRO/James Knowler) 84 – COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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through underground aquifers; providing a better understanding of the connection between surface water and groundwater flow, and the replenishment of aquifers; and showing if water can move between shallow aquifers and deep underground aquifers through geological layers with low permeability. Noble gases provide a unique contribution to characterising and understanding groundwater flow processes, surface water–groundwater interactions, groundwater-seawater interactions, aquitard permeability and inter-aquifer connectivity. Specifically, some of their isotopes allow estimating flow velocities on time scales from years (85Kr), centuries (39Ar), millennia (4He), up to one million years (81Kr) and beyond (4He, 40Ar, 21Ne, 134Xe, 136Xe). “Because Australia is dry and flat, groundwater in many deeper aquifers moves very, very slowly and that means we need tracers for old water,” he says. “Knowledge of flow velocities is indispensable when managing groundwater as a resource for drinking water, agriculture, industry and mining. Infiltration processes, such as recharge after flooding a dry riverbed or constant infiltration from a permanently losing stream, can also be identified using noble gases. “We need a better understanding of the nature and extent of our groundwater systems and how they are recharged to ensure that, as we continue to use this valuable resource and with a changing climate, we also protect it from overuse or contamination.”

A bigger regional picture Some of the first water samples to be tested at the new Noble Gas Facility came from the Fitzroy catchment in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. It was part of groundwater analysis done for the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment and aimed to identify the potential for, and risk of, increasing waterrelated development opportunities in northern Australia. Groundwater hydrologist Andrew Taylor explains that in the Fitzroy catchment, the Kimberley plateau in the far north of the catchment receives high precipitation in the wet season which runs off the land surface draining into ephemeral rivers and flows downstream to flood the Fitzroy valley where it’s quite flat. The river eventually bursts its banks and comes out on to the flood plain where it saturates large parts of the landscape before a portion of the flood water infiltrates into the groundwater systems of multiple aquifers.

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When the wet season subsides, the river flows also subside. But large reaches of the river, as well as persistent instream water holes are sustained by the inflow of groundwater, discharging from aquifers. The hydrogeology and groundwater systems of the Fitzroy catchment provide a largely a greenfield region which has never been properly characterised. Taylor describes the aquifers and groundwater systems as a cake with different layers: Alluvial aquifers occur at the surface in association with the rivers, their tributaries and their flood plains, while underneath this there are multiple layers of sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and limestone, some of which allow water to flow (aquifers) and some which don’t (aquitards). He has travelled across the Kimberley taking water samples from bores, as well as surface water from persistent water holes and reaches of the Fitzroy River to better understand the nature of groundwater systems in different aquifers and how hydrologically connected they are to the Fitzroy River. “Groundwater resources occur over vast geological areas but information is sparse because there are only a certain number of bores associated with the occasional pastoral lease, mining operation or community water supply,” he says. “First, we needed to review all of the available data, then get out and do some sampling from existing bores, as well as drilling in areas with no bores to gain a better understanding of the nature and extent of aquifers. “Then we wanted to know how the groundwater systems in different aquifers interacted, particularly those aquifers that are deep. “We also wanted to know where and how the groundwater systems are connected to the river itself.” Taylor took a helicopter and flew the length of the Fitzroy River taking surface water samples for tracers. Comparing those samples from bores and also from the river, they were able to test those samples using the Noble Gas Facility and conceptualise the groundwater systems of the region. “Environmental tracers allow us to fingerprint the history of that water and that’s what you need to know in an area where you don’t have much groundwater level information. If you can’t see where its water levels are going up and down – it’s hard to understand groundwater recharge, water that’s replenishing the groundwater, and whether is it coming from rainfall or flooding of rivers. 86 – COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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“We know, for example, in the Fitzroy where we did the helicopter survey, there are high levels of noble gases in the deep regional aquifer which we then found in the river itself. That showed us that groundwater from deep aquifers is discharging up into the river where regional faults cut through overlying aquitards. “We take a lot of care in trying to conceptualise how things are behaving and using multiple lines of evidence to validate if that is real or not. Every time we do a new study, it tells us a different story and sometimes you get a nice story coming out of environmental tracers. “We have now used this new conceptualisation to underpin a regional groundwater model which covers more than the Fitzroy River catchment and which is used to estimate the inflows and outflows of the deep regional sandstone aquifers (Grant Group and Poole Sandstone). It can also be used to assess the volume you can extract from the aquifer without affecting existing users and environmental assets like the river itself.”

Clues to paleoclimate Axel Suckow points out that for the Great Artesian Basin the flow time from the site of infiltration to the springs in South Australia is roughly considered to be two million years. “Helium, for instance, increases due to radioactive decay of uranium in the rocks and that means the higher the helium content in the groundwater the older the groundwater is,” he says. “The other noble gases tell us about the infiltration conditions. If you give me a water sample that is 10,000 years old then, from the concentration of argon, krypton and xenon, I can tell you the ground surface temperature 10,000 years ago which is very valuable information for paleoclimate studies inland. “We can reconstruct infiltration conditions such as temperature, salinity and altitude.” With the new facility, it’s anticipated that data from groundwater systems across the country will progressively paint a picture of the continent’s paleoclimate. As such, the facility also stands to contribute to a better understanding of climate change. “Everyone sees the Murray Darling. With groundwater you can’t do that, it’s hidden in the ground but no less important. It’s much more difficult and challenging to investigate and I love that.” The Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF) awarded $550,000 to CSIRO for the acquisition of the noble gas spectrophotometer as part of the Noble Gas Facility.

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Cave secrets unlocked to show past drought and rainfall patterns

first-ever global analysis of cave drip waters has shown where stalagmites can provide vital clues towards understanding past rainfall patterns.

“This oxygen in the water drips from the stalactites and onto the stalagmites,” says Andy, from UNSW’s School of Biological and Earth and Environmental Sciences.

In a study published recently in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, UNSW Sydney scientists led an international group of researchers to amass the data of 163 drip sites in 39 caves on five continents.

“The drip water originally comes from rainfall, providing a direct link to the surface climate. Understanding the extent to which the oxygen isotopic composition of drip water is related to rainfall is a fundamental research question which will unlock the full climate potential of stalagmites and stalactites.”

They found that in climates that have a mean average temperature of less than 10°C, isotopes of oxygen in cave drip water were similarly composed as those measured in rainwater. Dr Andy Baker explains, this follows what you would expect in colder climates with less evaporation of rainfall.

But when the researchers examined the oxygen isotopes in drip waters in warmer areas, the oxygen isotopes in the drip waters corresponded to just some of the rain events, as revealed in the stalagmites. Andy says that in such climates, evaporation not only reduces the amount of rainwater that eventually makes its way to the groundwater (a process known as rainfall recharge), but the oxygen isotopes themselves are changed by this process. “In hotter climates, recharge to the subsurface doesn’t occur from all rain events, rather it likely only occurs after very heavy rain, or seasonally. This study identifies this for the first time and also provides a range of temperatures constraints – this was never known before,” he says. In effect, he says, oxygen isotopes in stalagmites in warmer climates display the balance between wet weather events and prolonged periods of drying. “For stalagmites in warm regions it suggests that the oxygen isotope composition will tell us about when recharge occurred – in other words, when, and how often,” Andy says. “And that is as valuable as it is unique. In regions like mainland Australia, with extreme weather events like drought and flooding rains, it’s a tool to see how often both occurred in the past.” Andy says that with this knowledge it will help us understand how important rainfall is in the replenishment of our groundwater resource.

Studying oxygen isotopes in stalagmites in warmer climates can provide a clearer understanding of groundwater recharge. 88 – COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

“This knowledge will improve our understanding of how sustainable our use of groundwater is, especially in regions where groundwater is only recharged by rain,” he says.

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ith the current drought starting to get to record levels, our main irrigation dams are close to empty and most water allocations are zero. Murrumbidgee

Lachlan Valley 2017â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18

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Burrinjuck Dam

Capacity (ML)

Volume Oct 1 (ML)

1,023,036

344,772

Full capacity (ML)

Current (ML) (Oct 1, 2019)

1,288,867 80,163 104,127

Glenlyon Dam Pindari Dam Copeton Dam Split Rock Dam Keepit Dam Burrendong Dam Windamere Dam Wyangala Dam Burrinjuck Dam Hume

TOTAL

Wyangala Dam

Capacity (ML)

Volume Oct 1 (ML)

% full

1,217,035

251,473

19%

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% full 2019

% full 2018

190,307 3,736 3,936

15 5 4

18 46 8

250,885 311,920 1,342,908 394,241 418,936 1,156,255 366,989 1,217,035 1,023,036 3,036,393

14,367 15,356 132,953 9,910 10,518 84,917 115,143 251,473 344,772 1,243,399

6 5 8 2 1 4 31 19 33 41

44 51 22 14 11 26 40 53 42 51

10,991,755

2,420,787

13.3

36.5

Queensland Fairbairn Dam Beardmore Dam Leslie Dam

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New South Wales

Wyangala Dam Macquarie Valley

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Burrendong Windamere

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1,156,255 366,989

84,917

115,143

31%

% full

Hume Dam

Keepit Dam

2017â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18

2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19

Hume Dam

90 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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3,036,393

1,243,399

41%

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Keepit Dam Split Rock Dam

Capacity (ML)

Volume Oct 1 (ML)

% full

418,936 394,241

10,518

9,910

Leslie Dam

2017â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18

% full

104,127

3,936

2017â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18

2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19

Copeton Dam

Volume Oct 1 (ML)

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Balonne River â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Beardmore

Gwydir Valley â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Copeton

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Volume Oct 1 (ML)

% full

1,342,908

132,953

Copeton Dam

Beardmore

Capacity (ML)

Volume Oct 1 (ML)

% full

80,163

3,736

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Volume Oct 1 (ML)

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1,288,867

190,307

15%

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Glenlyon Dam Pindari Dam

Capacity (ML)

Volume Oct 1 (ML)

% full

250,885 311,920

14,367

15,356

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Megadrought caused mega biodiversity loss

esearchers at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have painstakingly reconstructed the nation’s ‘once in a century drought’ in the early 1900s, revealing that it caused mass ecosystem collapse and dramatic declines in plant and animal populations across more than a third of the continent. As part of efforts to prepare for and adapt to future droughts, CSIRO ecologists recreated the megadrought through historical records, including the study of tens of thousands of newspaper articles, to build a picture of the event’s effects on the nation. “With many of Australia’s landscapes more fragmented and degraded, and species under

The effects of the Federation drought.

The Murray had some very dry periods in the early 20th century. 92 – COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

pressure from invasive plants and animals, a similar drought today could spell disaster on an even more devastating scale,” CSIRO researcher Dr Robert Godfree said. Australia’s Federation Drought, spanning 1895 to 1903, was one of the world’s worst recorded megadroughts. Much of the country received less than 40 per cent of its average rainfall, and 1902 was the driest year on record. “Australia saw widespread economic depression. In New South Wales, most rivers stopped flowing. Dust storms filled dams, buried homesteads and created ghost towns as people fled,” Robert said. “Wildlife and stock starved or died of thirst. Native birds and mammals died under trees, in creeks, and on the plains. Tens of millions of sheep and cattle were killed, and hundreds of millions of rabbits died of starvation after stripping the landscape of its plant life.” Ecologists found this megadrought also saw significant effects on Australia’s unique biodiversity. “The Federation Drought had the biggest documented impact on plants and animals across a continent yet studied,” Robert said. “In Australia, more than 60 bird, fish, mammal, reptile, and plant genera were severely affected across 2.8 million square kilometres or more than a third of Australia. “Herbivores, grain-eating birds, fish and plants were most vulnerable, while predators who could feed on dead animals and other groups like waterbirds who could travel long distances were less impacted.” The reconstruction relied on the study of historical newspaper articles over an expanded time period around the drought, sourced from the National Library of Australia. “Of the 37,000 newspaper articles we read, over 1500 referred to the drought and more than 400 provided information about local impacts on native and animals or plants,” Robert said. “We overlaid this with historical rainfall records and travelled to severely impacted areas, many of which still show effects of the drought to this day. “We were also able to use resources from CSIRO’s National Research Collections Australia to determine what was impacted and where.

Cotton a profitable option on Maryborough cane farm ��94 Returns from cotton provide benefits in the drought for Texas grower ��96 Delungra growers taking cotton to new heights ��98

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Cotton a profitable option on Maryborough cane farm

decision to plant cotton as an alternative crop to sugarcane has paid off for Ellison Maxwell, on his farm just south of Maryborough on Queensland’s Fraser Coast. Ellison said cane had been grown on the property for more than 100 years and 15 years ago they diversified into pineapples. “Now we’re in a situation with the cane that profitability is becoming a major issue and so we’re looking at different options.” He said, historically, cotton prices had been reasonably good, and it was an industry that was moving forward. “It seems to be an industry where there’s a lot of work being done on yields.” Bollgard 3 and Roundup Ready technology were particularly attractive elements of growing cotton for Ellison. “With sugarcane there is a fairly big reliance on pre-emergent herbicides,” Ellison said. “With cotton we’ve found that using Roundup as part of the weed control system provides flexibility and is fantastic for cleaning up some real problem weeds that we’ve had with years of growing sugarcane.” Because of the expanded window of Bollgard 3, Ellison’s cotton crop was able to be planted on August 18, 2018. An earlier plant meant the cotton could be harvested prior to heavy rain and flooding that often occurs in the autumn. Ellison said years of growing sugarcane had left them with major soil compaction issues and it

Ellison Maxwell, of Maryborough, Queensland, inspecting his first crop of cotton as an alternative to sugar cane on the property. 94 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

was hoped that the introduction of cotton, with its strong taproot, could help address this issue. “We’ve got major hardpan issues under our ground everywhere and we’re hoping that with the cotton, controlled traffic and GPS we can help minimise or repair some of that damage.” He said moving into the new crop was made easier by the support they received from various people in the cotton industry. “We’ve had fantastic support all the way through – CSD put in some trials and we’ve had an agronomist from Murgon coming over every week, he’s been a wonderful help. Some of my relatives are heavily involved in cotton. They’ve been a fantastic help as well, so it’s been good.” “I can’t emphasize the amount of help that we got from CSD through the whole exercise. It’s been wonderful support.” A decision was made to buy a basket picker, module builders and a boll buggy. “The main reason we went with buying our own equipment was because we’ve got four different varieties planted. It is fairly obvious now that there is going to be a spread on defoliating, so it will make it a lot easier to be able to pick at the right time. We’ve been speaking with a gin in Dalby and that’s where we are on sending it.” Seasonal conditions were generally favourable for the crop with four to five irrigations and excellent rain through October, November and December. Yield estimates ranged up to 10 bales per hectare, but with a cyclone forming off the coast of Maryborough in mid-February, the decision was made to bring defoliation and picking forward. With a number of bolls yet to open at picking, a top yield of 8.93 bales per hectare was a pleasing result, given the climatic conditions. After picking, the fields were planted to a late soybean crop and will be rotated back to cotton for the 2019-20 season. Older blocks of cane will also be replaced by cotton. Ellison said cotton had been a talking point among local farmers. “I’m yet to have a negative response. Most people are probably just looking at it to see how successful it is. We really haven’t had any problems whatsoever, to the point where our local sugar mill is even trialling cotton. And there are two other growers in this area that have also planted it.”

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Returns from cotton provide benefits in the drought for Texas grower

ennis Rush, who farms near Texas on the New South Wales-Queensland border around 100 km east of Goondiwindi, said introducing cotton onto the family’s ‘Hopewood’ property has helped them through the ongoing drought. Dennis said his family have been on Hopewood for more than a century and have traditionally been cattle farmers with various fodders being the only cropping on the property over the past 100 years. In April last year, Dennis made the decision to try cotton for the first time, planting 208 hectares under centre pivots at the start of the 2018–19 season. At the time, the main driver for Dennis for introducing the crop was the price of cotton, and potential for returns. Dennis said being able to forward-sell around half of this year’s cotton crop at well over $600 per bale was a great attraction. “When you look at the gross returns (from cotton), there was really no other option.” Dennis said most of the property is prone to flooding, and as a result, they have significant weed issues with nutgrass, castor oil plant and Bathurst burr, regularly brought in by

floodwater. “We’ve got a big opportunity to clean our country up through a cotton-based rotation,” said Dennis. He said Roundup Ready technology had helped smooth his move into row cropping. “I’ve never been a (row crop) farmer but what I’ve found most comforting about the transition is that cotton is an easy crop to grow.” Dennis has also been impressed with the sense of community within the cotton industry. “The support has been brilliant, and I’ve known where we’ve been at the whole time throughout the season. And any time when I’ve been unsure about something, there’s always been someone I could contact.” Dennis said he also valued the information available at field days, the 2018 Australian Cotton Conference and from his agronomist. Dennis is hoping to harvest around 10 bales per hectare from his first crop, meaning an average gross margin of over $4000 per hectare. “To come out of a season with those returns, when many people are in dire situations because of the drought, is a massive bonus,” he said.

Dennis Rush of Hopewood, near Texas, Queensland. 96 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Delungra growers taking cotton to new heights

s the Australian cotton industry shifts further east, Delungra dryland grower John Thompson has learned a thing or two about what it takes to achieve productivity and profitability gains in a region not traditionally suited to cotton production. John farms with wife Sarah on their mixed cropping and grazing operation, 20 kilometres north west of Inverell, in the eastern edges of the Gwydir Valley. After watching the success of dryland cotton at nearby ‘Wallangra Station’ for the preceding two seasons, John and Sarah decided to plant cotton as part of their summer crop rotation for the first time over the 2016–17 season. “I was really curious to see how it would go at this altitude and this far east – and it went really well for us (that year),” said John. “My theory behind growing cotton is that it’s an exponential return if you grow the big yield.” It paid off for the couple, achieving a yield of 3.88 bales per hectare and taking out the Gwydir Valley Cotton Growers Association Dryland Crop of the Year in their first season. It was also one of the most elevated cotton crops in Australia, planted at 650 metres above sea level. After a rotation out of cotton in the 2017–18 season, John and Sarah planted cotton again in 2018. “As soon as (the price) hit over $600 (per bale), we got excited,” said John. As one of the first farmers to grow cotton in the area, John sees great potential for dryland cotton as a profitable and sustainable rotational option. “Being further east, there are some benefits – higher altitudes so therefore cooler nights, higher rainfall – and that does help with surety,” he said. “We’ve had terrific industry support, everyone’s been really positive – CSD, Bayer – and also getting pickers to come here has fortuitously worked out quite timely for us.” The Thompsons are also part of Cotton Seed Distributors (CSD) variety trial program, testing out the suitability of different varieties for their production system. CSD Extension and Development Agronomist for the Gwydir Valley, Alice Curkpatrick, sees

98 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

John Thompson.

great opportunities for cotton production in the region. “It’s really exciting to see cotton growing east of the Gwydir,” said Alice. “I feel like there’s real potential in this part of the world with the milder summers, higher rainfall and some beautiful cotton growing soils. “CSD are really keen to see cotton growing east of the Gwydir. We’re trying different varieties, seeing what grows best and we’re happy to help out any farmers who are interested in getting involved.” Despite a challenging season climatically in 2018–19, the Thompsons are committed to achieving the long-term profitability that cotton provides, and plan to keep it in their rotation with the intention to plant again in 2020. “I’d definitely encourage other growers in the area to have a look at cotton and consider it,” said John.

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On farm benefits of canopy temperature sensors ��102 Microwaves: More bing for your weed control buck? ��108

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On farm benefits of canopy temperature sensors CASE STUDY – A grower perspective after four seasons MACQUARIE VALLEY Grower: Stewart Denston is an experienced cotton grower who has been trialling canopy temperature sensors (CTS) for the Macquarie CGA since the 2014–15 season. The Denston’s have a family farming enterprise that is comprised of three separate farms. They irrigate from Burrendong Dam via the Macquarie River with a seven day water order lag time. These are farms set up for irrigation, broadacre crops, and grazing. An interview was conducted with Stewart Denston on August 2, 2018 by Amanda Thomas, REO in the Macquarie Valley. Amanda has been facilitating the trial work with CTS in the Valley for the past four seasons. In the first year of the trials (2014–15), we had five growers participate in the trial, and Stewart was one of them. The following two seasons we extended it across eight farms, all

with different soil types and irrigation systems. The final season saw Stewart adopt the CTS technology himself, and put a sensor in his heavy and lighter soils. SD (Stewart Denston): We have participated in the trial work with CTS for the past four years and over that time we have seen some varied results. In 2014–15 there was a correlation between yield and accumulated stress hours over 28°C which is what prompted us as a group to continue with our trial work to determine if it could become a tool in conjunction with soil moisture deficits to schedule our irrigations. AT (Amanda Thomas): The first year we hired the sensor from CSIRO. We had some difficulty getting them working as we needed to retrofit external aerials to pick up our patchy 3G signals. It was hard to keep the ball rolling as there were varying degrees of familiarity with the equipment. Also, the platform on which the data was presented was not related to any other moisture information the growers had. We did not want to see this data in isolation but in conjunction with our C probe and weather station data. The following season we used a commercial partner, Brian Thomson from Porosity Agricultural Services. This enabled us to involve more growers, all be on the same web-based platform, and provided some assistance in installing and maintaining the sensors and probes. The trial was set up so that growers, the MCGA, Grass Roots Grants and Porosity would all contribute financially, so we all had some “buy in”. The 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons were funded by Stewart Denston and the MCGA and we were just looking at two sensors in different soil types on Stew’s farm. SD: The trial funding got us access to the equipment for the first three years, then we did it ourselves for the last season.

Q: What are the benefits?

Canopy temperature sensor on farm. 102 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

SD: It’s a reference point when temps are increasing to try and understand how it’s impacting the soil moisture deficit at key growth stages in the crop.

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It’s also a quantifiable reference against stress events – in dry hot situations the canopy can and will cool itself efficiently if it has adequate moisture and the irrigation intervals are timed well (we saw this many times in the trial). But in times of high humidity the crop will struggle to cool itself (saw this many times as well). In one of the four years, we had some bad cavitation in crop which was directly related to the crop’s inability to cool itself. In the heavy grey clay, we saw it the most. It just could not draw the moisture out of the soil fast enough to cool the plant.

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AT: Our shared platform, with the eight participants on different soil types and irrigation systems, allowed us to see each other’s irrigation intervals, C Probe information and accumulated stress hours. It was a great learning tool. The consultants reported that often this data would encourage other growers to water on tighter intervals in some cases. Being able to compare what different canopies were doing in the same weather situations allowed us to learn that it’s not just about temperature, but what is in the bucket, that impacts the crop’s ability to cool itself. We also had drip irrigation in the trial as a benchmark. It was watered daily and did not have a humid environment like the overhead and furrow fields.

Q: Has CTS changed the way you schedule your irrigations?

Canopy Temperature Sensor in field.

SD: Initially we thought CTS would not have a fit as a retrospective tool. We thought it would be a predictive tool and be used for scheduling forward. We were looking at the last interval a lot, and the stress hours or lack of stress hours to decide on the next interval. We are not just sticking to the old rule of thumb or set days but changing it on the run, based on the previous interval. With CTS in the toolbox we can look at the crop during that interval and tell if it’s ‘happy’ with that interval and confirm this by the crops development. How we use it changed over the four years. We were hoping it would be a one stop shop that would tell us when to water and a new way of scheduling, but we did not use it that way. We used it more to evaluate the previous interval or two and respond on the run using the same deficit, but tweaking the water a day early or a day later based on how the canopy is handling those temps. AT: A great example of this was in the 2017– 18 season. Stew called me and said “we had a low reading going on with CTS, can you go check it out (I am away).” It was three days out from an irrigation and temps were getting pretty hot, so he was expecting to be accumulating stress hours like the other crops on the platform. When I walked into that crop the chill in the air was evident and the leaves of the canopy were cool to touch, so it was doing its job very well in hot dry conditions.

Q: What are some other key learnings? CTS field day at “Miegunyah” in 2015–16 season – Brian Thomson of Porosity Ag Services. 104 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

SD: Soil types are a big thing. Different soil types denote different canopy styles, and they behave differently in terms of the canopy temps. Heavy soil types can be slower growing

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and stress after an irrigation. I guess it’s the difference in the bulk density for a start, and then the root development or lack of, in some soils versus others. The size/style of the canopy can determine how they handle the stress. This trial has shown us this over the seasons. We had some double skip in the trial, and it was accumulating lots of stress hours early in the season, then at the end it was one of the cooler crops.

Q: Does heat stress (accumulated hours) relate to yield? SD: Over three different seasons we saw three different things, which is what has thrown us really. Year 1, we saw a direct correlation between yield – that is, lower stress hours, higher yield. As each season went on we did not see that pattern again, but each season had a different “ah ha” moment, so we were not game to rely on that one pattern the following season (see our reports for more details at https://cottoninfo. com.au/). In the 2018–19 season I believe the timing of the first two irrigations impacted on our yield. The plant appeared to be happy whilst racing through its growth stages and as a result we stuck to full normal intervals such as 50 days for the first and then 20 days or near enough for the second one. It got very hot around this time and we may have capped our potential right at that point. This is based on a bit of hindsight and talking to some other growers who tightened right up from the start.

Q: Do we fully understand where research is heading? AT: No I don’t think we have all the info we need to work out where the research is going, and so when we talk about CTS, we are talking about how we have used it over the past four years. We are aware that there is an algorithm that will allow this tool to have much more potential but at this point we don’t think we fully understand that well enough. Our valley has irrigators of all shapes and forms and while some are bore irrigators and can be very responsive, some order water 14 days in advance and need to take it when it comes especially in dry years. SD: This tool fits perfectly for fine tuning things on the run, for a farm that has and can use adequate water storage and reliable water source. But in some (most years) water is coming hand to mouth, where we have up to a 14 day lead time. From what we can see, it does have limited uses for a scheduling type tool. SD: The other thing we have not had in

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the past four years is a cooler wet season. The seasons where we had CTS installed have all been above average day degrees (DD). We are keen to see how this technology goes in cooler years. We don’t know the potential of delaying water in cooler years, particularly on our heavy soils in the Macquarie where our grey clays have a high bulk density. These soils can destroy yield potential if you water too early or before rain in these years.

Q: Topics for future research? AT: We would love to get some further analysis done on the data we collected, as the seasons have been very different in terms of yield – particularly the 2016–17 season in comparison to the 2017–18 season. We did not apply for funding in the 2017–18 season and so Stew just had two CTS in each of his main soil types. The yield difference on Stew’s farm was over three bales more in the 2017–18 season on average. We know that one of the main differences was the amount of cold and heat shock days (2 x higher on both accounts) but we want to find out more about how and when this affects the plants. We have weather station data and would love to get into the “Machine Learning” in relation to the last season. SD: As a manager, it would be good to know if our crops are tracking okay or is this season not going to have the potential – that is, I should not purchase that extra water and be throwing the kitchen sink at it. We want to know ‘when and where’ in the season we accumulate stress hours such as at flowering and boll fill, and what impact that has on yield potential. We have the hindsight and data on three very different seasons and three very different accumulations of day degrees.

Questions 1. Are there times we need to look closer and do our best to minimise the stress accumulation and are there times when we can push it out?

Uniform crop at “Miegunyah.” COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 105

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2. How much do night temps affect our overall yield potential and when are the danger periods? Can CTS help us monitor this? 3. Can we get to the point where we get X amount of stress hours at XX of crop development and know where we are sitting?

Q: Can CTS lead to more crop per drop? SD: The old systems of being a day early if you were a day late last interval is not where we want to be. Let’s get more technical and see how many hours we accumulated in the previous interval; use the forecasting to see what’s ahead in the next seven days and if it will be hotter, see if humidity is flaring up, and night temps are not dropping down. Then we know it’s potentially pointing towards a stress event, using the last interval data and the short term forecast to see potential train wrecks and be able to try and mitigate them.

Q: How do you think CTS can benefit your farming system (in a quantitative and or qualitative sense)? SD: A benefit is having something other than soil moisture data, which tells us very little about the plant. It only deals with the soil moisture deficit, and the big thing we have taken from the fouryear trial period using CTS, is that the canopy is happy sometimes and sometimes it’s not. That can surprise you, as it’s not just about temperature and watering as we used to think.

RECAP ON THE BENEFITS OF CTS TO OUR COTTON SYSTEMS • Help us monitor the crucial periods and give us the ability to better manage these fields to reduce stress (both heat and moisture stress), ie bring irrigation forward when it’s hot or delay when it’s not. • Help us to quantify our potential for our crops during key growth stages in the season to give us better yield estimates/ potential. • Use the information above to be better managers, reduce the risk periods, provide more accurate crop data sets which can lead to better marketing decisions, water use efficiency, and nutrient input efficiencies. • Sharing a platform with other growers and seeing what others are doing and how it impacts the canopy temps. 106 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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I feel the net benefit is not fully known yet, but we are getting closer to finding it out. By highlighting when and where the stress events are occurring and taking what has happened in the past two seasons – for example, boll numbers were similar for both seasons, but our yields were three bales per hectare different. We can use our powers of deduction and work out some things. We know that it’s boll size, it’s boll weights, it’s seed density, but it would be nice to compare the accumulation of stress hours with the weather station data and drill down into when are those critical times and see if there is a relationship there. We have data for a number of sites across the valley and some of them had hotter canopies all season than others. Is it soil type or something else? Where we have not gone yet is looking at boll numbers. When we crunched the data for boll numbers we thought that would give us a certain outcome. We kept sinking inputs into the 2016–17 crop and we were more than disappointed when we put the pickers in and across most of the growing regions it was not what we were hoping. Does it tell us that it’s environmental when more than one or two regions are down on what we would expect? But in the 2017–18 season when we had the same boll numbers, our lesson from last season was strong in our minds so we did not expect to get the yields that we got (records were broken and farm averages the best they have ever been in the Macquarie). But it does not seem that this was the case in all regions? We actually used less water and produced more lint than the season before. The canopy on the 2016–17 was a beast of thing and did not fruit until around 10 nodes and did not produce the bottom crop that we did in the 2017–18 season. Was it just a case of reduced cold shock and insect pressure early on that was the difference or was it how and when the heat stress came? We would like to thank Stew Denston for his commitment to the trial work across the Macquarie Valley as well as the growers who have participated over the years, CRDC for the contributions via grass roots grants, CottonInfo and the Macquarie Cotton Growers Association who have contributed to the trial work over the past four years. We would also like to thank Porosity Ag Services, CSIRO.

WISH LIST Better information to be able to segment the season, figure out critical stress levels and times, and do this for different soil types, as this is where we can impact profitability on our farms. The two seasons were equally as hard to manage but to see yield differences of three bales per hectare we know it’s worth it.

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Microwaves: More bing for your weed control buck?

n Australian AgTech startup has secured a significant seed investment to commercialise technology that could revolutionise the agriculture industry and wipe out the need to use chemicals to control weeds. The Growave technology invented by researchers at the University of Melbourne, harnesses the power of microwaves to kill weeds from the inside and rids soil of emergent weeds, dormant seeds as well as reduces pathogens and their impact. “With the economics of the solution so compelling, the technology has the potential to have an impact on a broad range of agricultural markets,” said Paul Barrett, Growave Director and head of physical sciences at IP Group.

The seed investment came from IP Group, Grain Innovate and Artesian and will be used to take the novel, chemical-free weed treatment to a global market. “This represents the fifth investment by IP Group in Australia and New Zealand with its partnership agreement with the Group of Eight and University of Auckland,” said Paul.

Field trials “While there is strong international interest in the technology, Growave will firstly focus on domestic markets with new trials commencing on farmland at Dookie in Victoria and in southern Queensland in the Lockyer Valley on an organic vegetable farm.

University of Melbourne researcher and co-inventor of the Growave technology, Dr Graham Brodie, anticipates commercial deployment of the modular units is around 18 months away. 108 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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“It is anticipated in 18 months the Growave technology will be ready for commercial deployment,” says Paul. “Herbicide resistance is a growing problem worldwide so people are looking for alternative ways to manage weeds.” The modular design of the technology means Growave can be integrated into existing farming operations. “This not only means reducing or eliminating the need for herbicides, but also saving labour associated with weed management,” said Dr Graham Brodie from the University of Melbourne. “It can be mounted onto a tractor or trailer,

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and used in wet or windy weather, unlike herbicides and soil fumigation. “As no chemicals are used, treated crops and fields do not require isolation. It is environmentally friendly and less expensive per hectare than most alternatives,” said Graham. IP Group is a leading intellectual property commercialisation company focused on evolving great ideas from its partner universities into world-changing businesses. In Australia and New Zealand, IP Group works in close partnership with the Go8 Universities and the University of Auckland to identify ground breaking technologies, rooted in hard science, which have the most promising commercial potential. Artesian is a leading global alternative investment management company with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, Shanghai, New York and London. GrainInnovate was established by the Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) and Artesian to deliver innovation for the Australian grains Industry.

SOME BACKGROUND TO MICROWAVES AND WEEDS Weed seeds • As early as the 1970s researchers have been studying the lethal effect of microwave heating on seeds, including weed seeds. • This early research showed that weed seed damage was mostly influenced by a combination of seed moisture content and the energy absorbed per seed. In addition, both the specific mass and specific volume of the microwaved seeds were strongly related to seed mortality. • Larger and more rounded seeds focus more energy into their core, which results in higher temperatures at the centre of the seed leading to higher mortality rates. • Subsequent research on wild oats has demonstrated that the weed seed’s susceptibility to microwave treatment is entirely dependent on the surrounding soil temperature. • In the case of wild oats, when the soil temperature rose to 75°C due to microwave treatment, there was a sharp decline in both oat seed and naturalised weed seed germination. • When the soil temperature rose above 80°C, seed germination in all weed species was totally inhibited.

Already emerged weeds • Back in the 1970s, researchers also considered the effect of microwave energy on growing weed plants – bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) seedlings. • It was discovered that plant aging had little effect on the susceptibility of bean plants to microwave damage, but honey mesquite’s resistance to microwave damage increased with aging. • They also discovered that bean plants were 110 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

more susceptible to microwave treatment than honey mesquite plants. • In the mid 2000s, the effect of microwave treatment on marshmallow (Malva parviflora) seedlings was tested, using a prototype microwave system based on a modified microwave oven. • Based on energy calculations for plants and seeds on the surface of sandy soil, the energy needed to kill dry seeds is an order of magnitude higher than the energy needed to kill already emerged plants.

Costs and benefits? • In a 2016 field experiment at the University of Melbourne Dookie campus (Victoria), researchers looked at the economic impacts of microwave soil irradiation on farm profitability. • The researchers estimated that the direct and indirect (ie loss of crop yield) costs of chemical weed management is around $150 to $200 per hectare averaged across Australia’s cropping regions. • In their Dookie field experiment, the researchers estimated that pre-sowing soil irradiation using microwave to kill dry weed seeds had a direct per hectare cost of $400 to $500. But there was a wheat yield increase of almost 40 per cent compared to the ‘control‘ (ie non-microwaved plots). This gave a profit of around $450 per hectare on the pre-sowing microwaved area. • There were also additional benefits of the microwave treatment in terms of better soil nutrient availability and its long-lasting effect (up to three cropping seasons). • The researchers concluded that, in general, Australian dryland wheat farmers could potentailly realize an additional $370 per hectare using microwave treatment for weed management.

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Education plays a key role ��112 The UNE/CRDC cotton course update and future plans ��116 Nuffield scholars announced ��120 Australian Rural Leadership program ��122

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Education plays a key role

ducation about our industry has long been a focus for Cotton Australia, and this past year saw further progress made. In a year where our industry came under attack from often ill-informed people, our education program played a key role in providing balance in the public debate. With its suite of engaging digital resources, hands-on events, and involvement in new development opportunities, Cotton Australia’s education program has delivered significant value for growers.

Cotton’s shop to understand the retail component of the cotton supply chain.

Teach the Teacher events bring educators to the field

Exciting cotton education on the way for NSW students

A highlight of our education program this year were the many ‘Teach the Teacher’ events that were held in cotton-growing valleys. The events saw teachers taken on tours of cotton farms and gins to boost their understanding of our industry. The teachers then took what they learnt back to the classroom to share with their students. Over this past year, Teach the Teacher events were held in Emerald, Goondiwindi and Griffith, and were attended by about 100 teachers. At all the tours, the teachers were shown how cotton is a sustainable, dynamic and tech-savvy industry. The event in Emerald took in the broader scope of irrigated agriculture in the Central Highlands, with tours of Fairbairn Dam and a citrus farm adding diversity to the event. In Goondiwindi, the group visited Goondiwindi

A total of 85 per cent of the teachers who attended the events had never been to a cotton farm before, and 97 per cent had not been to a gin. At the conclusion of the tours, all the attending participants reported they would include cotton in their future teaching, and not just in agriculture classes. Cotton Australia is committed to continuing this successful program over the next year to ensure more teachers know about our industry.

More New South Wales students will learn about the Australian cotton industry thanks to the implementation of a new curriculum module. As part of a new requirement that agriculture be a mandatory component of the technology curriculum in New South Wales, a specific module on cotton was developed by Cotton Australia this year to boost school education around the fibre. Most of the teachers delivering this curriculum module are not trained in agriculture, meaning they will gain an in-depth understanding of the Australian cotton industry and ensure our industry is at the forefront of the technology curriculum in New South Wales.

Engaging at agricultural shows This year we were pleased to be a part of the Sydney Royal Easter Show and the Brisbane Ekka. Both events provided a valuable opportunity for our staff and growers to meet with members of the public and inform them of our industry. The overwhelming reactions we received from showgoers were supportive and positive, and many had a genuine interest in learning more about our industry. We plan to attend similar events over the next year where we can engage with members of the public and share our industry’s story.

Workforce and capacity building

A Teach the Teacher event at Hillston. 112 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Over the past year, Cotton Australia continued its work addressing the challenges our industry has faced in attracting and retaining an appropriate workforce. Alongside our industry allies, we advocated for effective and sustainable policies and programs that boosted access to labour and helped address the challenges faced by agriculture in the workforce space.

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AgSkilled continues to boost grower skills The success of the AgSkilled initiative continued this year, with more growers in New South Wales provided with essential training. AgSkilled works to upskill cotton and grains growers in NSW, and is a program from the NSW Government and led by industry partners Cotton Australia and the GRDC. The program is now more than halfway through its three-year project term, which, at conclusion, will have invested $14.7 million into training within the NSW cotton and grains industries. Across the program this past year, more than 1500 people enrolled across 270 courses in 80 locations. The program has to date seen about 3,000 people participate in training

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courses which have been held at more than 110 locations across the state. While participation in the AgSkilled program is only eligible to NSW growers, Cotton Australia worked to ensure growers in Queensland also had opportunities to boost their skills. Through the Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network, Queensland growers participated in HR and safety-focussed Workplace Essentials workshops, an initiative which Cotton Australia is a sponsor of. Through our sponsorship, we helped fund workshops in the cotton growing regions of Goodiwindi, St George and Roma.

Cotton20 Leadership Program an exciting new initiative Cotton Australia was this year proud to launch the latest addition to its suite of leadership programs – Cotton20. The initiative was a mid-high level leadership program and was funded by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ Leadership in Agricultural Industries Fund. The key goal of the program was to support Australian cotton growers in further developing their leadership skills, and to empower them to communicate effectively and influence change across industry. A total of 20 cotton growers from all major cotton growing regions were involved in this year’s program. In early 2019, the group met in Sydney to discuss salient issues affecting the industry and to expand their leadership skillset. The Cotton20 participants will go on to link with two other growers in their valleys to mentor and build their leadership skills, thereby developing 60 advocates for the industry.

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Educating today’s cotton industry for tomorrow! For further information visit

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Oliver Knox – oknox@une.edu.au – 02 6773 2946 Brendan Griffiths – bgriffi7@une.edu – 0427 715 990 Rhiannon Smith – rsmith66@une.edu.au – 02 6773 3297 114 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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The UNE/CRDC cotton course update and future plans By Oliver Knox1, Rhiannon Smith1 and Brendan Griffiths1

or the 2018–19 delivery of the Cotton Production Course units, UNE mixed up the unit coordination a little so that the load and love could be spread more evenly between Oliver Knox, Rhiannon Smith and Brendan Griffiths. Numbers attending the units also remained good with 52 students in Cotton Production, 18 in Cotton Protection,

Above: Students about to undertake a gin tour, being made aware of the risks and putting on the required PPE, while (below) a smile on the water says a lot about how a benefit assessment, a PFD and a bit of skiing can help alleviate the blues of another day hearing about the impacts of drought.

116 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

seven in Cotton in the Environment and six in Cotton Systems with the smaller classes due to timetable restrictions that we hope to have remedied for next year. The year also presented challenges, none more so than the drought. Touring farms, facilities and support industries and hearing about the impact of the drought was as difficult for the students as it is for those of us working and dealing with it every day. To try and lift spirits during one of the intensive schools, Oliver and Brendan had an idea. We reckon that you have all heard of risk assessments, but have you heard of benefit assessments? Oliver was first introduced to these years ago when he used to take students white water rafting and out on horse drawn carriages. The university he worked for at the time did not insure students for non-motorised vehicular transport, but conducting a benefit assessment, which highlighted the gains that could only be made from the proposed methods of transport, provided something to balance the risk against and allowed the students to make an informed decision about participation. So in addition to our risk assessment, we did a benefit assessment during the residential school and offered the students a chance to water-ski. Needless to say several said yes and spirits were lifted, even if only for one evening. CRDC and UNE remain supportive of the cotton course, but the drought is having an impact. This does mean that Brendan, Rhiannon and Oliver are having to rethink some of our normal delivery options, while also remaining true to what we see as the ethos behind the units. This may mean some changes in the year ahead, but we hope to keep working with all the industry people who help deliver the course and make the units what they are. These changes also happen to be coinciding with the agricultural course reviews at UNE, which may also bring some change, but more importantly we are still going ahead with a review of the cotton units and the cotton course. In this regard, we will be asking for assistance from those of you who have

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undertaken the units. We’re proposing to survey past participants of the units to identify what aspects of them make them special as well as trying to identify how we need to mould them to deliver a course that will continue to deliver students who meet the needs of the industry into the future. The survey is planned to be completed before the end of the year, so please keep an eye out on social media, the Cotton Hub at UNE blog and in your emails for notification about the

Keeping the units relevant is often about showing the students some of the latest tools and software that can assist our production systems.

Cotton farms don’t just produce cotton and we thought it would be safe to take a bunch of students to a field of hemp, just to talk about the different fibre systems. On second thoughts…

survey. We need your help to make informed decisions about the courses’ future, so please take the time this will require to answer the questions and return your responses. Finally, and as always, we remain grateful to all the participants in the units, both past and present, CRDC for its continuing support and to all the guest lecturers, many of whom give their time for free, for making these units part of the best Cotton Production Course in Australia. Thank you. 1 School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England.

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Nuffield Scholars announcemed

otton Australia congratulates all of the 2020 Nuffield Scholarship recipients, who were announced at an event last month. Particular congratulations goes to Richard Quigley from Trangie, whose scholarship is supported by Cotton Australia and CRDC. Richard’s research will look at cropping systems and methods to retain more crop residue in zero-tillage farming systems. Congratulations to fellow cotton grower Billy Browning from Narromine, who also received a scholarship and will investigate the value-adding of irrigation water and increased utilisation of low-flow water. Cotton Australia wishes them both all the best as they begin their Nuffield journey.

Richard plans to visit well-established cotton and grain production areas like Brazil, United States, Canada, and England, where growers are using a range of methods and technologies that may be applicable in Australia.

Billy Browning

With his family, Richard manages their mixed farming enterprise consisting of sprinkler and furrow irrigated crops (predominantly cotton), dryland wheat, barley, chickpeas, canola, and opportunity dryland cotton, as well as a grazing operation focussed on breeding and finishing sheep and cattle. With the wide adoption of zero-tillage farming, Richard will look at enhancing the method by retaining more crop residue above ground. He believes this will increase infiltration rates and the ability to store moisture, as well as limit erosion and the rate of water evaporation.

Billy Browning from Narromine in New South Wales, receives a Nuffield Scholarship with support from the Australian Department of Agriculture and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. He will investigate the value adding of irrigation water and increased utilisation of lowflow water. Having previously worked in the financial and agribusiness sector, Billy now operates a 3500 hectare mixed cropping operation with his family, producing a combination of wheat, barley, canola and chickpeas, as well as cotton and other opportunity crops when water is available. “The aim is to open up alternatives that enable farmers to best utilise the valuable resource of water, in the most sustainable and productive way. It will also investigate renewable solutions, such as solar pumps or battery storage for bore and river water.” Billy will visit Brazil, Europe and the United States to see how farmers there are addressing similar issues, as well as research and consult with leading irrigated growers here in Australia.

Richard Quigley.

Billy Browning.

Richard Quigley

120 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Australian Rural Leadership Program

hirty-five people from across rural, regional and remote Australia have been selected to partake in Course 26 of the iconic Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP) announced Matt Linnegar, Chief Executive of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF). The ARLP is a 15-month leadership program which takes place across Australia and Vietnam, immersing participants in a series of unique experiences to develop their leadership capabilities. The two cotton industry people included in the latest program are Chantal Corish and Rod Gordon, both from Goondiwindi. “Our generous partners provide a $55,000 scholarship for each participant to undertake the program. Our partners believe that investing in people is crucial for the greater good of rural, regional and remote Australia,” said Matt. “Throughout the program participants will engage in challenging and lifechanging experiences. We’ll provide time and space to reflect on their abilities as a leader. They’ll be given the tools and capacity to influence change and make an impact in regional Australia.” The ARLP is Australia’s longest and most in-depth experiential leadership program.

The program gives participants valuable opportunities to nurture, challenge and build upon their leadership skills with people from diverse communities and industries. “They will form lifelong friendships, mentoring relationships, and a network that extends beyond their course to the wider 1,400 plus alumni of the Foundation.” The participants started their first session of the program in Darwin in July, before travelling to the Kimberley region in WA for an outdoor experiential component of the program. The aims of the program are to develop: • Communication in a range of spheres and approaches; • Strategic thinking and behavioural intelligence • Capability to lead in different contexts and in complexity; • Respectful influence and impact on others; and, • Building and maintaining meaningful industry and community relationships. The participants have opportunities to engage with different levels of government, industries, communities and various regional areas. These leaders broaden their perspectives and connect with the ARLP’s extensive and supportive alumni network. Together they will make an impact by working for the greater good of regional Australia. The participants in the previous ARLP course, including two from the cotton industry, had their graduation earlier this year. Fleur Anderson is a farmer, entrepreneur and communications consultant based in Theodore. She lives on an irrigated cotton farm with her family and is from a farming family in Dalby. Fleur is a Director of Cotton Australia, Chair of the 2018 Cotton Conference and Chair of the Australian Cotton Industry Forum. She is dedicated to her start-up, the Rural Business Collective, and is involved in local community organisations

John Durham and family. 122 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

John Durham from Coleambally manages an irrigated cropping business. He has always had a passion for agriculture and completed his studies at Marcus Oldham College. He is the Chair of the Southern Valleys Cotton Growers Association and is a grower representative at the Cotton Australia and Cotton Research and Development Corporation general meetings.

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Cotton Landcare Tech-Innovations 2021 ��124 Diversity extends herbicide ‘life’ in triple-stacked cotton 129 New Texas variety can be used for food and fibre ��131

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Cotton Landcare Tech-Innovations 2021

he Cotton Landcare Tech-Innovations 2021 project is being led by the Cotton Research Development Corporation (CRDC). It is a three-year collaborative project between CRDC, the University of New England (UNE) and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), with funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program’s Smart Farming Partnerships initiative. The $1.3 million project finishes in 2021 and will develop cutting edge technologies to help the Australian cotton industry better manage and report on on-farm biodiversity. The Cotton Landcare Tech-Innovations 2021 project is researching and developing two new technologies and improving best practice guidelines for managing biodiversity on farms.

Innovation for cotton landscape revegetation (drones and tractors) Dr Rhiannon Smith UNE The UNE component, led by Dr Rhiannon Smith in collaboration with ecosystem restoration experts, UK-based BioCarbon Engineering, Stringybark Ecological, Local Land Services and NSW Landcare, are investigating new and improved cost-effective direct seeding technologies for revegetation on cotton farms, using drones and tractors. Direct seeding technologies have been used successfully in Australia as a cost-effective alternative to planting tubestock. But trials of the technology using tractors have had mixed success on vertosol soils (heavy cracking clay) in

The project is investigating revegetation of cotton farms using drones. 124 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

semi-arid floodplain regions, where many cotton farms are situated. Vertosols crack when dry and can become quite hard, making the establishment of native plants difficult, whether planting fine native seed or tubestock. On floodplains, natural revegetation events generally occur following floods or periods of prolonged or recurring rainfall events when the soil is saturated, allowing the seed to germinate and get established. Unfortunately, it is not possible to get machinery on these soils when saturated. Emerging technologies like drones will enable UNE to replicate natural conditions, increasing the likelihood of the successful establishment of native vegetation. Over the next three years, UNE will work alongside BioCarbon Engineering trialling the drone technology they built and fine-tuning it for identified unique native species and soils. BioCarbon Engineering has developed a large drone that has a 15 kg payload and a modified air rifle to shoot seeds, encapsulated in a watersoluble ‘pod’, into the ground at 40 metres per second, while hovering two metres above the ground. The drones can also broadcast seed at a rate of 400 kg per day. The planting drones follow a pre-determined flight path produced by mapping drones and can be controlled by someone sitting in the airconditioned comfort of their ute. Usually a tree planting team would be required to achieve large-scale revegetation. The drones can plant a hectare of trees in under 20 minutes – approximately a quarter of the time needed for tubestock. The seeds that are ejected by the modified air rifle are no regular seeds either. The watersoluble seed capsules are pumped full of seeds, fertiliser, microbial amendments and anything else that is required to germinate and establish seeds. The seeds are protected in that capsule until there is enough moisture in the soil to break down the capsule and allow the seeds to germinate and establish. UNE is working to prove the concept of the planting methodology in semi-arid vertosol soils on cotton farms. One of the biggest challenges with direct seeding technologies is sourcing suitable quality seed, particularly during drought conditions when plants are not flowering, pollinators are absent, or seed quality is low due to parent

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tree ill-health. UNE is currently undertaking glasshouse trials investigating different seed coatings to increase direct seeding germination success, concentrating on the more problematic eucalyptus species. The seed for the trials has been sourced from the Murray and North West Local Lands Service’s from a range of provenances, and tests are underway to determine the quality of different seed lots to inform the selection of high-quality seed lots for future work. The number of seeds per gram, seed weight, viability and germinability tests are crucial to ensuring high rates of germination and seedling vigour. In addition to drought, fragmentation of populations may impact seed quality, particularly if pollinators are absent or specialist pollinators are required to travel vast distances between populations.

Technology for acoustic monitoring on cotton farms Associate Professor Erin Peterson QUT Associate Professor Erin Peterson and her team from QUT, in collaboration with worldleading researchers in automated acoustic recogniser development and global citizen science from University College London, UK,

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is leading research to support biodiversity on cotton farms, including deploying innovative acoustic technologies to actively monitor, manage and report on biodiversity for a subset of bird and microbat species. The first step in the project was to identify which bird and microbat species to target for acoustic monitoring in Australian cotton systems. The Australian cotton industry’s biodiversity sustainability target uses an indicator of “medium proportion of bird and/ or insectivorous bat guilds detected on farms (including flagship species).” A guild refers to a group of species that utilise a similar space in ecosystems for food, habitat etc. To achieve this, a technical workshop was held at QUT in early 2019 with international collaborators, key CRDC researchers, NRM representatives, and extension personnel. The outcome of this workshop was a list of bird and bat species, ranked according to their appropriateness as biological indicators based on: • The benefits they provide to growers; • The ability for cotton management actions to positively impact their presence, activity, or abundance • Their natural spatial and temporal distribution; and, • The complexity and variability in their calls.

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Bats can be very efficient predators of insect pests. 126 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Birds Dr Rhiannon Smith and her team from UNE have used published literature reporting the interactions between birds and habitat condition variables to classify bird species, recorded during surveys on cotton farms, into guilds relating to species ecology and behaviour, and sensitivity to management. This data will inform habitat management for bird biodiversity on cotton farms. The data was also used to inform the industry’s sustainability indicator for biodiversity (bird guilds on cotton farms) and associated reporting. The 16 guilds described in the research and details on responses to habitat structural and compositional elements is the subject of a paper currently in preparation. For the purpose of developing the automatic recognisers used in acoustic sensors, these 16 bird guilds were aggregated into a coarser and more manageable six guilds at the workshop.

Bat guilds Four guilds of insectivorous bats were identified, which were categorised into Narrow, Edge, Gleaners, and Open Space. Because of the nature of bats, it is not possible for most species to fit within a single guild. Instead, bat guilds are defined based on characteristics such as wing shape, echolocation, foraging style, etc. But the species of bat selected from these four guilds for acoustic monitoring are all tree-roosting, and so rely on the presence of trees to be present in a landscape (acknowledging their varied ability to disperse). All are found in the four primary cotton-growing regions of NSW and Queensland, and all but the Open Space bats are reliant on woodlands for foraging. In contrast, Open Space bats are important because of their ability to take pest insect species above agricultural areas. QUT is now beginning the process of developing automatic recognisers for these species.

Acoustic data analysis can help identify birds and bats on cotton farms 128 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Biodiversity management guidelines for cotton Stacey Vogel, CRDC and Julian Wall, 2Rog Consulting As part of the Cotton Landcare Tech-Innovations 2021 project, CRDC contracted consultants, 2Rog Consulting, to identify priority areas and management actions for biodiversity conservation within the broader cotton-growing regions. Building on previous CRDC research that developed a spatial inventory of biodiversity assets across the cotton-growing regions of NSW and Queensland, a prioritisation framework was developed and linked to geographic information system (GIS) technology that identifies areas of remnant vegetation in the cotton landscape most suitable for long-term restoration and revegetation projects. The areas of remnant vegetation were prioritised for protection and enhancement on account of their values, including riverine vegetation, threatened ecological communities, landscape connectivity, proximity to established reserves, and proximity to cotton fields. The project identified 315 threatened and iconic plant and animal species in the cotton landscape of eastern Australia, from the NSW-Victoria border to the Fitzroy Basin in Queensland. The cotton landscape was divided into 36 regions based on local shires, and for each region a profile was established that: • Provides an overview map of the cotton footprint and priority areas for restoration; • Lists key biodiversity assets including vegetation types, wetlands, species, rivers and creek lines, and adjacent public land reserves; and, • Lists a set of region-specific management actions that focus on the habitat requirements of the particular assemblage of species represented in that region. The profiles are designed to increase the knowledge base about biodiversity assets in cotton-growing regions, and to stimulate further action and provide a guide of where and how to ensure that remaining bushland is retained, enhanced and augmented for the benefit of all native plant and animal species and for a healthy, functioning landscape. CottonInfo is currently developing the guidelines into an online format which will be available to growers via myBMP and the CottonInfo website. More information Cotton Landcare Tech-Innovations 2021 Project www.crdc.com.au/cotton-landcare-tech-innovations Stacey Vogel, CRDC R&D Manager and CottonInfo Tech Lead, E: stacey.vogel@crdc.com.au

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Diversity extends herbicide ‘life’ in triple-stacked cotton

iversity is one of those ‘how much is good enough’ things. It is often recommended that farmers use ‘as much diversity as possible’ in their weed management program to keep a lid on herbicide resistance, but it is difficult to quantify how much diversity will achieve adequate control. Computer models, like the new ‘Diversity’ model, have proven to give reliable predictions of the real-world outcomes likely to result from the implementation of different weed management programs. The Diversity model tracks the simultaneous evolution of resistance to multiple herbicides, using multiple genetic pathways, in several weed species at once. With triple-stacked herbicide tolerance traits in genetically modified cotton expected to be available to Australian growers within the next five years, the Australian Cotton Research and Development Corporation has invested in research to determine how much diversity in control tactics is required to protect the effective life of this technology. The model suggests that using more diverse strategies in weed control can add 20 years to the effective ‘life’ of this new herbicide tolerance technology. Modelling repeatedly shows that new

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technologies must be supported with several other herbicide and non-herbicide tactics and survivor management given the highest priority. Bayer’s XtendFlex technology confers tolerance to glyphosate, dicamba and glufosinate in cotton and was approved for commercial release by The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator in December 2016. Prior to commercial release, extensive work is underway to understand the system’s fit in the unique Australian environment and to ensure growers will get the most from the technology. XtendFlex cotton varieties are stacked with the Bollgard 3 insect resistance technology, and are expected to provide growers with a robust pest and weed management tool. The concern for weed scientists like Dr David Thornby, Innokas Intellectual Services, is that the triple-stack of herbicide tolerance is already compromised, with glyphosate resistance wellestablished in several weed species on many

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Do it right. Do it once The new Diversity computer model has enabled researchers to test the effect of different weed control programs and scenarios on herbicide resistance in three key weed species, with the aim of prolonging the effective life of the triple-stack herbicide gene technology in irrigated cotton systems.

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www.aquatechconsulting.com.au COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 129

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cotton farms. To-date, the problem is greatest in dryland cotton farming systems, but is also quite prevalent in non-crop areas of irrigated farms, such as along irrigation channel banks. Having previously used computer modelling to assist in the development of the cotton industry 2+2&0 weed control strategy, David has led a team to develop a model to test how many tactics growers will need to implement to achieve effective control of three key weed species – sowthistle, flaxleaf fleabane and awnless barnyard grass – once the XtendFlex technology is adopted. “Real-life experience aligns with the predictions made using the DAF Glyphosate Resistance computer model, with glyphosate resistance being evident in awnless barnyard grass within 13 years of commencing zero tillage, if glyphosate is the only product used for summer weed control and survivors are not controlled,” he said. “We also predicted that common sowthistle populations would exhibit resistance within 15 years if glyphosate was the only product, or 20 years if a few other tactics were implemented.” “We managed to predict that sowthistle would lag behind barnyard grass by a few years, under current and historical management strategies, and that has been borne out in the real world. This suggests that the computer models do provide reliable predictions of the speed at which herbicide resistance develops in weed populations, so we have built on this earlier work to develop the ‘Diversity’ computer model.” Using this new model has enabled researchers

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to test the effect of different weed control programs and scenarios on herbicide resistance in these three key species, with the aim of prolonging the effective life of the triple-stack herbicide gene technology in irrigated cotton systems. “Using the model we can show that just using the three over-the-top herbicides in triple-stacked cotton crops will lead to a failure of the technology to control awnless barnyard grass within 10 years,” he said. “This is because of the already wide-spread incidence of glyphosate resistance in this species, and the fact that glufosinate is only marginally effective on this species and dicamba is not effective at all.” “If a grower also implements the 2+2&0 best practice of two other practices – cultural or different herbicide modes of action – in both the crop and fallow, and zero tolerance of survivors, we can extend the effective life of the technology to control awnless barnyard grass and sowthistle to 30 years,” he said. “For example, the use of the triple stack partners in a double knock tactic at least some of the time, including a pre-emergent herbicide and chipping survivors, is a practical and effective control program to support the over-thetop herbicide options available with XtendFlex.” “Of the three key species studied so far, flaxleaf fleabane is expected to be an on-going problem for cotton growers,” said David. “Glyphosate resistant fleabane can be hard to control with the XtendFlex herbicide options and the model suggests that at least two additional tactics would need to be applied every year to keep numbers low. Gaining control is challenging and given the amount of seed produced on these plants, even achieving a kill rate of 95 per cent is not sufficient to manage the seed bank.” Flaxleaf fleabane can germinate over a wide portion of the year, putting strong pressure on preemergent herbicides as well. The bottom line is that the triple-stack herbicide tolerance gene technology will be a useful tool for cotton growers but it is not a stand-alone weed control program. It must be supported with several other herbicide and non-herbicide tactics and survivor management given the highest priority.

Dr David Thornby suggests that growers should not put off implementing the 2+2&0 strategy in the hope that XtendFlex cotton varieties will fix their weed problems when the new technology is released in Australia in the next five years. 130 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

David said growers should not put off implementing the 2+2&0 strategy in the hope that XtendFlex will fix their weed problems. It is possible to use intensive patch management to reduce the numbers of glyphosate resistant weeds, particularly awnless barnyard grass, and doing so will give growers a better starting point to maximise the effectiveness of the triple-stack herbicide technology when it is released. For more information about managing herbicide resistance in cotton systems visit the Weedsmart website: www.weedsmart.org.au

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New Texas variety can be used for food and fibre

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By Kay Ledbetter, Texas A&M Agrilife Today

he US Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to ultralow gossypol cottonseed, ULGCS, to be utilised as human food and in animal feed, something Texas A&M AgriLife researchers have been working on for nearly 25 years. Dr Keerti Rathore, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant biotechnologist in the Texas A&M Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology and Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College Station, and his team have developed, tested and obtained deregulation for the transgenic cotton plant – TAM66274. TAM66274 is a unique cotton plant with ultralow gossypol levels in the seed, which makes the protein from the seeds safe to consume, Rathore said, but also maintains normal plant-protecting gossypol levels in the rest of the plant, making it ideal for the traditional cotton farmer. Dr Patrick Stover, director of AgriLife Research, said this is research with a direct, positive impact on the world’s food supply. “This demonstrates how we can make a difference in enhancing the nutritional quality of the food system for those in greatest need, while enhancing the profitability of agriculture production,” Stover said. “Our goal is to advance sustainable agriculture in Texas and around the world, and this new protein source is yet another step in that direction.”

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suffer from hunger and malnutrition, Rathore said. Up to now, the ability to utilise proteinrich cottonseed for food or even as feed for the non-ruminants was not possible because of the presence of a toxic terpenoid, gossypol. With the development and approval of the ULGCS, gossypol is no longer a deterrent. The human food ingredients from TAM66274 cottonseed can be roasted cottonseed kernels, raw cottonseed kernels, cottonseed kernels, partially defatted cottonseed flour, defatted cottonseed flour and cottonseed oil Rathore said initially low-gossypol cottonseed protein can be used by two of the most efficient systems to convert feed protein into edible animal protein: aquaculture and the poultry industry. “Both of these industries are experiencing high rates of growth and are likely to continue growing for the foreseeable future,” he said.

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Cottonseed as a food source If adopted by the cotton growers worldwide, ULGCS has the potential to make a significant impact on nutrition security, especially in the poor, cotton-growing countries, Rathore said. “The amount of protein locked up in the annual output of cottonseed worldwide is about 10.8 trillion grams,” he said. “That is more than what is present in all the chicken eggs produced globally, and enough to meet the basic protein requirements of over 500 million people.” This FDA approval is only the fifth for a university-developed, genetically engineered crop in the past 25-year history of genetically modified products in the US, and is the first for a Texas university, Rathore said. Except for a few countries, most cotton producing countries, particularly in Asia and Africa,

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60 Maitland St, Narrabri, 2390 02 6792 1265 0429 902 584 COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 131

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Steps to a new protein source Getting to this point took approval from two areas of government. First, non-regulated status for TAM66274 was required by the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Then, FDA approval was needed. “This approval from FDA enables cultivation and use of this promising new cottonseed product within the US,” Rathore said. The research was supported by funds from Cotton Inc. and AgriLife Research. Kater Hake, vice president of agricultural and environmental research at Cotton Inc, said gossypol suppression in cottonseed has been part of their funded research portfolio for over 30 years. “It took time to tap the innate protein potential in the seed; time for the right technologies to develop; and time for the right research team to come along.”

Building a market The next step, Hake said, is to get cotton farmers and the industry around the world to begin growing and marketing the special variety. Tom Wedegaertner, director of cottonseed research and marketing at Cotton Inc., explained the dedication to this research project, saying gossypol in the leaves and stalks of the cotton plant serve as a pest deterrent, but its presence in the seed serves no purpose.

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“The more widespread use of cottonseed as a livestock feed and even for human consumption has been stymied by the natural levels of gossypol in the seed,” Wedegaertner said. “Now we have the ability to utilise the protein.” Hake said with the full deregulation approval in place, “We can now demonstrate the value of a novel food source to cottonseed processors and seed companies who are essential to purchasing and delivering the seed to cotton growers.”

More bang for the cotton buck With expanded use of ULGCS for human nutrition either directly as food or indirectly as feed, the cotton plant can potentially become a dual-purpose crop that will be cultivated not only as a source of natural fibre, but just as much for its seed to be used as a source of oil as well as protein, Rathore said. Importantly, he said, the ULGCS makes available a vast source of protein without bringing additional land under the plough or an increase in the input costs. Another potential benefit, Rathore said, is that ULGCS, by serving as a substitute for fishmeal, will positively impact the environment by reducing pressure on the severely strained supply of small, wild-caught ocean fish used as a source of feed in fish farms. Also, by serving as a source of protein, it could reduce agricultural landclearing in the Amazon and other places to provide space to grow more soybeans to satisfy the rising demand for protein for the growing population. “Thus, we believe ULGCS represents a unique biotech trait that will benefit farmers, the cottonseed processing industry, the environment and human health,” he said.

Reducing malnutrition Ultimately, though, Rathore’s goal is for global adoption of TAM66274 to help address protein malnutrition in impoverished parts of the world that cultivate cotton. Human nutrition trials conducted in some Central and South American countries, Western Africa, Asia and the US in the 1960s through the 1980s show that with substantial reduction or complete elimination of gossypol, cottonseed protein can play a direct and significant role in alleviating protein-calorie malnutrition in a populace suffering as a result of inadequate nutrition. Keerti Rathore stands in his lab with the new ultra-low gossypol cotton plants. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Beth Luedeker)

132 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

“It is my hope, as we move forward in the commercialisation process, that the protein derived from ULGCS remain affordable as a supplement in protein-poor diets,” Rathore said.

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Help prevent spray drift with new crop mapping technology: SataCrop ��134 Seeing green on green: A new way to look at weed control ��138 Local group takes creative approach to spray drift ��142

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Help prevent spray drift with new crop mapping technology: SataCrop

n June 2019, Cotton Australia announced a partnership with PCT Agcloud to develop SataCrop. SataCrop is an Australia-wide crop mapping tool to inform everyone on the location of crops sensitive to off target spray drift. Cotton Australia chose to partner with SataCrop after a very successful trial during the 2018–19 season, using the system in the Emerald region of Queensland’s central Highlands. In certain conditions, spray droplets can travel beyond 20 kilometres. Being aware and managing spray drift is highly important particularly where sensitive crops are nearby. SataCrop provides a very quick and easy to use tool for applicators to see what crops are in the surrounding areas as well as live weather data to better plan their spraying activity. Having an accurate crop type map for a particular region can also provide many other uses for farm planning and assessment useful for farmers, farm managers and operators. SataCrop builds on the Satamap technology which became part of the PCT Agcloud business in early 2018. Satamap provide deeper crop health assessment through satellite imagery services and is still available for those wanting to monitor their crop health during the season and double

check those sensitive areas which may have been missed in mapping. SataCrop breaks new ground with crop mapping with a list of new features including: • Maps all crops – not just cotton; • Field boundaries remain in the system, so users can easily add a new season; • Growers can see a handy farm map with field names and area; • Fields can be linked to two other people; • Bureau of Meteorology weather data is live on the map for the previous 72 hours; • You can submit your existing farm boundaries. PCT Agcloud boundaries and boundaries from other providers (e.g. John Deere, Trimble, Agworld) via PCT Agcloud can easily be loaded; • You can use the John Deere Cotton Harvest Identification (HID) file editing tool to edit and correct your Cotton HID files before sending to the gin; • It has a GPS locator so you can walk the field and locate using a mobile device; • It has a search and sort field list; • It is mobile friendly; and, • Area and distance measuring tools are provided.

Screenshot of a SataCrop public image from Emerald. 134 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

COTTON ON TO PRECISION FARMING.

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To contribute fields to SataCrop contact ben@ pct-agcloud.com with the following information: • Name and email; • Organisation; • Address; and, • Phone number.

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Note: SataCrop is designed for the Australian cropping industry and is only available and accessible in Australia. PCT Agcloud is a comprehensive cloud-based Precision Ag platform, empowering Precision Ag Specialists and trusted advisors to incorporate genuine value through data insights to the grower. If you would like to know more about PCT Agcloud and the range of solutions we provide please visit http://about.pct-agcloud.com

Realtime weather information can help inform spray decisions.

Growers can input crop selection for each field, 136 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Seeing green on green: A new way to look at weed control By Guillaume Jourdain, Bilberry

AT A GLANCE… • Green on green camera technology is now used on farms. This will lead to important financial and farm management benefits for growers. • Growers need to not only understand the benefits – but also the limitations – of new technologies such as green on green weed detection.

wo optical camera systems to spray weeds have been on the market for several years – WEEDit and WeedSeeker. These systems are now commonly used in Australia for green on brown applications. A number of start-up companies (such as Bilberry), large corporations and universities are now developing systems with green on green capability – that is, being able to identify a weed in a growing crop and selectively spray the weed. The technology used by the various companies in this green on green space is similar: Artificial intelligence with cameras – sometimes RGB/colour cameras and sometimes hyperspectral cameras.

shape. Through mathematical formulas, a range of colours and a range of shapes for each weed can be identified. In other words ‘conventional’ algorithms – which set out a process, or the rules to be followed by the machine – to identify the weed, can be created. Figure 1 shows a very simplified example. Conventional algorithms can identify radish in the laboratory because the weed colour sits within a specific green range. This is all very well in the laboratory under controlled conditions with constant light, no wind, all crops and weeds are from the same variety and are not stressed etc. But paddock conditions are completely different. The sun can be high or low, in your back or in your eyes, there can be clouds, there can be shadows from the tractor/sprayer cabin or from the spraying boom, crops can be damp in the morning which creates sun reflections, the soils always have different colours and so on.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect weeds Finding machine-based methods to recognise weeds within crops has interested high-tech companies and researchers for a very long time. The first patents on this topic date back to the 1990s. The main approach was to differentiate weeds from crops thanks to their colour and

FIGURE 1: A simplified example using conventional algorithms to identify radish in the laboratory

Bilberry cameras on an Agrifac 48 metre selfpropelled sprayer. 138 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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GREEN ON GREEN TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPERS • Bilberry – a French AI based start-up that specialises in cameras for recognising weeds (subject of this article). • Blue River Technology – acquired by John Deere in September 2017 for more than US$300m, developing a See and Spray technology. This involves a spraying tool with smart cameras, trailed by a tractor, that can spray weeds very accurately at about 10 km per hour. • Ecorobotix – a Swiss based start-up developing an autonomous solar robot that kills weeds. Ecorobotix is also developing the camera technology. • AgroIntelli – a Danish company developing an autonomous robot to replace tractors, that will also include camera technology spraying capacity. • Bosch – a German company becoming more involved in agriculture and has a project called Bonirob, a weed-killing robot with smart cameras.

It’s clear that conventional algorithms cannot work in field conditions. Enter artificial intelligence as a game changer. Artificial intelligence – and especially deep learning – is another way of working on images to recognise different objects. It is now the most widely used technology for computer vision when it comes to complex images such as recognising weeds within crops or on bare soil. Deep learning is part of the ‘family’ of machine learning and is inspired by the way the human brain works. Deep learning often uses the architecture of deep neural networks. The learning part can be either supervised or unsupervised. Research on deep learning started in the 1990s. In the past few years deep learning applications have become much more widely used. And there are three main reasons for this. The recent advent of: • Plenty of data; • High computing power; and, • Powerful algorithms. With these three ‘advances’ deep learning is now applicable in many situations and is especially relevant in agricultural applications. Two of the most important steps with AI and deep learning in agricultural applications are data gathering and paddock testing. And these two steps largely happen in the field.

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What is especially complex and important about data gathering is to be able to capture the diversity of in-field situations.

Research and results at Bilberry Bilberry was founded in January 2016 by three French engineers with the idea to use artificial intelligence to help solve problems in agriculture. The main product from Bilberry is now embedded cameras on sprayers. These cameras scan the paddocks to recognise the weeds and then control the spraying in real time to spray only on the weeds and not the whole paddock. Bilberry also develops cameras that recognise weeds along railway tracks. The technology is similar, with just a higher speed (60 km per hour) as well as day and night applications. The biggest focus for us developing this product is now on Australia, with several sprayers already equipped with Bilberry cameras. One of the reasons for this focus is the huge interest among Australian growers and agronomists towards green on green spot spraying.

Weed detection on bare soil (three first pictures) and wild radish detection in wheat (three last pictures) – Images taken from Bilberry cameras – results in real time COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 139

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One camera every three metres is mounted on the spray boom along with computing modules (to process the data) and switches (to distribute power and data to each camera). In the cabin, there is one screen to control the system.

Results to date Three algorithms are now validated and can be used by growers in the field – two of these are particularly focused on Australian growers: • Weeds on bare soil detection (using AI, but same application as WEEDit or WeedSeeker); • Rumex (dock weed) in grasslands; and, • Wild radish in wheat (especially when weeds are flowering). It is important to note that large chemical savings are made with the cameras, but it is also a very interesting tool to fight resistant weeds, potentially enabling the use of products that cannot be currently used in-crop due to either cost or crop impact. The photographs taken by the Bilberry

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cameras show weed detection on bare soil and wild radish detection in wheat.

Main features of the Bilberry camera The cameras are used at up to 25 km per hour speed and can be used on wide booms – currently the widest boom used is 49 metres, but could be more if needed. This creates very high capacity. Theoretically the camera capacity can be calculated as: 25 km per hour x 48 metres = 120 ha/hour In real spraying conditions, capacity is of course lower, as the speed is not always 25 km per hour and the sprayers need to be refilled.

Summer spraying in Australia (NSW example) One Agrifac 48 metre boom is equipped with cameras on a farm in New South Wales. Before the cameras were used by the grower and his team, a comparative test was made with current camera sprayer technology. It was then decided to use Bilberry cameras as much as possible on the farm. The cameras have been used since the beginning of the 2018-2019 summer spraying season. Table 1 below outlines the main ‘numbers’ over a three week spraying period.

TABLE 1: Figures from the 2018-2019 summer spraying season Total area sprayed

Ha/day

Ha/hour

Chemical savings

6199 ha

413 ha

75 ha

93.5%

The carrier volume used was generally set at 150 litres/ha.

It is very important to note that the chemical savings are directly linked to the extent of weed infestation in the paddocks. A paddock with high weed infestation will get little savings whereas a paddock with low weed infestation will get high savings.

Spraying dock weeds in grasslands (Netherlands) In the Netherlands, a 36 metre Agrifac boom is equipped with Bilberry cameras and uses an algorithm to spray dock weeds on grasslands. A rigorous testing process earlier was used to ensure the algorithm was working properly.

Test field after spraying with dye. 140 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Once the grower validated that the algorithm was working, it was used during the whole spraying season. About 500 hectares were sprayed during the season, and the average chemical savings were above 90 per cent. The cost of the chemical is about Є50 ($80) per hectare for this application which means Є45 ($72) per hectare in chemical savings with the use of cameras.

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Local group takes creative approach to spray drift

wareness is increasing about the damage off-target spraying, or spray drift, can do to growers’ crops and those of their neighbours – sometimes many kilometres away. A community in western New South Wales has decided to act and the steps they have taken appear to have reduced the incidences of spray drift in the region. The recently formed Stop Off-target Spraying (SOS) Macquarie Valley group is working with and educating growers and others involved in the local agricultural community – to help reduce spray drift and enable safer spraying techniques. Grain Orana Alliance (GOA) chief executive officer Maurie Street is one of the convenors of the group that was formed following reports of local spray drift damage to crops in the summer of 2017–18. “The group started after conversations between concerned people in the industry,

Grain Orana Alliance (GOA) chief executive officer Maurie Street is one of the convenors of SOS Macquarie Valley, a group working to help reduce off-target spray drift and to enable safer spraying techniques. (PHOTO: GRDC) 142 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

including leading agronomists in the Macquarie Valley,” says Maurie, who features in a new Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) podcast, available at https://grdc.com. au/news-and-media/audio. “We wanted to understand what was driving the problem and, ultimately, to achieve change so there were fewer cases of spray drift. One of the biggest issues we identified was spraying in inappropriate weather conditions and particularly during surface temperature inversions.” Surface temperature inversions commonly occur most evenings from one to two hours before sunset and persist until one to two hours after sunrise, when the ground loses heat and the low-level air cools. This results in air temperature increasing with height and the temperature profile is said to be inverted. When this occurs close to the ground it is called a surface temperature inversion. Maurie said SOS Macquarie Valley decided to run informal ‘Beer and Banger’ information sessions in locations including local pubs and halls. “We put on some beer and sausages and got experts to come in and provide simple and clear messaging – particularly about the implications of spraying at night and during inversions – which is believed to be a leading cause of offtarget spray drift,” he said. “Five meetings were held and were attended by a total of more than 500 growers, applicators and advisers, which was a fantastic result. “The success of these events is a good sign that, as an industry, we are concerned about the issue of spray drift and genuinely want to understand what’s driving it and what’s at stake, and that we are keen to achieve better outcomes.” Other initiatives run by the group in 2018 included agronomist training on spray rig set-up and application parameters; a spray technology field day; and surveys. “These activities have been rolled out as part of a strategic plan, put together by SOS Macquarie Valley, detailing a number of short, medium and long-term goals the group identified as important to achieving better spray outcomes in the Macquarie Valley,” Maurie said. For more information about SOS Macquarie go to https:// sosmacquarievalley.com.au and for information about best practice spray application go to https://grdc.com.au/spray-drift

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myBMP underpins Australia’s cotton sustainability credentials By Rick Kowitz – myBMP Manager

espite a very dry season, myBMP continues to be well supported by Australia’s cotton growers. Most cotton growers are now registered in the myBMP program and around 20 per cent of Australia’s

cotton comes from myBMP-accredited farms, a three-fold increase since 2014 when Cotton Australia first partnered with the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI).

Better Cotton Initiative continues to grow Better Cotton premiums have been a great incentive for Australian cotton growers and have helped get more growers involved in myBMP. Global Better Cotton production has been steadily increasing and now accounts for 19 per cent of the world’s cotton production. The demand for Better Cotton from retailers and brands continues to grow, but has not kept pace with supply, therefore putting pressure on the value of the Better Cotton premiums. BCI is working hard to close the gap by getting more retailers and brands on board and doubling the demand for Better Cotton from five to 10 per cent of global cotton over the next few years.

Bayer’s Better Farming Program – a boost to sustainability

Rick Kowitz (myBMP Manager) presents Ross Burnett from Emerald with a BCI Licenced Grower sign.

In 2018, Monsanto, now Bayer, announced the myBMP Bale Grant as part of its ongoing Better Farming Grants Program. Bayer rewards growers with a $1 per bale grant for cotton produced from myBMP-accredited farms, a cash incentive that amounted to more than $1 million dollars in the first year. In addition to the myBMP Bale Grant, Bayer reimburses cotton growers with $2000 to cover the cost of a successful myBMP accreditation audit. The Better Farming Grants program has been running for six years now. Bayer’s Better Farming Grants Program is welcomed by the industry and contributes to a more sustainable future for Australian cotton.

myBMP gains more global recognition myBMP is one of the highest sustainability standards in the world. This is becoming apparent as we benchmark myBMP against more global sustainability standards. myBMP is now recognised by six global standards, including the Textile Exchange, the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, the International Trade Centre’s Sustainability Map, Forum for the Future – CottonUP Guide, CottonLEADSTM and the Better Cotton Initiative. Cotton Australia will 144 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Now permitted for use in cotton (stages I & II) for the control of silverleaf whitefly in NSW and QLD under permit number PER5806 Applaud

INSECTICIDE

It’s Applaud® Insecticide’s combination of activity against hard-to-kill sucking pests and selectivity to almost all key beneficial insects that has seen it replace older broad-spectrum insecticides in many cropping systems around the world. Applaud’s soft profile on beneficials contrasted with its effective control of mealybugs and silverleaf whitefly makes it the go-to insecticide for any Integrated Pest Management programme.

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continue to find more opportunities to promote myBMP and Australia’s sustainability credentials.

Setting the standard for northern Australia As the northern Australia cotton industry builds momentum, myBMP is being adapted to ensure best management practices are relevant to northern cotton growers. Governments and communities are keeping a close watch as the cotton industry develops and explores potential expansion. myBMP will play an important role in setting high standards and building a sustainable cotton industry in northern Australia.

Improving water quality in the Fitzroy Basin This year concluded a three-year, $500,000 project partnering with the Fitzroy Basin Association to improve water quality in the Great Barrier Reef. Through myBMP, Cotton Australia worked with 30 cotton farmers in the Central Highlands and Dawson-Callide Valley to improve water use efficiency, nutrient use efficiency and sediment control. Activities included on-farm projects, farm demonstration sites, individual technical support and workshops, and covered a total farm area of 45,000 hectares. One of the growers involved, Graham Volck, improved his nitrogen use efficiency through water quality monitoring and more intensive soil testing.

Simon Corish and Hamish McIntyre inspect cotton growing at Kimberley Agricultural Investments, Kununurra.

Graham saved one in-crop nitrogen fertiliser application and around $80 per hectare in costs. Graham is a finalist in the Reef Nutrient Champion Awards this year.

Jump aboard the myBMP Express

Graham Volck samples irrigation water for nutrients on ‘Retreat’ near Emerald. 146 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

The myBMP Express is back on track this year thanks to popular demand. The myBMP Express is a ‘hands-on’ session for cotton growers aiming to attain myBMP accreditation before February next year. The sessions start with a quick demonstration on how to use the myBMP system, followed by an introduction to each module. The aim is to work through the myBMP checklist and ask questions as you go. To book a seat on the next myBMP Express, contact your Cotton Australia Regional Manager, or call the myBMP Office on 1800 COTTON.

Hard on mirids Soft on beneficials

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Cotton pests can suck the profitability right out of your crop. That’s why switched on growers have been turning to Transform® WG Isoclast® active insecticide as part of a strategic Integrated Pest Management program. Transform controls a range of cotton pests while proving soft on beneficials. Because of its unique Mode of Action, Transform can control insects that are resistant to other insecticides.

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Using drone technology to release beneficials in cotton

sing beneficials to manage pest populations has long been part of growing cotton in Australia. Some growers and consultants have been introducing laboratory bred beneficials, purchasing ‘bugs’ through the mail and walking through the crop depositing them on leaves by hand, so as to increase natural populations. Drone Agriculture has been working with these growers for the past three seasons, using a patented heavy-load drone to quickly and efficiently release beneficials through crops, allowing greater coverage at the right time with a fast delivery system. Nathan Roy, co-owner and chief pilot of Drone Agriculture has been involved in agriculture his entire life. “We have always used predators to manage our pest populations with the view of ensuring our produce is as healthy as possible by minimising chemical applications. The fact that replacing a chemical application with a predator release makes for a healthier workplace for my team and home environment for my family is also a key priority.” Releasing insect predators by hand is an extremely labour intensive job, requiring passage throughout the crop and physically transferring each bug to a favourable location

Releasing beneficials in a cotton crop. 148 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

on the plant, depending on what the crop is, what pest has become the problem and the appropriate predator and their biology. It also produced haphazard results, with beneficial populations sometimes not building up sufficient numbers to take a hold. “We had to find a suitable delivery system for the predators,” said Nathan. “Persisting with hand applications was unsustainable from a cost perspective but also from a predator survival perspective.” Drones have been used for decades in military operations, but miniaturisation technologies in the 1980s and 1990s saw a new generation of drones being developed. These drones were smaller, stronger and with significantly greater computing capacity to be able to perform intricate manoeuvres. Applications for such devices spread beyond the military into scientific research, rescue operations, surveillance and, eventually, agriculture. “I have always been fascinated by innovations and new developments, particularly in aviation. The potential for drones really pricked my interest” advised Nathan. So, like any innovative Aussie farmer with a need, Nathan found a solution. Utilising the expertise of an aviation technician and a fellow pilot, the team trialled many designs of drones and payloads until they developed one that met their needs. “The drone had to carry enough predators to cover a reasonable area and be sufficient to build up numbers quickly within the crop. The machine had to be strong enough to manage reasonable winds and any inversions that may happen within a crop, have a good range and accurate speed to achieve good efficiencies whilst maximising predator survival on release,” said Nathan. “It may sound simple enough, but a lot of research and development has gone into this design, which we were then able to patent. “We started trials on our family citrus and strawberry farms, which resulted in further modifications of numerous prototypes. The strawberry industry quickly embraced this approach to pest management, with exceptional results. By 2014 business expanded to pumpkins, melons, tomatoes, chillis and then into pears and almond orchards in Queensland, NSW and South Australia.” It has been an exciting journey for Nathan as he has expanded his drone applications to new industries; learning the various pest and

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beneficial populations associated with each crop, and then working alongside specialist agronomists and consultants to understand appropriate pest thresholds prior to beneficial releases and the ideal conditions for those releases in each circumstance. “Each industry has IPM guidelines and most regions have area wide management plans, which are tremendously helpful. At the same time, every single application is different. Besides the crop, pest and beneficial variances, each crop is influenced by its growth stage which dictates where the drone needs to fly. The surrounding topography will impact wind speeds and directions. Temperature has a huge influence on how the drone flies as well as beneficial survival post-release. Then there are client variances – some clients want to get predators out early to stay on top of any insect pests; others want to wait until pest populations are growing.” Nathan explained. In 2016 Nathan started working with a couple of cotton consultants who were looking for a solution to controlling silverleaf whitefly (SLWF, Bemisia tabaci biotype B), which had shown early resistance to Admiral Insecticide, a core insecticide for those looking to be ‘IPM-friendly’ in cotton. “I work alongside ‘Bugs for Bugs’” explained Nathan. “They breed the beneficials and take orders from growers, agronomists and consultants, and where and when appropriate, they recommend Drone Agriculture as the delivery system. Besides being significantly faster than hand applications (tremendously saving labour costs), the drone releases beneficials with an even distribution across the paddock, which is just not possible by hand. We are able to target hotspots if required, but most releases are blanket applications.” Lucas Findlay, owner of Findlay Farms at Narrabri is familiar with both techniques of

A drone ready to go into action. 150 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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application as he used to release beneficials by hand under his grandfather’s supervision in the 90s. “When Drone Agriculture came along we were already familiar with the idea of putting predators into the crops. We tried it three years ago for the first time, in a really bad season for whitefly when people sprayed three times and it was a really big year for pests in general. “Wherever we spread the bugs, we didn’t spray for whitefly. I don’t know if it works but I cannot say it didn’t work, which is why we did it again last season. The same thing occurred last year – wherever we spread the bugs we didn’t spray for whitefly. We did two releases last season. We still sprayed for whitefly last year across a lot of the farm, but not where we released the bugs. I have no idea if it was the bugs, but I’m confident enough to keep trying it.” Nathan Hamblin came to the same conclusion: “I can say that it worked because we didn’t have to do a whitefly spray. We would have had to spray for whitefly at some time during the season last year and we didn’t do one spray for it. Numbers did get up there mid-way through the season, but we just let the bugs do their job. We didn’t have to spray and we didn’t see too much honeydew.” Matthew Wannan agreed: “It obviously worked because we took samples for analysis and in excess of 65 per cent of the whitefly had died due to paralysis. So if you’re on threshold and you can kill 65 per cent of those insects with a release of beneficials then that takes you way below threshold.” For many growers though, taking a ‘green’ approach is also important. “When we release beneficials, we’re not killing all the other beneficials,” said Matthew Wannan. “Even softer chemistry will have collateral damage on your beneficials, and you’re better off if you can hold onto them. They’re controlling other things like mites, mirids and all those other pests that we don’t want to get into the crop either. Once you start going with chemistry, sometimes you’re killing the beneficials that’re helping you.” Nathan Hamblin agreed: “I really like the program. We have to get greener so we have a better social licence in the future. If that means more beneficials and less sprays then that’s the way we have to go and that’s the way I want to go.” “We are a small operation and we’re still in the process of finding our feet in the cotton industry” says Nathan Kay. “There are some glitches in the system we need to address, but we released over a million bugs in the Wee Waa region last week and we’ll repeat that volume this week, with another million in the Griffith and Swan Hill regions after that.”

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Burr breakthrough: Insights into Noogoora ��152 2019 Excellence in Research – Dr Nicole McDonald ��156 Better dryland cotton yields with phosphorus ��157 CottonInfo and Meet Our Team ��159–160 CRDC list of current projects ��161 Table legend.................................................................... 166

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Burr breakthrough: Insights into Noogoora

ustralian scientists have developed a new biological control method for Noogoora burr, a troublesome weed with the ability to spread Verticillium. While a range of herbicides are available to control Noogoora burr, all can cause offtarget damage and are inappropriate for use in sensitive situations such as the riverine areas where the burr is often found. It is a serious threat to riverine ecosystems, habitats and native species, impacting 36 vegetation communities, including 11 Endangered Ecological Communities in NSW alone. The burr is also a known host of the pathogen that causes Verticillium wilt, and through this project its presence was confirmed in all Noogoora species.

The Australian Government in collaboration with NSW DPI, Murrumbidgee Irrigation, University of Queensland and CRDC supported the project Biological control and taxonomic advancements for management in the Noogoora burr complex. It was jointly led by NSW DPI’s Graham Charles and Dr Stephen Johnson, with NSW DPI cotton pathologist Dr Karen Kirkby.

Bio breakthrough Bioherbicides contain naturally occurring fungal pathogens specific to the target weed. Among their many benefits they are safe for use in sensitive environmental and production areas and are highly cost effective to develop and use when compared to traditional herbicides. But the pathogens typically in bioherbicides require free water from dew or rain for the fungi to develop and cause plant death. In dry areas this presents obvious limitations. “We have overcome this limitation, which we see globally, through the use of a complex emulsion,” Graham said. “Sourced through scientists from the University of Melbourne, and combining it with our pathogen, Alternaria zinniae, we were able to kill all Noogoora burr species and hybrid plants in our trials.” To get the technology into the field, the researchers will now partner with land managers in testing the product as it moves toward commercial viability. Future research could also extend the use of the emulsions to other pathogen/weed combinations to achieve bioherbicide control of other established weeds in primary production and environmental ecosystems, both in Australia and globally.

Clearer identification

CottonInfo Gwydir REO Janelle Montgomery collecting Noogoora burr samples for the breakthrough research. 152 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Prior to this project, there were four species in the Noogoora burr complex recognised in Australia, but only a single species in the US where the burr came from, which raised questions for the researchers. “Clearly the identification of this weed was confused, and we were concerned this might have had implications for the control and disease-host status of the weed,” Graham said. “Initially, our research sought to better understand the taxonomy within the species complex since such uncertainty can constrain biological control efficacy.

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“DNA barcoding and next-generation sequencing actually revealed that here the Noogoora burr complex consists of two distinct genetic groups and a wide range of hybrids, not the four morphologically distinct species (morpho-types) originally described.” Importantly, the researchers found the bioherbicide to be equally effective across all the groups. The use of the complex emulsions now has the potential to be extended to other pathogen/weed combinations to achieve the safe control of other established weeds in primary production and environmental ecosystems. “The central strength of this project was the assembly of a multidisciplinary team which demonstrated strong collaboration and the ability to undertake a comprehensive research and development program for bioherbicides and control,” Graham says. “The team included agronomists, an ecologist, pathologists, geneticists and support staff, with the assistance of biochemists and molecular engineers, working together to achieve an outstanding success. “The use of a multidisciplinary team should be considered for future projects where rapid outcomes are required for complex problems, as we were supported by NSW DPI cotton pathologist Dr Karen Kirkby, who undertook the Verticillium testing component of the project.” For more information: Graham Charles graham.charles@dpi.nsw.gov.au Dr Stephen Johnson stephen.johnson@dpi.nsw.gov.au

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Verticillium presence confirmed Noogoora burr is a particularly important weed to the cotton industry as it is a host of Verticillium dahliae, a problem pathogen with the potential to cause significant plant death and yield loss. Testing by Dr Karen Kirkby and her collaborative team from The Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Initiative (EMAI) found a range of Verticillium strains across all Noogoora species and hybrids, included the defoliating VCG1A (vegetative compatibility group) and nondefoliating VCG2A strains. “This raised further questions around the potential for some of these additional strains to be present in other weeds and cotton and is relevant to other industry researchers looking into the spread of Verticillium throughout cotton growing regions,” Karen said. “These weeds harbour the pathogen that causes Verticillium wilt in cotton and consequently should be controlled in order to minimise the spread of the disease and increase of V. dahliae inoculum in soil.” Some species were host to more than one VCG. “Our study suggests the existence of main VCG clonal lineages that contain the isolates of VCGs 1A and 1B, VCGs 2A and 4B, and VCG 4A, and the existence of other VCGs or VCG subgroups that have been found rarely and seem to be genetically different,” Karen said. “This is suggestive of a population structure consisting of some recombination events (maybe extant, rare, or past), with a clonal expansion of certain successful individuals possibly associated with agriculture. “It is possible that these latter groups have emerged through the evolutionary mechanisms described above, but the one question arising is: ‘where are these variants originating from?’ “We believe that there are aspects of the V. dahliae biology that have not yet been explored appropriately, and it is possible that there is a more complex diversity in V. dahliae that has not been targeted.” The techniques developed in this project to screen for the presence of Verticillium wilt, using PCR analysis to detect the pathogen, and then DNA analysis to identify the pathogen, will enable the presence of this and other pathogens to be explored in future projects. For more information: Dr Karen Kirkby karen.kirkby@dpi.nsw.gov.au Originally piblished in CRDC’s Spotlight magazine and reprinted with permission.

Seedlings of Xanthium spp. and hybrids growing in the glasshouse during the experiments. 154 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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2019 Excellence in Research – Dr Nicole McDonald

or Dr Nicole McDonald, the winner of the Career Development Association of Australia’s (CDAA’s) 2019 Excellence in Career Development Research award, “you don’t achieve excellence, you enact it.” Nicole is leading research and development that aims to enhance attraction and retention of workers in agriculture and to promote agriculture as a career of choice. “Australian agriculture contributes $60 billion to the nation’s economy and provides enough food to feed Australia’s population plus another 40 million people around the world,” Nicole said. “But the ongoing success of the industry faces many challenges including a growing population and production demand, workforce shortages, climate change, and the rise of digital agriculture. “These are all challenges that can be met by ensuring quality career opportunities are available and diversely skilled individuals are supported to seek employment within agriculture.” Over the past five years, she has dedicated herself to projects researching the job satisfaction and next generation of cotton farm workers, experiences of backpacker farm workers, and the impacts of digital agriculture on farming careers. Nicole’s research is now being used to

Nicole McDonald. 156 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

advocate for career development to be part of a national approach to agricultural workforce development. As a result of her research and advocacy, Nicole has been admitted into the 2030 National Farmers Federation Leaders and Australian Rural Leadership Foundation alumni’s. But despite her success, Nicole is not from an agricultural background and initially started doing research that was very theoretical in nature. “Writing a report that simply ends up gathering dust on a shelf is not my vision of success,” she said. “I wanted to have an impact. So, I looked for every opportunity that was available to immerse myself in industry.” Nicole was fortunate to be met with a great amount of support, not only from her supervisor Peter McIlveen and the ACCELL research team, but also the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Cotton Australia and the broader cotton growing community. “It’s true what they say about agriculture. The people really come together to support each other and welcome people in,” she said. And this collaboration is what is important to Nicole. She said working hard to bring people along with her on her research journey is what she is most proud of. “I’ve put the time and effort into building collaborative relationships and regularly engaging with people working in the cotton industry,” she said. “This has helped me to learn what they need, where their concerns are, and to identify how I can work in with growers, other researchers, educators, and other initiatives to strengthen a vital industry now and into the future.” It is this hard work that stands Nicole out from the crowd and demonstrates her excellence in career development. “Excellence means that I dedicated the time, asked questions when I wasn’t sure, tried my hardest, persisted when things went wrong, reached out when needed and accepted criticism, “she said. “All in service of trying to achieve the best outcomes practically possible for the research project. It’s important for your integrity as a researcher and the integrity of the career development discipline.”

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Better dryland cotton yields with phosphorus By Bede O’Mara, Technical Agronomist – Summer Crop, Incitec Pivot Fertilisers

ryland cotton growers may be missing out on yield if they plant without phosphorus fertiliser. Applying some phosphorus fertiliser increased dryland cotton yields by as much as 20 per cent in research at ‘Colonsay’ on the Darling Downs. It took just 10 kg/ha of phosphorus to increase yields by a massive 1.5 to 7.24 bales per hectare compared with the nil phosphorus treatment. The results were surprising because the amount of phosphorus in the soil’s reserves was already above the optimum range for dryland cotton. Phosphorus fertilisers would not usually have been recommended given the soil test results. This has prompted us to question the previous rules for phosphorus in dryland cotton. All of the phosphorus rates tested (5, 10 and 20 kg/ha) yielded significantly higher than where nil phosphorus was applied. These treatments also had the benefit of greater phosphorus reserves in the soil, thanks to years of previous applications at the site where the same rates of both phosphorus and nitrogen fertilisers are repeated in various crops. Standard 0–10 cm Colwell P soil tests taken in July 2014 measured 8.9 mg/kg of phosphorus in the nil treatment, 27.5 mg/kg in the 5 kg/ha of phosphorus treatment (with a history of 15 kg/ ha of phosphorus pre 1999). There was 28 mg/ kg in the 10 kg/ha of phosphorus treatment and

Bede O’Mara.

more than 60 mg/kg Colwell P in the 20 kg/ha of phosphorus treatment. The cumulative improvement of soil phosphorus over 30 years has had a major impact on the results. Coarse-rooted cotton plants generally do not proliferate around phosphorus bands like fine-rooted cereals, so the higher soil phosphorus gained from repeated applications in the rotation along with the starter phosphorus applied pre-plant drove the results. Because the 2014–15 season was particularly wet, crop root exploration was thought to be better than average and the plants had more time to explore the enriched phosphorus environment closer to the soil surface and use it to their advantage. Banding phosphorus fertiliser increased yield because it gave the plant roots the boost they needed to get into the shallow subsoil zone where they could then exploit the phosphorus reserves from previous applications. This had a direct effect on yield. The best results came from applying 20 kg/ha of phosphorus with 120 kg/ha of nitrogen under zero till, where 8.05 bales per hectare were harvested. Further, the addition of phosphorus at

This dryland cotton trial showed good yield responses to phosphorus. COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 157

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SECTION 12 RESEARCH & EXTENSION This section brought to you in association with

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all nitrogen rates improved yields and the performance of nitrogen significantly. We saw that phosphorus was valuable for improving nitrogen fertiliser use efficiency of the crop. Where 120 kg/ha of nitrogen was applied alone, it produced 11 kg lint/kg of nitrogen applied. This increased to 15.1 kg lint/kg nitrogen applied when 20 kg/ha of phosphorus was applied in combination with the 120 kg/ha of nitrogen. Cotton growers are used to seeing the results from nitrogen in their crops and they know applying urea or BIG N is going to give them good ‘bang for their buck’. But these results show it’s even better when phosphorus is also applied. Based on these results, I’d be recommending further soil testing prior to planting dryland cotton using both the Colwell P and the BSES P analyses, at both the 0–10 cm and the 10–30 cm depths. While the previous calibration data suggests the critical response level for phosphorus in dryland cotton at the 0–10 cm depth is around 15 mg/kg Colwell P, it could actually be much higher at 25 mg/kg. This was also found in the results of plot trials at the same site, conducted by Dr Brendan Griffiths from University of New England. He saw responses to banding phosphorus fertiliser in dryland cotton until soil levels reached 25 mg/kg Colwell P. Previous Incitec Pivot Fertilisers guidelines on the value of a small amount of phosphorus fertiliser (also known as a ‘pop up’ or starter) in colder or wetter planting conditions or following long fallows would seem to hold true. If soil test results are showing Colwell P at less than 25 mg/ kg, consider applying at least starter phosphorus to assist with crop growth and yields, as well as replacing the removal of nutrients by the crop and building soil reserves. Don’t forget that at a minimum, long term fertiliser programs should aim to replace the nutrients removed in a rotation. For example, this 8 bale/ha cotton yield would have removed around 20 kg/ha of phosphorus from the system which needs to be replaced at some stage in the rotation. That’s similar to the phosphorus removal that would occur with a 5.5 to 6.5 tonnes per hectare dryland sorghum crop, so why wouldn’t you replace it with fertiliser? We are recommending growers use a quality granular product such as Granulock Z or MAP at rates of between 30 and 50 kg/ha for ease of application at planting and compatibility with other crops they may be planting in their rotations. Growers need to be mindful of seed safety when applying fertilisers in the same furrow as seed, and given the various planting 158 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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configurations for dryland cotton, it is best they consult with their agronomist. Further information: Bede O’Mara, 0417 896 377 or bede.omara@incitecpivot.com.au

NUTRITION RESEARCH IN DRYLAND COTTON Location: ‘Colonsay’ Darling Downs, Queensland Managed by: Kalyx Australia for Incitec Pivot Fertilisers

Timing and conditions The dryland cotton planted in 2014 was preceded by wheat, harvested in 2013. Fallow was managed as per district practice. Soil testing was conducted in early July 2014. Fertilisers were pre-sown in a band offset 5 cm to the side of the intended plant line on July 22 2014. Urea was used for nitrogen, triple superphosphate for phosphorus and Gran-Am for sulphur. The crop was planted on 30 November 2014 and 81 mm of rain fell between planting and emergence. A growing season rainfall (GSR) of 430 mm was recorded, including 124 mm of late rain following defoliation on 20 April which delayed harvest until June 9–10 2015.

Snapshot of results • Applying nitrogen improved cumulative yields throughout the rotation • High levels of residual nitrogen improved yields • Applying phosphorus with nitrogen improved the efficiency of nitrogen use • All rates of phosphorus improved yields compared with none • Higher soil phosphorus levels improved yields • There were no significant responses to sulphur • The highest yielding treatment was 120 kg/ha of nitrogen with 20 kg/ha of phosphorus.

‘COLONSAY’ 2014–15 DRYLAND COTTON YIELD (BALES PER HECTARE) N rate (kg/ha)

P rate (kg/ha) 15/5 10

0 40 80 120

5.57 5.97 5.62 5.74

7.05 7.51 7.32 7.54

6.58 7.31 7.46 7.59

7.26 7.29 7.92 8.05

mean

5.72

7.35

7.24

7.63

mean 6.61 7.02 7.08 7.23 6.99

LSD (p=<0.05) 0.78 (N x P); LSD (p=<0.05) 0.39 (N or P rate) Source: Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, dryland cotton trial at ‘Colonsay’ in Queensland, 2014–15.

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CottonInfo: Connecting growers with research

ustralian cotton growers have always been quick to embrace research and development (R&D), with many of the industry’s major achievements in water use efficiency and pesticide use reduction resulting from the application of research findings on farm. Ensuring growers know about research results and information is the role of CottonInfo, the Australian cotton industry’s joint extension program, delivered by cotton industry bodies the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Cotton Australia and Cotton Seed Distributors. CottonInfo is designed to help growers to improve their productivity, profitability and sustainability via best practice (working hand in hand with myBMP), and helping the industry as a whole become more responsive to emerging, or emergency, issues. Under the CottonInfo Strategic Plan, there are four primary focuses for CottonInfo for the next five years: • Improving the rate and reach of adaption and adoption of R&D; • Enabling successful cotton industry expansion;

• Preparing the industry to respond to biosecurity threats and assist in the event of natural disasters; and, • Strengthening CottonInfo as an effective extension team and a trusted information source. The CottonInfo team of regional extension officers, technical leads and myBMP experts can provide you with the latest information, driven by research, on a range of cotton topics. Talk to the team today for advice on nutrition, soil health, water management, pesticide use efficiency, energy use, carbon, biosecurity, disease and insect management, natural resource management, stewardship and weed control – and more (see team details next page). For the 2019–20 season, we’re particularly focused on addressing the impact of declining soil health and heavy reliance on inputs, managing irrigation to improve nitrogen use efficiency, and tackling the increased threat of pests, diseases and resistant weeds in cotton growing regions. For more information, visit our website: www.cottoninfo.com.au.

Barcoo…

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ALL THE WINTER SPORTS

GREAT VALUE FOR LARGE OR FAMILY GROUPS Further details phone 03 5178 3088 or www.dinnerplain.com COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 159

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Meet our team

Led by CottonInfo Program Manager Warwick Waters (0437 937 074, warwick.waters@crdc.com.au), and supported by Communications Manager Ruth Redfern (0408 476 341, ruth.redfern@crdc.com.au) the CottonInfo team of Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP experts are all here to help!

Regional Extension Officers Regional Extension Officers provide cotton research outcomes and information directly to growers, agronomists, consultants and agribusinesses in each region. Contact your local Regional Extension Officer for the latest research, trials and events in your area. Elsie Hudson

Amanda Thomas

Namoi P: 0458 142 777 E: elsie.hudson@cottoninfo.net.au

Macquarie and Bourke P: 0417 226 411 E: amanda.thomas@cottoninfo.net.au

Annabel Twine Darling Downs P: 0447 176 007 E: annabel.twine@cottoninfo. net.au

Andrew McKay

Kieran O’Keeffe

Border Rivers, St George, Dirranbandi P: 0407 992 495 E: andrew.mckay@cottoninfo.net.au

Janelle Montgomery

Southern NSW P: 0427 207 406 E: kieran.okeeffe@cottoninfo. net.au

Gwydir and Mungindi P: 0428 640 990 E: janelle.montgomery@ cottoninfo.net.au

Sharna Holman Central QLD P: 0477 394 116 E: sharna.holman@daf.qld. gov.au

Technical Leads Technical leads are experts in their fields and provide in-depth analysis, information and research to the industry, for the benefit of all growers. Contact the technical leads to learn more about water use efficiency, nutrition, soil health and much, much more. Eric Koetz

Jon Welsh

Weed Management P: 0413 256 132 E: eric.koetz@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Paul Grundy

Energy and Climate P: 0458 215 335 E: jon@agecon.com.au

Stacey Vogel

Integrated Pest Management P: 0427 929 172 E: paul.grundy@daf.qld.gov.au

Sharna Holman

Natural Resources and Catchments P: 0428 266 712 E: staceyvogel.consulting@gmail.com

René van der Sluijs

Biosecurity P: 0477 394 116 E: sharna.holman@daf.qld.gov.au

Tim Green

Ben Crawley

Oliver Knox

Disease Management P: 0477 497 114 E: timothy.green@dpi.nsw. gov.au

Irrigation (Technical Support) P: 0439 247 605 E: ben.crawley@dpi.nsw.gov. au

Soil Health P: 0490 045 326 E: oknox@une.edu.au

Fibre Quality P: 0408 885 211 E: sluijs@optusnet.com.au

Jon Baird Nutrition P: 0429 136 581 E: jon.baird@dpi.nsw.gov.au

myBMP team The myBMP team run the industry’s best management practice program, myBMP. Contact the myBMP team to learn more about - or to participate in - myBMP. Rick Kowitz myBMP Manager P: 0427 050 832 E: rickk@cotton.org.au

is a joint initiative of

160 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Nicole Scott

Polly Quinn

myBMP Customer Service Officer P: 1800cotton (1800 268 866) E: nicoles@cotton.org.au

myBMP Lead Auditor P: 0418 385 656 E: pollygibbons@gmail.com

Visit us at: www.cottoninfo.com.au

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CRDC list of current projects

he Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) delivers outcomes in cotton research, development and extension (RD&E) for the Australian cotton industry. A partnership between the Commonwealth Government and cotton growers, CRDC invests in world-leading RD&E to benefit Australia’s dynamic cotton industry, and the wider community. We invest in innovation and transformative technologies to deliver impact. Our Investments are guided by growers and the cotton industry’s research priorities through Cotton Australia’s grower R&D advisory panels. We invest in five key areas under our

Key focus area

Strategic RD&E Plan: increasing productivity and profitability on Australian cotton farms; improving cotton farming sustainability and value chain competitiveness; building the adaptive capacity of the Australian cotton industry; strengthening partnerships and adoption; and driving RD&E impact. The below lists the current projects that CRDC is investing in, on the industry’s behalf, in 2019–20 (current as of June 2019). For more information on the five investment areas and the projects listed below, please contact CRDC on 02 6792 4088 or visit the CRDC website: www.crdc.com.au.

Project title

Project code Researcher

GOAL 1: Increased productivity and profitability on cotton farms 1.1 Optimised Precision management for improved cotton quality Improving crop establishment, termination and weed control in farming dryland cotton farming systems systems Increased yield through improved management of soil constraints in cotton farm Managing cotton quality to maintain Australia's premium status (includes CottonInfo technical lead and myBMP module lead) A biological alternative to nitrogen fertiliser in cotton Improving the nitrogen use efficiency of cotton crops through better understanding the role of dissolved organic N Improving water use efficiency in a changing climate Improving water use efficiency in a changing climate More Profit from Nitrogen – Enhancing nutrient use efficiency in cotton More Profit from Nitrogen – Improved nitrogen use efficiency through accounting for deep soil and mineralisable N supply, and deployment of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilisers to better match crop N demand More Profit from Nitrogen – Improving dairy farm nitrogen efficiency using advanced technologies More Profit from Nitrogen – Increasing nitrogen use efficiency in dairy pastures More Profit from Nitrogen – New technologies and managements: transforming nitrogen use efficiency in cane production. More Profit from Nitrogen – Nitrogen use efficiency indicators for the Australian cotton, sugar, dairy & horticulture industries More Profit from Nitrogen – Optimising nutrient management for improved productivity and fruit quality in cherries More Profit from Nitrogen – Optimising nutrient management for improved productivity and fruit quality in mangoes More Profit from Nitrogen – PMA Meetings More Profit from Nitrogen – Project Communications More Profit from Nitrogen – Quantifying the whole farm systems impact of nitrogen best practice on dairy farms More Profit from Nitrogen – Science leadership and project coordination More Profit from Nitrogen – Smart blended use of enhanced efficiency fertilisers to maximise sugarcane profitability More Profit from Nitrogen – YourData platform

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Organisation

Commenced Completed

CMSE1802 CRDC1937

Robert Long Annabelle Guest

CSIRO DCRA

Jul-17 Jan-19

Jun-20 Apr-20

USQ1903

John Bennett

USQ

Jun-19

Jun-22

CRDC1924

Rene van der Sluijs Textile Technical Services

Oct-18

Sep-20

UN1901 CSP1904

Grace Scott U Nottingham & Azotic Sep-18 Bennett Macdonald CSIRO Jul-18

Sep-19 Jun-21

CSP1804 UNSW1802 RRDP1712

Katrina Broughton CSIRO John Triantafilis UNSW Graeme Schwenke NSW DPI

Jul-17 Jul-17 Jul-16

Jun-20 Jun-20 Jun-21

RRDP1717

Lukas Van Zwieten NSW DPI

Jul-16

May-20

RRDP1715

Helen Suter

Jul-16

Nov-19

RRDP1714

David Rowlings

QUT

Jul-16

Nov-19

RRDP1719

Matt Redding

QDAF

Sep-16

Jun-21

RRDP1901

Dio Antille

CSIRO

Mar-19

Jul-19

RRDP1721

Nigel Swarts

UTAS

Aug-16

Jun-21

RRDP1720

Mila Bristow

NTDPIR

Aug-16

Jun-21

RRDP1722 RRDP1735 RRDP1716

Allan Williams Allan Williams Richard Eckard

CRDC CRDC UM

Jul-16 Jul-16 Jul-16

Jun-20 Apr-20 Apr-20

RRDP1711

Marguerite White

Consultant

Nov-16

Jun-20

RRDP1718

Weijin Wang

DSITI

Jul-16

Apr-20

RRDP1727

Jeff Coutts

Coutts J&R

Feb-17

Jun-21

COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 161

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Key focus area

R E S E A R C H

E X T E N S I O N

Project title

1.1 Optimised Optimising the management of manures in southern NSW cotton production II farming PhD: Electrophysiological and molecular identification of novel systems biopesticides PhD: Monitoring soil water dynamics for improving water use efficiency PhD: Next-generation fertilisers for nutrient stewardship in cotton production PhD: The impact of irrigation methods and management strategies on nitrogen fertiliser recovery in cotton in southern QLD Professor of Soil Biology (includes CottonInfo technical lead and myBMP module lead) Water use efficiency for irrigated and dry land cotton benchmarked Science leadership for cotton development in Northern Australia Minimising yield variability to maximise yield PhD: Utilising novel plant growth regulators to develop resilient future cotton systems Quantifying the effectiveness of cover crops as a means of increased water infiltration and reduced evaporation in the northern region Supporting southern cotton production systems: Cotton Research Officer Agri-innovation: Driving productivity for Australian cotton 1.2 Transformative growers through partnerships and digital technologies technologies Application of genomic tools to monitoring for resistance alleles in Helicoverpa spp. Evaporation mitigating solution for Australian cotton water storages Future Farm (phase 2): Technology solutions for improved nitrogen application Gwydir Valley demonstration of the application of the latest digital technologies for precise automated irrigation Identifying sensors for better Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in cotton Major Capital Item: ACRI cotton picker and precision-variable rate fertiliser technology to support cotton R&D in northern and southern NSW PhD: Characterisation of brassinosteroid effects and brassinosteroid – responsive genes in cotton for growth and stress tolerance enhancement Plant-based sensing for cotton irrigation Precise real-time automated cotton irrigation for improved water productivity Precise real-time automated cotton irrigation for improved water productivity Australian Agriculture: Growing a digital future – Communications Australian Agriculture: Growing a digital future – Digital capability framework for Australian agriculture sector Australian Agriculture: Growing a digital future – Inception meeting assistance Australian Agriculture: Growing a digital future – National Forum Capital: Sundown Smart Farm Development Developing digital agriculture maturity index and assessing digital maturity levels across all agricultural sectors Developing transparency and trust for producers through Australian agricultural data governance: framework and action plan 162 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Project code Researcher

Organisation

Commenced Completed

DU1903

Wendy Quayle

Jul-18

Jun-21

UWS1601

Michelle Mak

UWS

Jul-15

Jun-20

UNSW1801

Ehsan Zare

UNSW

Jul-17

Jun-20

UQ1702

Rhys Pirie

Jan-17

Jan-20

UQ1502

John Smith

Jul-14

Dec-20

1920FRP040 Oliver Knox

UNE

Jul-19

Jun-22

1920FRP006 David Perovic

NSW DPI

Jul-19

Jun-22

CSP1903

Steve Yeates

CSIRO

Oct-18

Sep-21

DAN1801 CSP1604

Guna Nachimuthu Claire Welsh

NSW DPI CSIRO

Jul-17 Apr-16

Jun-21 Sep-19

GRDC1801

David Lawrence

QDAF/ GRDC

May-17

Apr-20

EOI – 0271

Deb Slinger

NSW DPI

Jul-19

Jun-22

JT1901

Jane Trindall

May-19

Jun-22

CSE1801

Tom Walsh

Jane Trindall Consulting CSIRO

Jul-17

Jun-20

Greg Qiao

Jul-19

May-22

Peter Grace

QUT

Jul-18

Jun-22

Louise Gall

GVIA

Jul-19

May-22

NEC1901

Alison McCarthy

USQ NCEA

Jul-18

Jun-21

DAN1905

Rod Jackson

NSW DPI

Apr-18

Dec-19

UNE1605

Anahid A Essa Al-Amery

UNE

May-14

Nov-19

Hizbullah Jamali Joseph Foley

CSIRO USQ NCEA

Jul-19 Jul-19

May-22 May-22

James Brinkhoff

Jul-19

May-22

GDF1908

Jane Trindall

CRDC

Jun-19

Sep-19

GDF1906

Georgie Aley

KPMG

May-19

Sep-19

GDF1904

Julia Skinner

Consultant

Mar-19

Sep-19

GDF1907

Jane Trindall

CRDC

Jun-19

Sep-19

CRDC1928 GDF1901

Nick Gillingham Airong Zhang

Sundown Pastoral CSIRO

Nov-18 Jan-19

Oct-20 Sep-19

GDF1902

Leanne Wiseman

Jan-19

Sep-19

QUT1902

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Key focus area

1.2 Transformative technologies 1.3 Protection from biotic threats and environmental stresses

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Organisation

Commenced Completed

Developing transparency and trust for producers through Australian agricultural data governance: principles

GDF1903

Jay Sanderson

USC

Jan-19

Sep-19

Additional support – Fulbright scholarship to study Verticillium Wilt Biology of Amarathus hybridus, A. mitchelli, and A. powelii: emerging weeds of cotton systems Integrated weed management options for weed control in cotton farming systems (including CottonInfo technical lead and myBMP module lead) IPM to support the management of emerging pests Transformation of Verticillium dahliae, causal agent of Verticillium wilt of cotton, with the GFP gene Biological based products for improved cotton production Characteristics of disease suppressive cotton farming systems and soils Cotton Disease Technical Lead Development of a spray drift hazard prediction system Improved management of silverleaf whitefly on cotton farms Improving plant pest panagement through cross industry deployment of smart sensor, diagnostics and forecasting Improving the management of cotton diseases in Australian cotton farming systems Innovative solutions to cotton diseases CottonInfo IPM Technical Lead and pest management for high yield research (including myBMP module lead) Managing Climate Variability Program – Phase 5 Managing verticillium risk for cotton Mirid and mealybug best practice management Novel approaches for improved management of plant stressors Novel topical vegetable & cotton virus protection: BIOCLAY PhD: Building climate change resilience in cotton through translational physiology Ready to use soil test to manage black root rot risks Reducing the impact of weather, insects and microbes on cotton colour Sustainable insect management through improved insect resistance monitoring Sustainable insect management through improved insect resistance monitoring Khapra Beetle response Large scale biosecurity scenario to support cotton industry preparedness Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI)

CGA1911

Karen Kirkby

Lower Namoi CGA

Jun-19

May-20

UQ1703

Asad Khan

Jan-17

Dec-19

DAN1901

Eric Koetz

NSW DPI

Jul-18

Sep-19

CSP1905 DAN1809

Simone Heimoana CSIRO Aphrika Gregson NSW DPI / UQ

Jul-18 Dec-17

Jun-21 Jun-20

UWS1901 Brajesh K Singh 1920FRP010 Linda Smith

UWS QDAF

Jul-18 Jul-19

Mar-22 Jun-22

DAN1903 MRES1701 DAQ1903 HIA1802

NSW DPI MRES QDAF HIA

Jul-18 Jul-16 Jul-18 Feb-18

Oct-21 Sep-19 Jun-21 May-22

RRDP1724

Sandra McDougall Graeme Tepper Richard Sequeira Wee tek Tay Dean Brooks Linda Smith

QDAF

Jul-16

Dec-19

DAN1703 DAQ1902

Duy Le Paul Grundy

NSW DPI QDAF

Jul-16 Jul-18

Dec-20 Jun-21

MLA1701 RRDP1723 DAQ1802 1920FRP039 HIA1803 ANU1704

Doug McNicholl Karen Kirkby Richard Sequeira

Jul-16 Jul-16 Jul-17 Jan-20

Neena Mitter Demi Gamble

MLA NSW DPI QDAF CSIRO HIA/UQ ANU

Feb-17

Jun-21 Dec-19 Jun-20 Jun-22 Jun-20 Mar-20

MLAB1901 CSP1901

Maria Manjarrez Microbiology Labs Aust Jul-18 Simone Heimoana CSIRO Jul-18

Jun-20 Jun-21

1920FRP014 Jamie Hopkinson

QDAF

Jul-19

Jun-22

1920FRP019 Lisa Bird

NSW DPI

Jul-19

Jun-22

CA1708 PHA1902

Sally Ceeney Stephen Dibley

Cotton Australia PHA

Jan-17 Jul-18

Dec-19 Dec-19

HIA1801

Jo Luck

HIA

Jun-17

Jun-20

GOAL 2: Improve cotton farming sustainability and value chain competitiveness 2.1 Sustainability of cotton farming

•

Cotton Landcare Tech Innovations: Communications Support Cotton Landcare Tech Innovations: Improved natural capital (biodiversity) on Australian cotton farms Cotton Landcare Tech Innovations: Improved natural capital (biodiversity) on Australian cotton farms. Feasibility study of managed aquifer recharge for improved water productivity Improving the ability of the Australian cotton industry to report its sustainability performance PhD: Alternative energy technologies and policy solutions for the Australian cotton PhD: Sustainable water extractions: Low flow regia and critical flow thresholds Quantifying the nitrogen cycle: from farm gate to catchments, groundwater and atmosphere Quantifying the potential environmental impacts of pesticides used on cotton farms

NLP1903 NLP1901

Bernadette Pilling Erin Peterson

HOC QUT

Nov-18 Jan-19

Mar-22 Nov-21

NLP1902

Rhiannon Smith

UNE

Jul-18

Nov-21

ANU1901

Anthony Jakeman

ANU

Aug-18

Aug-21

QUT1705

Erin Peterson

QUT

Oct-16

Oct-19

UTS1901

UTS

Aug-18

Jun-21

UNE1406

Yunfeng (Forrest) Lin Marita Pearson

UNE

Jan-14

Aug-20

ANSTO1801

Dioni Cendon

ANSTO

Jul-17

Jun-20

DAN1803

Mick Rose

NSW DPI

Jul-17

Jun-20

COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 163

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Key focus area

R E S E A R C H

E X T E N S I O N

Project title

Review of international water footprints and their assessment of Australian agriculture Synthesis of natural resource assets in the cotton growing region of eastern Australia Understanding environmental impacts and resource impacts with changing demand for Australian cotton, assessed using a change modelling life cycle assessment approach Breathable cotton for compression fabrics phase 2: 2.2 Create higher value performance testing uses for cotton Developing renewable fine chemicals from cotton biomass (Biorefineries for higher-value animal feeds, chemicals and fuels phase 2) High sound absorbing composites from recycled cotton PhD: Exploring nanofibrous coating on cotton fabric with versatile protection and dynamic comfort Bio-degradation of dyed cotton fabrics Joint RDC community trust project Micro particles generated from laundering of cotton and other fabrics Strategies for improving labour conditions within the Australian cotton value Cotton industry report on social capital wellbeing sustainability 2.3 Measurement indicators and reporting Membership of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) – throughout the Australian chapter PhD: Textile supply chain transparency and accountability value chain Sustainable Apparel Coalition membership Supporting the Australian cotton industry’s sustainability strategy The second Australian cotton industry sustainability report PhD: Sustainable value chain analysis of the Australian cotton industry 2.1 Sustainability of cotton farming

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2016 Horizon Scholarship: Sam Knight 2017 Horizon scholarship: Holly Chandler 2019 and 2020 Science and Innovation Awards for young people in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australian cotton industry digital strategy Australian Rural Leadership Program Course 25 Australian Rural Leadership Program Course 25 Australian Rural Leadership Program Course 26, Course 27, Trail 2019, Trail 2020 Honours: Baselining river water nitrogen compounds in the Murrumbidgee irrigation district Honours: Evaluation of relative damage caused by two-spotted mite, bean spider mite and strawberry mite in cotton Honours: Soil Coalacence & compaction in southern NSW Improving grower decision in complex systems: A targeted tool to assist cotton growers in appropriate technology adoption Nuffield Australia Farming Scholarship 2018: Luke McKay PhD: Irrigation data science research capacity for the Australian cotton industry AACS 2019 Australian Cotton Research Conference People in Agriculture Post Doc: Understanding and planning for the future cotton workforce Rural Womens Award 2019 Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia (SEGRA) Conference 2019 AgFrontier: regional Agtech incubator 164 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Project code Researcher

Organisation

Commenced Completed

CRDC1923

Tim Grant

Oct-18

Jul-19

FWPA1801

Julian Wall

Life Cycles Strategies Pty Ltd Eco Logical Aust P/L

Jul-17

Jun-20

CRDC1911

Stephen Wiedemann

Integrity Ag and Environment

Aug-18

Feb-20

DU1905

Maryam Naebe

Jan-19

Dec-19

William Doherty

QUT

Jul-19

Jun-20

DU1901 RMIT1702

Christopher Hurren DU Olga Gavrilenko RMIT

Oct-18 Feb-17

Sep-19 Jan-20

NCSU1701 RIRDC1903 NCSU1702

Nelson Vinueza Jennifer Medway Richard Venditti

NCSU AgriFutures NCSU

Jan-16 Jun-19 Jan-17

Dec-19 May-21 Dec-19

QUT1903

Alice Payne

QUT

Jun-19

Jun-22

1920FRP037 Jacki Schirmer

University of Canberra Jun-19

Jun-22

CRDC1902

Selwyn Heilbron

SAI Platform (Aust) Inc Jul-18

Jun-20

UL1901 CRDC1817 CRDC1944

Mark Sumner Glenn Robinson Chris Cosgrove

UL SAC Sustenance Asia

Oct-18 Aug-17 Jun-19

Sep-21 Jun-21 Jun-22

1920FRP035 Chris Cosgrove QUT1901 Zoe Mellick

Sustenance Asia QUT

Jul-19 Jul-18

Jun-20 Jul-21

GOAL 3: Build adaptive capacity of the cotton industry 3.1 Science and innovation capability, and new knowledge

P I V O T

RIRDC1602 RIRDC1702 ABA1901

Sam Knight Holly Chandler Dean Brookes TBA

AgriFutures AgriFutures ABARES

Jul-15 Jul-16 Jul-18

Dec-19 Dec-19 Jun-20

RIR1901 RIR1902 RIR1903

Fleur Anderson John Durham Matilda Ferguson

ARLF ARLF ARLF

Jul-19 Jul-18 Jul-18 May-19

Jun-21 Oct-19 Oct-19 Dec-20

UNSW1901

Jessica Watson

UNSW

Feb-19

Dec-19

DAN1808

Chris Shafto

UTAS

Jan-18

Dec-19

US1903 QUT2001

Jonathon Moore USYD Geraldine Wunsch QUT

Jan-19 Jul-19

Dec-19 Mar-22

CRDC1801 US1901

Luke McKay Guy Roth

Nuffield USYD

Jul-17 Jul-18

Sep-19 Jun-21

CRDC1939 DA1502 USQ1801

Oliver Knox Shane Hellwege Nicole McDonald

AACS Dairy Australia USQ

Apr-19 Jul-14 Oct-17

Dec-19 Mar-21 Oct-20

RIRDC1904 CRDC1942

Allanards Williams AgriFutures Jennifer Moffatt Jennifer Moffatt Consulting Sonya Comiskey CHDC

Jul-18 May-19

Dec-19 Sep-19

Jun-19

Dec-19

CRDC1943

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Project title

Project code Researcher

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Thresholds for resilience in regional communities 2018-2021 Joint-RDC Health and Safety Farming Alliance Grassroots Grant: 2019 grower development and extension programs and off target spray drift mitigation Grassroots Grant: Field Assessment of the impact of late season thrip infestations Grassroots Grant: Improving drought resilience Nuffield Australia Farming Scholarship 2019: Renee Anderson

UM1902 RIRDC1901 CGA1903

Ruth Nettle Jennifer Medway John Durham

UM Sep-18 Agrifutures Jul-18 Southern Valleys CGA Nov-18

Jul-20 Jun-21 Sep-19

CGA1902

Lou Gall

Gwydir Valley CGA

Oct-18

May-20

CGA1907 CRDC1901

Bernie Bierhoff Renee Anderson

Walgett CGA Nuffield

Jan-19 Apr-18

Jul-19 Sep-20

GOAL 4 (Enabling Strategy 1): Strengthening partnerships and adoption 4.1. Partnerships and collaboration

F E R T I L I S E R S

Assessing black root rot treatments in the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee valleys Climate and energy for cotton farming businesses (including CottonInfo technical lead and myBMP project lead) Communicating cotton best production practices with video Cotton industry database management CottonInfo irrigation field days CottonInfo Technical Lead – Nutrition (includes myBMP module lead) Extension coaching and external review for CottonInfo National biosecurity and disease extension and coordination and CQ regional extension (including CottonInfo technical lead and myBMP module lead) CottonInfo NRM Technical Lead and extension campaigns (including myBMP module lead) 2019 ICAC Plenary Meeting – Conference venue 2019 ICAC Plenary Meeting – Event management

Commenced Completed

CGA1904

John Durham

Southern Valley CGA

Nov-18

Aug-19

AE1801

Jon Welsh

AgEcon

Jul-17

Jun-20

DAQ1901 CRDC1804 CSD1901 DAN1906

Tonia Grundy Lee Armson Kieran O'Keeffe Jon Baird

QDAF Making Data Easy P/L CSD NSW DPI

Jul-18 Jul-17 Dec-18 Jan-19

Jun-21 Jun-20 May-20 Jun-22

CRDC1946 DAQ1801

Sean Kenny Sharna Holman

Rural Consulting Group Jun-19 QDAF Jul-17

Jun-20 Jun-20

CRDC1805

Stacey Vogel

Consultant

Jul-17

Jun-20

ICAC1903 ICAC1901

Kate Nicols Jann George

Oct-18 Oct-18

Dec-19 Dec-19

2019 ICAC Plenary Meeting – Supporting activities

ICAC1902

Jann George

Oct-18

Dec-19

2019 ICAC Plenary Meeting – Welcome reception venue and catering AgVet collaborative forum, plant industries phase 3 Climate Change Research Strategy for Primary Industries (CRRSPI) 2017-2020 Sponsorship: APEN Conference 2019 WeedSmart phase 4 Review of myBMP Database: Caspio set up Review of myBMP database: Phase 2

ICAC1904

Jann George

Sofitel Brisbane By George Consulting Pty Ltd By George Consulting Pty Ltd QAGOMA

May-19

Dec-19

RIRDC1701 CCR1801

Jennifer Medway

AgriFutures CRRSPI

Jul-16 Jul-17

Dec-19 Jun-20

CRDC1933 UWA1801 CA1807 CRDC1830

Graham Harris Lisa Mayer Rick Kowitz Mel Ziarno

APEN UWA Cotton Australia Consultant

Nov-18 Jul-17 Jun-18 Jun-18

Sep-19 Jun-20 Mar-20 Mar-20

Fiona Anderson Michael Sparks Bernadette Pilling

CCA Intuitive Solutions HOC

Mar-18 Mar-17 Jun-19

Dec-20 Dec-19 Sep-19

GOAL 5 (ENABLING STRATEGY 2): Driving RD&E impact 5.1 Impact and Annual consultant qualitative and quantitative surveys effectiveness CRDC Cotton Grower Survey Summaries of CRDC Research

CCA1901 CRDC1733 CRDC1945

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Key to organisations AACS ABARES AgriFutures ANSTO ANU APEN ARLF CCA CCRSPI CGA CHDC CRDC CSD CSIRO DCRA DSITI DU GRDC GU GVIA HIA HOC MLA MRES NCSU NSW DPI NTDPIR PHA QAGOMA QDAF QUT RMIT SAC UL UMELB UNE UNSW UQ USC USQ USQ NCEA USYD UTAS UWA UWS

Association of Australian Cotton Scientists Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences AgriFutures Australia (formerly the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation) Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation Australian National University Australasia-Pacific Extension Network Australian Rural Leadership Foundation Crop Consultants Australia Climate Change Research Strategy for Primary Industries Cotton Grower Association Central Highlands Development Association Cotton Research and Development Corporation Cotton Seed Distributors Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Dryland Cotton Research Association Queensland Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation Deakin University Grains Research and Development Corporation Griffith University Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association Hort Innovation House of Communication Meat and Livestock Australia Micro Meteorology Research & Education Services North Carolina State University NSW Department of Primary Industries Northern Territory Department of Primary Industries and Resources Plant Health Australia Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland University of Technology Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Sustainable Apparel Coalition University of Leeds University of Melbourne University of New England University of New South Wales University of Queensland University of the Sunshine Coast University of Southern Queensland University of Southern Queensland National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture University of Sydney University of Tasmania University of Western Australia University of Western Sydney

166 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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BEYOND THE FARM GATE

SECTION 13 Beyond the farm gate This section brought to you in association with

A new crop of chinos at M.J. Bale ��168 Converting low-grade cotton into gel with variable use qualities ��172 Australian brands switch on to better cotton ��175 BCI’s membership grows ��176

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A new crop of chinos at M.J. Bale

.J. Bale flagship stores now stock men’s chinos exclusively made from cotton grown by Australian farmers. The McQueen chinos of the Australianowned ‘gentleman’s clothier’ have been carefully created using Australian cotton grown in north-west New South Wales and southern Queensland, traced back to these areas through the industry’s system that can track bales from the farm to the spinning mill. Sixth-generation farmer Andrew Watson from Boggabri, is one of the suppliers of cotton to M.J. Bale’s new range. Andrew says his property ‘Kilmarnock’ combines traditional farming with progressive environmental practices based on the industry’s myBMP (Best Management Practices) program. “By using a combination of research, technology and the farm’s natural ecosystem, we are able to produce some of the best quality fibre in the world,” Andrew says. “We have only used insecticides once in the past 12 years and that’s something we’re really proud of. It’s not easy, there is all sorts of pressure to manage the limited resources we have, including drought and financials, but I think we’ve achieved a good balance,” Andrew says. “Our big focus the past few years has been planting tree lines between the river and the cotton crops to create a natural eco-corridor. We are now seeing so many bats, birds and

ladybeetles, the populations are growing yearby-year!” Andrew says. M.J. Bale Founder and CEO, Matt Jensen met with Andrew at his property. “We pride ourselves on tailoring expertise with natural fibres, like Australian cotton and merino wool,” Matt says. “Andrew and his family are committed to the sustainable use of water and other resources, and they are incredibly passionate about the environment and natural eco-systems on their property,” Matt says. Cotton Australia Supply Chain Consultant Brooke Summers says the cotton industry is committed to partnerships with iconic brands and retailers to include Australian cotton in their product mix and marketing efforts. “Brands are increasingly concerned about sourcing raw materials grown with the highest environmental and social standards, and many are including Australian cotton in sustainable sourcing strategies,” Brooke says. “The partnership with M.J. Bale sends a really positive message to Andrew and all our farmers that the product they’ve worked so hard to grow is in high demand, especially at a time when they’re doing it really tough in the drought,” Brooke says. For more information on M.J. Bale’s new crop of chinos, watch this video: https://vimeo.com/363985949

Cotton grower Andrew Watson, left, with the CEO of M.J. Bale menswear company, Matt Jensen, on Andrew’s farm near Boggabri. 168 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

What if surviving a drought began with a microbe? What if, instead of planting your usual crop, you used seed coated in microbes? What if those microbes were taken from plants that had survived a drought? What if that led your farm to survive a drought too? Now what if, together, we questioned the entire agriculture system? Learn how at indigoag.com/en-au/

(ADVERTORIAL)

CROPPING SMARTER IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT Storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in agricultural soils presents the most scalable, immediate and affordable action to address a changing climate. This scientific theory is one of the key drivers behind international innovator Indigo Ag, an organization harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, and the concept is quickly gaining momentum across Australia. The agriculture industry has traditionally been viewed as a key producer of greenhouse gas emissions, but growers, as some of the most heavily impacted by the effects of changing global weather patterns, are well-poised to be leaders in the effort to help mitigate and address climate change. Bill Dwyer, Commercial Head of Indigo Ag Australia, says the company is leading the way toward a more sustainable food and fibre production model that, by incentivising the adoption of regenerative farming practices, can simultaneously bolster growers’ on-farm profits. “The philosophy behind regenerative farming practices is based upon the scientific fact that trees, native grasses and agricultural plants, including cotton, capture carbon from the atmosphere and recycle this key nutrient back into the soil,” Mr. Dwyer says. “Through photosynthesis, agricultural plants have the ability to economically pull more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere than any other existing carbon-capture technology.” By promoting a holistic approach to agriculture, regenerative farming practices replenish soils, increase biodiversity and facilitate the removal of carbon from the atmosphere. These alternate farming methods, such as no-till farming, set crop rotations, and cover cropping, replenish organic soil carbon content, thereby increasing beneficial microbial activity, water infiltration rates, soil available nutrients, biodiversity, and soil available water. Growers’ ability to sequester carbon and the potential for farmers to profit off this public service represents a huge opportunity for the agricultural industry, Mr. Dwyer says, pointing to The Terraton Initiative, a new project launched in the US which aims to accelerate the removal of one trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as a key example.

The Terraton Initiative is comprised of a number of elements, with Indigo Carbon representing the greatest financial opportunity for growers. A new carbon market, Indigo Carbon pays United States growers up to $15USD per tonne of carbon sequestered. Indigo will engage its digital agronomy capabilities and satellite imagery analysis to measure and verify soil carbon sequestration and on-farm emission levels, to reward farmers accordingly. Over 11 million acres have been submitted to the program since its launch in June.

“Australia has a strong and progressive agricultural industry that is perfectly-placed to adopt solutions to current environmental challenges - and be compensated accordingly.” Broader businesses looking to offset and even reverse their carbon footprints will also benefit from the program. “By purchasing carbon credits in the Indigo Carbon marketplace, businesses and individuals looking to offer or purchase products that are climate positive can help promote new agricultural practices.” Consumer-led demand for traceability of produce and ingredients adds further weight to the agricultural sustainability conversation. Already Indigo Ag has forged a number of meaningful partnerships along the whole supply chain as corporate suppliers look to provide more sustainably grown produce. “Suppliers know that to meet the market, they must give consumers full confidence in the quality and integrity of their food choices, and by enabling traceability, Indigo is helping provide this reassurance.” As part of its most recent partnership in the USA, Indigo-contracted growers who produce rice for Anheuser-Busch, the country’s leading brewer, have significantly reduced water and nitrogen use across the growing season.

(ADVERTORIAL) Compared to USA benchmarks, the grower cohort achieved “Farmers will have an opportunity, despite heat or water stress, 10 per cent less water and nitrogen usage, plus a 10 per cent to maintain and even increase production levels whilst avoiding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, Dwyer explains, due the need to increase precious inputs such as water.” to the implementation of Indigo’s suite of innovative tools and technologies. “Indigo’s microbial seed treatments are an innovation perfectly suited to Australian conditions. It’s a real game changer, particu“Leveraging naturally occurring beneficial microbes called larly for our more marginal regions during tough seasons.” endophytes, Indigo has developed a seed inoculant, currently available across a range of crops such as cotton, sorghum, barAnd farmers on the ground are driving this innovation. ley, wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans.” To ensure the success of its products, the company has created “The market demands sustainability, and by leveraging naturally Indigo Research Partners (IRP), an entirely new approach to agrioccurring, in-crop microbes selected to improve plant tolerance cultural research and development. to high stress conditions, farmers will essentially be able to do more, with less,” says Mr. Dwyer. Consumers can rest assured “We believe the best lab for testing innovative agricultural that the crops grown – and ultimately ingredients produced techniques is the farm itself,” Mr. Dwyer explained. “Through using this technology have been done so with maximum water collaborations with farmers around the globe, we are building use efficiency. the world’s largest agricultural lab with the goal of accelerating innovations and products that increase yields, improve environ“By applying science and technology in new ways and by collabmental sustainability, and reduce risks for farmers.” orating with leaders across the supply chain, we can conserve resources, improve farmland for future generations, and produce A number of Australian growers have already partnered with healthier final products.” Indigo, and Bill encourages others to reach out. New farmers are always welcome to come onboard. As growers look for smarter ways to farm, Dwyer believes strategies such as The Terraton Initiative can potentially offer a “Every season is a gamble, but with Indigo’s proven results, significant and sustainable new revenue stream. farmers can greatly reduce the risk of low yields due to drought or heat stress and benefit their back pocket directly,” Mr. Dwyer “Indigo Ag’s multi-pronged approach to carbon sequestration says. not only directly benefits the grower financially by minimizing input costs, but sustainably grown produce will also demand a “Indigo is committed to ensure the long-term sustainability of premium,” Bill believes. our agricultural industry, our farmers, and our environment. It certainly is an exciting space to be in right now.” Indigo’s microbial treatment also boosts crop resilience to Australia’s harsh climate, mitigating some of the risk surrounding farming in this country.

300 Barangaroo Avenue, Level 25, Tower 3, Sydney 2000, New South Wales, Australia - 1300 849 280 - australia@indigoag.com

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Converting low-grade cotton into gel with variable use qualities By George Watson

big part of what makes West Texas one of the leading cotton-producing regions in the world is the hot, dry weather that defines the area and is ideal for encouraging cotton growth. But that weather also can be unpredictable and, therefore, can influence cotton crops negatively as well. Given the impact the cotton industry has on both local and world economies, all steps are taken to ensure as promising a cotton crop as possible each year. When that doesn’t happen, though, it’s vital for farmers to be able to salvage as much of their crop as possible, even if it is not of the highest-quality cotton. Thanks to research being

conducted at the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), under the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources at Texas Tech University, low-grade cotton could end up being just as valuable as the high-grade yields. Noureddine Abidi, the Leidigh Professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science and managing director of the FBRI, has been awarded a patent for a process he developed that can break down low-grade cotton into pure cellulose, which then can be converted into a gel that can be used in 3D printing, for example, or other processes to create usable, biodegradable products. “The idea is to find a new use for low-grade cotton or any recyclable that is 100 percent cotton, and trying to replace, to some extent, petroleum-based products,” Abidi said. “It is still a valuable product that we need to transform into something else.” Abidi’s goal with the research is to be able to take the gel from low-grade cotton and use it to replace as many nonbiodegradable products, like plastic trash bags, as possible. Abidi and fellow researchers already have shown in the FBRI laboratory that the process will work, using it to convert low-grade cotton into products such as protective film and dye-absorbent material that, in theory, could be used to help with watercontamination cleanup. “This process, I think, can open new applications for cotton as long as the application can tolerate it, like with high temperatures,” Abidi said. “That is the variable. But as long as you have the gel, you can think of unlimited uses.”

Dissolving cotton

Noureddine Abidi. 172 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Dissolving cotton into a gel is actually a pretty simple process. After cleaning the cotton, the fibres are placed into a solution that begins to break them down into a single cellulosic chain. Over about a 24-hour period, the fibres transform into their pure cellulose state, then the water and solvent are drained from the solution, leaving the pliable gel that can be formed into any desired shape.

What if a healthier planet began with a healthier farmer? Progress isn’t driven by accepting things as they are. It’s driven by asking questions. At Indigo we’re working with farmers to question the entire agriculture system and reimagine everything from soil to sale. Learn how at indigoag.com/en-au/

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For purposes of their research, Abidi and his colleagues inserted the gel into a 3D printer jet to produce scaffolds, or the skeleton of other products, or placed it in a mold to give it a certain shape. About the only limit to the process is whether there is a need for a product that can withstand high heat. “If you want to make something like reusable Starbucks cups or the Keurig cups, it’s not really limited by the application,” Abidi said. “If I want something that can resist high temperatures, like 500°C, then, of course, I’m not going to use it. But for anything below 200°C, it’s perfect.”

The gel created from dissolved cotton can be used in a number of ways, including replacing some petroleum-based products.

With the introduction between the layers of cellulose of a conductive polymer, cotton could then be converted into something feasible for use with microelectronics. 174 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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There is one other small limitation, but Abidi’s process has already found a way around that. Cotton, and cellulose itself, is not a conductive material, meaning that it is not a good material for electronics. But with this patented process, Abidi can take layers of the gel and, in between the layers of cellulose, introduce a polymer that has the best conductive properties. This would make the product feasible for use with microelectronics and the like.

Taking it further Developing the dissolution process and being able to add properties to the gel to make it an electrically conductive product would have been impressive enough. But it might not have made it economically viable. Therefore, in cooperation with the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Abidi and other researchers applied for an international patent for another product. They developed a solvent and process that can reduce the dissolution time dramatically, from 24 hours to less than 15 minutes. “If you use the first approach, then it may not be economical to compete with petroleumbased products,” Abidi said. “But with the new process we have right now, you can speed up the process and save time and energy to convert the cotton into cellulose solution or gel.” The process is proven. Now comes the hard part, Abidi said, in finding either a company to pick up the research and make it into a viable product, or secure additional funding to continue the research even further. “We are really limited by what we can do in terms of funding,” Abidi said. “We’re not to that point quite yet.” Abidi said the process is not just limited to cotton. Cellulose can be extracted from any biomass, such as trees, which means this process can be applied globally. Also, because cellulose is biodegradable, it has no known environmental or health-related issues. But at least to this point, it has been proven that there is no such thing as wasted cotton, regardless of how good or poor the yield is. Eventually, this could open up many more markets for farmers in West Texas who rely on one of the most exported products in the US. “If they produce a good premium cotton, then anybody can buy it,” Abidi said. “But we don’t always know if that will happen. So it is better to have a new use for the cotton that is being discounted. If we can develop products from this, then there will be a company that takes the remaining cotton, which is beneficial for all farmers.”

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Australian brands switch on to better cotton

ver 100 brands, retailers and NGOs came together with cotton scientists, farmers and industry to learn about Australia’s sustainable cotton industry at a Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) Forum in Sydney recently. The event was headlined by global sustainability leader Michael Kobori from Levi Strauss & Co, who addressed the group about his company’s sustainability journey and its involvement with BCI, a sustainability initiative improving cotton production practices in 21 countries including Australia. “Australia plays a crucial role in sustainable cotton globally, it’s great to see Australian cotton tackling important issues on the farm such as climate change, water use efficiency, pesticides and biodiversity. I’m encouraged by the Australian brands who are supporting BCI,” Michael said. Cotton Australia’s Cotton to Market program manager Brooke Summers said the forum also heard from leading Australian cotton scientists about the work that underpins the Better Cotton principles around climate change, soil health, water and biodiversity. “The Australian cotton industry invests over $20 million a year in research and development, with a large proportion of that focused on sustainability. Science and innovation have underpinned the cotton industry’s environmental achievements which include being the most land-use efficient cotton industry in the world,” Brooke said.

to sustainable cotton sourcing and are keen to learn about where their raw materials are grown. More and more brands have visited our farms and are recognising that Australian cotton is grown with some of the highest sustainability standards in the world. “When brands join the Better Cotton Initiative they send a strong signal to our farmers that sustainable cotton is what they want, and this in turn drives participation at farm level,” Brooke said.

Michael Kobori Michael Kobori has led sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co since 2001. Under his tenure, the company has been a pioneer, reducing the environmental impact of its products through its Levi’s Waste<Less and Water<Less collections, Dockers WellThread collection, Care for Our Planet program, and leadership on the Better Cotton Initiative. In addition, the company has gone beyond labour compliance by publicly disclosing its manufacturing supplier locations, leading the industry in banning sandblasting, and partnering with NGOs and key suppliers to support programs that improve workers’ lives. Based on its sustainability work, Levi Strauss & Co was named one of the most innovative companies in the world by FastCompany magazine, which also named Michael one of its 1000 Most Creative People in Business.

The forum also heard from a panel of cotton farmers who despite current conditions have all reached full certification in the Better Cotton standard. “There’s no doubt the drought will impact on the amount of Better Cotton available from Australia next season. We’re currently predicting a crop of less than 20 per cent normal production, and yet we are at record levels of participation in our sustainability standard with over 80 per cent of our farmers involved,” Brooke said. The impressive turn out of brands representing more than 20 companies at the forum is a great sign that sustainability is becoming more a part of the way business is done here in Australia. “More Australian brands have switched on

Michael Kobori, Levi Strauss & Co Vice President talks about sustainability. COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 175

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BCI’s membership grows

n the first half of 2019, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) welcomed 200 new members across its membership categories. BCI works with members across the cotton supply chain to ensure there is continuous demand and supply of Better Cotton – cotton produced by licensed BCI Farmers in line with the Better Cotton Principles and Criteria. New members in the first half of 2019 included 34 retailers and brands from 13 countries, 162 suppliers and manufacturers, two civil society organisations, and one field-level producer organisation. The retailers and brands that have joined BCI this year include ANTA International (China), Asics Corporation (Japan), Blue Illusion (Australia), Fillippa K (Sweden), Giorgio Armani Operations (Italy), Kiabi (France), Kohl’s Department Stores (United States), MAC Mode (Germany), Melco Resorts and Entertainment (China), Mos Mosh (Denmark), O’Neill Europe (Netherlands), SOK Corporation (Finland), Voice Norge (Norway), Walmart (United States) and Whistles (United Kingdom). BCI’s demand–driven funding model means that retailer and brand member sourcing of cotton as ‘Better Cotton’ directly translates into increased investment in training for cotton farmers on more sustainable practices. At the time of writing, Better Cotton uptake by these

members has already surpassed one million metric tonnes this year, exceeding 2018’s uptake. BCI’s newest civil society members are the HCV Network (United Kingdom) and the Global Alliance for Sustainable Supply Chain (Japan). HCV Network strives to protect high conservation values in areas where the expansion of forestry and agriculture may put important forests, biodiversity and local communities at risk, while the Global Alliance for Sustainable Supply Chain is a non-governmental organisation promoting a sustainable supply chain in Japan. Supplier and manufacturer members support the transformation of the cotton sector by joining BCI and sourcing increased volumes of Better Cotton for BCI Retailer and Brand Members – forming a critical link between Better Cotton supply and demand. In the first half of the year, new members joined from 25 countries including Brazil, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Italy, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. At the end of the first half of 2019, BCI membership totalled more than 1600 members. If your organisation is interested in becoming a BCI Member and supporting cotton farmers to embed more sustainable farming practices around the globe, please visit the membership page on the BCI website at https://bettercotton.org

Barcoo… Enjoy a cool holiday this year, and at a great rate

ALL THE WINTER SPORTS

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GREAT VALUE FOR LARGE OR FAMILY GROUPS Further details phone 03 5178 3088 or www.dinnerplain.com 176 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Inland rail offers agricultural savings on a plate ��178 Measuring the maturity of unopened cotton bolls ��182 Cotton Coverage ��186–187 2019 crop quality ��188 Processing organisations ��189 Marketing consultants ��192 Merchants ��194 Independent classing services ��198

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Inland rail offers agricultural savings on a plate

SIRO research into the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project has determined that shifting horticulture and processed agriculture from road to rail could reduce transport costs for the agricultural industry by an estimated $70 million per year. Australia’s national science agency conducted a pilot study in 2018 using their successful computer logistics tool TraNSIT (Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool), along with extensive industry engagement, to focus on Parkes to Narromine in Central West NSW. Researchers identified a baseline of existing freight movements in this area to estimate the

potential transport cost savings for the entire Inland Rail project, marking the first time such a detailed analysis on road to rail supply chains in Australia has been completed. They considered horticulture, and processed agriculture, such as meat, rice and dairy products. The analysis showed if existing agricultural road trips were shifted to Inland Rail, the agricultural industry could save between $64 to $94 per tonne (depending on back-loading). This equates to about $70 million in reduced transport costs per year based on the shift of 923,000 tonnes of horticultural and processed

Rail transport could provide big savings for agriculture. 178 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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P R O C E S S I N G

SECTION 14 PROCESSING & MARKETING This section brought to you in association with

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agriculture to the lower cost transport option that Inland Rail provides. Additional analysis revealed that if existing coastal rail trips shifted to inland rail, this would result in an estimated saving of $28 to $35 per tonne. “Our research has shown that Inland Rail would bring an improvement in rail travel time and transport cost, particularly important when considering perishable products. This would make it a lot more competitive with the travel time advantages of road transport,” CSIRO TraNSIT leader Dr Andrew Higgins said. Parkes to Narromine was chosen for the case study as it is the first section of track to undergo construction. There are also a large number of supply chains in this pilot area involving hundreds of stakeholders. “A big cost in food production is transport, particularly given the large distribution of where and when it is grown across Australia, and the long distances to major domestic markets, often over 1000 kilometres,” Andrew said. “These type of savings with Inland Rail would mean companies would have lower cost access to markets further away than they supplied to in the past. “The benefit is for those selling to market,

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basically large farming corporations, food companies and those behind processing facilities. “You’d expect the savings would then be passed back onto farmers.” The Australian Government has committed $9.3 billion to complete the 1700 kilometre spine of Australia’s freight rail network that will connect Melbourne to Brisbane in under 24 hours. As a next step, TraNSIT will now be applied to the broader Inland Rail corridor (commencing with the southern corridor from Narromine to Seymour) to obtain even more detailed cost savings across a broader range of commodities. New commodities will include grains, cotton, livestock, wool, minerals and general freight. TraNSIT has been used in previous research to test the benefits of transport infrastructure in regard to upgrading roads in northern Australia, and calculating agriculture and forestry transport benefits for industry and various levels of government. The TraNSIT computer modelling tool works by analysing every possible combination of transport routes and modes (road and rail) and determining those that optimise vehicle movements between enterprises in the agriculture supply chain.

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Measuring the maturity of unopened cotton bolls By Robert Long1, Cheryl McCarthy2, Mike Bange1

AT A GLANCE…

Dr Robert Long.

A U S T R A L I A

The boll cutting technique allows cotton crop managers to gauge the maturity of cotton bolls. The aim of this work was to assess the feasibility of using near infrared (NIR) portable technology as a non-destructive rapid replacement for boll maturity determination. In a study using a Felix F-750 Produce Quality Meter, NIR spectra (702-1100nm) of bolls that were both immature and mature were successfully calibrated with the instrument using partial least squares regression. Validation of the model with an independent population correctly identified the maturity of the bolls with greater than 90 per cent accuracy. This technology may assist in guiding decisions around harvest to optimise fibre quality and yield. Future research is working towards developing more precise algorithms to further categorise the maturity of bolls.

otton is a perennial plant grown as an annual crop. To ensure cotton crops are prepared for a single machine harvest, various management strategies incorporating a number of boll and crop maturity measurement methods are employed. One method is the boll cutting technique, as outlined by Mike Bange and co-authors in the 2018 version of FIBREpak, where unopened bolls are cut transversely near the equator. Cut bolls are examined for a number of factors, including examining the colour of the coat and internal tissue of cut seeds (Figure 1). Dark seed coat tissue and tan coloured

FIGURE 1: Cotton boll maturity classification via the ‘boll cutting technique’ or ‘knife test’.

Adapted from Bange et al. (2018).

182 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

internal seed tissue indicate that bolls are mature enough and ready for boll opening and leaf defoliation (harvest aid) chemistry. While this technique is simple and requires inexpensive tools, it is destructive and time consuming. Considering the biochemical changes occurring in developing bolls, such as to starch, protein and oil levels in the seeds, it is hypothesised that using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is an appropriate technology to non-destructively and rapidly determine boll maturity. The Felix F-750 portable NIR Produce Quality Meter (Felix Instruments, Camas WA) was designed to acquire spectra from whole fruits, and was identified as an appropriate candidate instrument for this work. The aim was to obtain spectra of whole unopened cotton bolls,

TABLE 1: The number of bolls in each experimental population, and the number of bolls in each population that were designated as either immature or mature via the boll cutting technique Population

Immature

Mature

A B

150 70

96 24

54 46

FIGURE 2: Cotton boll being held in position for spectral acquisition against the collecting optic of a Felix F-750 Produce Quality Meter – the diameter of the collecting window is 26 mm

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FIGURE 3: Absorbance NIR spectra of a population of cotton bolls

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Each coloured trace is a single spectrum acquired from an equatorial position on one cotton boll.

determine the maturity of these bolls via the boll cutting technique, and then attempt to develop a calibration between NIR spectra and boll maturity reference data.

Methods and materials Unopened cotton bolls of a popular variety were harvested between February and April in 2018 from fields located at the Australian Cotton Research Institute at Narrabri. Bolls harvested were randomly selected from any position within any given plant, from several tens of randomly selected plants. Two populations were used for experiments.

FIGURE 4: Using a Felix F-750 Produce Quality Meter to acquire NIR spectral information from a cotton boll in a commercial crop

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Population ‘A’ consisted of 150 bolls, and population ‘B’ consisted of 70 bolls (Table 1). On any relevant day, bolls were harvested before 11:00am and then set out on a laboratory bench and allowed to equilibrate to ambient air conditions (21 to 25°C) for approximately two hours prior to NIR spectral acquisition. Spectra were then collected from bolls using a Felix F-750 hand held instrument. One lot of spectral information was collected at one equatorial position on each boll (Figure 2). Bolls were then subjected to the boll cutting technique and designated as either mature or immature (Table 1). Partial least squares (PLS) regression using The Unscrambler X version 10.5.1 (CAMO, Oslo) software package, was used to develop a calibration between NIR spectra (Figure 3) and boll maturity data.

Results and discussion The calibration developed using population A produced reasonable performance statistics 91 per cent of the time. The calibration was successfully validated. Validation statistics for population B resulted in correct designation 93 per cent of the time. The success of the calibration can most likely be attributed to changes in the biochemistry of developing seeds, and changes in the moisture content of developing fibres might also play a role.

Conclusions Further work will hope to develop a working calibration for a Felix F-750 and attempt to use the instrument in broader management scenarios (Figure 4). Other portable NIR instruments are likely to be useful also, although the ultimate success of any instrument will depend on whether spectrally meaningful light can penetrate deep enough into boll tissue and be attenuated by relevant molecules. The simultaneous measurement and NIR calibrations to other boll components such as moisture content of fibre and dry matter content of the seeds, might improve non-destructive unopened boll maturity determination. This work also points to a future where such noninvasive equipment might be part of a robotic in-field device, which enables the automatic and constant monitoring of boll and crop maturity. CSIRO Agriculture and Food USQ Centre for Agricultural Engineering

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For further information on this work please contact Dr Robert Long at the CSIRO: robert.long@csiro.au Acknowledgements: The Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Ms Ellen Iramu, Ms Jane Caton, Mr Darin Hodgson. Thanks goes to Central Queensland University for the loan of an instrument. References: Bange, M.P., van der Sluijs, M.H.J., Constable, G.C., Gordon, S.G., Long, R.L., Naylor, G.R.S. (2018) FIBREpak From Seeds to Good Shirts 2nd Ed. – A Guide to Improving Australian Cotton Fibre Quality. The CRDC, Narrabri.

184 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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COTTON COVERAGE A comprehensive review of global market conditions

As we head towards Christmas there remain two big unanswered questions. Is it going to rain in time to allow cotton acres to be planted across much of Australia’s key growing regions? Will the US and China continue to make progress on a trade deal and what impact will that have on cotton prices? For now, we continue to watch the weather forecasts that currently show little promise. The prospect that we may have one of our smallest cotton crops in a decade is looking more likely as each week passes by. We also continue to watch the news headlines for any positive developments in the US/China trade deal. And while progress appears to be at snail pace, we remain realistic that a trade deal may only bring a temporary reprieve with the global growth outlook less inspiring. In 2019/20, global cotton production is expected to increase by 4.8 per cent year on year to just shy of 125 million bales. The three largest cotton producers (India, China and the US) account for nearly 65 per cent of global production. In the past few years production in Brazil has increased from a relatively consistent six to seven million bale national crop to over 10 million bales in both 2018/19 and 2019/20. And while Australian cotton plays an important role in the export market thanks to its high quality and proximity to spinning mills, we account for less than one per cent of total production. Unfortunately, the opposite side of the balance sheet, global

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cotton consumption, is somewhat worrisome. Over the past three years consumption has hovered around 122 million bales in an environment of increasing supply. As such, global ending stocks are expected to increase 3.7 per cent y-o-y with even larger percentage increases expected in the US (44.3 per cent) and Indian (33.4 per cent) ending stocks. Meanwhile China has bucked the trend where they have managed to all but halve the amount of cotton being held from 66.92 million bales in 2014/15 to an estimated 33.25 million bales in 2019/20. We might all be a little quieter this coming season than what we would like. However, with cash prices in the high $500/ bale range and historically high GFS offers it’s not all doom and gloom. And while a smaller Aussie crop won’t influence cotton futures, we do expect basis levels to remain steady with strong competition from the merchant community.

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Global cotton consumption expected to increase 1.1% to 121.61 million bales in 2019/20

Global cotton production expected to increase 4.8% to 124.77 million bales in 2019/20

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2019 crop quality

espite the hottest, driest cotton season on record, the Australian crop maintained its reputation for high grade cotton among the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best.

Staple length Over 93 per cent of the crop went base (36) or better with 68 per cent of the crop at 38 or higher â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a great result.

FIGURE 1: Staple length of the 2019 crop

Grade Although not quite as good as the previous year, 72 per cent of the crop had a grade of 21-3 or better with almost none graded below 31-3.

Micronaire Not surprisingly given the hot season, around 8 per cent of the crop had high micronaire (5.0 and above) while 46 per cent was in the prime 3.8-4.5 range.

Strength and uniformity Once again, the strength of the crop was excellent and only 5 per cent of samples had uniformity below 80.

20%

26%

33%

FIGURE 2: Quality of the 2019 crop â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Grade

FIGURE 4: Strength of the 2019 crop

1% 1% 0%

2% 3% 21-2 & better

35%

26%

Below 28 7%

28.1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;29

21-3

29.1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30

31-3

37%

31-4 41-4 37%

32â&#x20AC;&#x201C;33.9

41-5 & below

FIGURE 3: Micronaire of the 2019 crop 4%

43%

34 & above

FIGURE 5: Uniformity of the 2019 crop

5.0 & above

5% Below 80

10% 4.6 to 4.9

46%

41%

19%

80-80.9

3.8 to 4.5

81-81.9 25%

3.5 to 3.7 3.3 to 3.4 3.2 & below

188 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

30.1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;31.9

37%

82-82.9 83-83.9 Above 84

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PROCESSING ORGANISATIONS Auscott Limited Auscott Limited was established in 1963 as a subsidiary of the US based JG Boswell Company. The company is vertically integrated through the growing, ginning and marketing sectors of the industry. Auscott is also a large producer of wheat and other grains, grown both as a cotton rotation and as a dryland crop. The geographical spread of the company’s farming over the Namoi, Macquarie and Murrumbidgee valleys has allowed for the hedging of production risk, and delivered benefits to customers during adverse climatic conditions. Auscott operates five gins over the three valleys. Auscott’s involvement with the Australian cotton industry does not stop at the farm gate. Participation within the industry is actively encouraged and is demonstrated through an association with 27 industry bodies. Company employees freely give their time to these bodies at no cost to the associations.

Management and Staff Chief Executive Officer Ashley Power Chief Financial Officer Leane Ameneiro General Manager Marketing Peter Webb Marketing Manager – Cotton Arthur Spellson Classing/Shipping Manager Greg Parle Marketing Manager – Grains Andrew Donovan General Manager Processing Wayne Towns General Manager Commercial and Water Resources Bernie George General Manager Production Justin McMillan

Head office Suite 3.01, 56 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Ph: 02 9295 4800 Fax: 02 9295 4888

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Web site: www.auscott.com.au E: sydney@auscott.com.au

Regional offices Namoi Valley Kamilaroi Highway, PO Box 303 Narrabri NSW 2390 Ph: 02 6799 1400 Fax: 02 6799 1488 Grower Services: Ben Palmer Gin/Warehouse Manager: Mark Noble Macquarie Valley Oxley Highway, PO Box 160 Warren NSW 2824 Ph: 02 6883 7306 Fax: 02 6847 4399 Valley Manager: Bill Tyrwhitt Grower Services: Anna Dawson Operations Manager: Troy Shields Gin Managers: David Pratt, Sam Freeth Murrumbidgee Valley Cobb Highway, PO Box 267 Hay NSW 2711 Ph: 02 6997 2200 Fax: 02 6887 2222 Grower Services: Eddie Redfern Gin Manager: Craig Gaston Murrumbidgee Farm Manager: Bill Back

Brighann Cotton Marketing Pty Ltd Brighann Ginning Pty Ltd Brighann Ginning is a family partnership cotton gin owned by the prominent cotton growing Seery family located 26 km west of Moree in the Gwydir valley. The four stand gin was established in 1999 and incorporates the latest Lummus ginning equipment including the Sentinel Lint Cleaners along with three lines of pre-cleaning to ensure that the cotton produced is of the highest quality available. Also

included is the latest Samuel Jackson cotton conditioning hoppers and Samuel Jackson moisture restoration system. Another valuable addition is a locally designed and made turntable to minimise plastic contamination and increase handling efficiency of round bales. To supplement the gin, the Brighann operation is vertically integrated to undertake warehousing, marketing and shipping of cotton. Warehousing facilities incorporate a capacity of 90,000 bales with humidified bale warehousing sheds and an automatic temperature controlled aerated seed shed which has a capacity of 14,000 tonnes.

Gin office PO Box 443 1500 Watercourse Road Moree NSW 2400 Ph: 02 6753 3737 Fax: 02 6753 3701 Chairman John Seery Directors Ada Seery Stephen Seery

Ian Seery Michael Seery

General Manager Ian McDonald Ph: 0417 700 947 E: ian@brighann.com.au Grower Services – Lachlan & Murrumbidgee Dan Kitchen Ph: 0416 806 877 E: dan@brighann.com.au Grower Services – all other valleys Simone James Ph: 0477 171 527 E: simone@brighann.com.au Trading Ben Carrigan Ph: 0427 518 552 ben@brighann.com.au Finance Manager John Kerlin Ph: 0427 004 104 E: johnk@brighann.com.au Gin Manager Damian Tonkin Ph: 0427 865 258 E: damian@brighann.com.au COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 189

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Carrington Ginning Carrington Ginning Pty Ltd was established in 1998 as a subsidiary of Carrington Cotton Corporation Pty Ltd, which has been producing cotton in the Macintyre Valley since the 1980s. The ginning facility is located 13 km east of Goondiwindi. The company is vertically integrated through the growing, ginning and warehousing and logistics sectors of the industry. The ginning facility is comprised of a four stand Lummus gin, four humidified warehouses with a storage capacity of 60,000 bales and an aerated seed shed.

Office 196 Boggabilla Lane, Kildonan Road PO Box 139 Goondiwindi QLD 4390 Ph: 07 4671 4710 Fax: 07 4671 4719 E: admin@carringtonpl.com.au Managing Director Andrea McCosker Production Manager Simon McCombe

Carroll Cotton Carroll Cotton Co has been delivering the highest quality in cotton ginning and customer service for over 20 years. Located in the New South Wales cotton growing region of the Upper Namoi Valley, Carroll Cotton Co is an independent cotton gin and one of a few family-owned gins remaining in Australia. It is also the most eastern NSW cotton gin in Australia, giving it an export location and proximity advantage to Sydney and Newcastle ports. The Carroll Cotton Co mission is simple – to work closely with the grower to deliver a customised cotton ginning service (maximising their returns) through world’s best practice and market expertise. As Carroll Cotton Co is a privately owned ginning company, each grower has a valued and personal relationship directly with the gin owner. This creates an environment that allows them to deliver ginning services that can be tailored to each client’s particular requirements. As an independent Carroll Cotton 190 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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Co are able to take a very hands-on approach, and offer complete flexibility that allows all cotton merchants to purchase processed bales straight out of their ginning facilities without restriction. This gives the grower the unique and valued opportunity to secure the most competitive cotton pricing from all lint merchants.

Address Avondale, 1875 Clifton Road Carroll NSW 2340 Managing Director Scott Davies Ph: 0427 445 282 E: scott@carrollcotton.com.au General Enquiries Ph: 02 5711 1664 Fax: 02 4017 2481 E: office@carrollcotton.com.au

Clyde Cotton Clyde cotton is a privately owned business located in Bourke NSW. The business operates several farms in the district which are situated on the Barwon/Darling river system. The operation has a dual ginning facility with a three stand Continental upland gin and a six stand roller gin to handle Pima cotton. The business has been growing and ginning cotton since 1983.

Address PO Box 20 Gorrell Avenue Bourke NSW 2840 Ph: 02 6870 8500 Fax: 02 6870 8599 General Manager Peter Harris Gin Manager Dave McKay Ph: 0429 496 647 E: dmckay@clydecotton.com.au

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Koramba Ginning Koramba is a privately owned integrated cotton growing and ginning operation situated on the Macintyre River between Goondiwindi and Mungindi. The four-stand Lummus gin was built in 1992. At the beginning of 2018 a new humidaire unit was installed to maximise moisture in the bales produced at the gin. The gin is not reliant on a power supply from local authorities as all power is generated on site. This feature provides total flexibility, allowing Koramba to process cotton day or night and without the expensive start up costs levied on other gins. The current power generation system has been active since 2001 and comprises state of the art equipment. The gin not only processes Koramba’s production but contract gins for growers in an area stretching from Goondiwindi to Mungindi and up to St George. Contract ginning takes priority over Koramba’s own cotton unless otherwise requested by the grower. Large gin runs are individually tailored to suit growers’ requests. The ginning facility is complemented by a seed storage shed and a large flood free all-weather module yard. Koramba was purchsed by Australian Food abd Fibre in 2017

Offices Koramba Weighbridge ‘Koramba’ Boomi NSW 2405 P: 02 6753 5250 F: 02 6753 5323 E: korambagin@aff-limited.com.au Moree PO Box 49 Moree NSW 2400 P: 02 6751 1360 E: officeadmin@aff-limited.com.au Gin P: 02 6753 5344

Management and Staff Grower Services Manager Toby Makim, M: 0417 857 975 Gin Manager James Bates, M: 0428 511 359

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Louis Dreyfus Company – Ginning Operations Manager Mike Kimball 0428 402 537 Dalby Site Manager James Bates 0438 483 104, 07 4669 6988 Moree Site Manager Kevin Chaplin 0428 850 082, 02 6752 5188 Emerald Site Manager Allan Irving 0427 761 428, 07 4998 3888

Procurement and Grower Services Head Office Level 3, 1 Breakfast Creek Road Newstead Qld 4006

Regional Respresentation Central Queensland/All Valleys Cathy Cook 0407253784 Central Queensland/Darling Downs Andrew Cook 0428 441 676 Darling Downs Darcie Sutton 0419 690 034 St George/Dirranbandi Juanita Park 0428 753 282 McIntyre/Gwydir/Lower Namoi Trent Raymond 0447 194 125 Upper Namoi/Murrumbidgee/ Murray Alex Dalton 0409 546 712 Central and Southern NSW Rodney St Clair 0438 768 609

Namoi Cotton Limited Namoi Cotton Limited was established in 1962 as a grower owned and operated co-operative in the Namoi Valley in North West NSW. Namoi Cotton has over 50 years of service to the Australian Cotton Industry and handles only Australian Cotton through an extensive network of ginning, marketing and logistics operations throughout the cotton growing regions of New South Wales and Southern Queensland. Today, Namoi Cotton is Australia’s largest cotton ginner by volume and one of

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and Marketing David Lindsay Chief Operations Officer Shane McGregor

Board of Directors Chairman Tim Watson the major marketers of Australia’s premium cotton. Namoi Cotton operates 12 cotton ginning facilities within NSW and Queensland. It is a pioneer and leader in the implementation of round module handling technology. In addition to providing superior ginning services, Namoi Cotton also provides cotton seed marketing services. Namoi Cotton markets lint through Namoi Cotton Alliance (NCA), a joint venture. Over 98 per cent of the cotton purchased by Namoi Cotton is sold to overseas markets which are primarily Asian spinning mills. NCA services these markets from its warehouse operations in Wee Waa and Warren in NSW and Goondiwindi in Queensland. The warehouse facilities are atmospherically controlled and have the capacity to store 519,000 bales under cover. Namoi Cotton is 100 per cent regionally based with our dedicated Grower Services team operating from a network of regional offices based in Wee Waa, Moree, Toowoomba, Trangie and Goondiwindi to service the ginning and marketing needs of our cotton grower clients. Being regionally based, Namoi Cotton is a major employer of regional people, employing more than 160 full time staff and over 300 seasonal staff and casual employees. Key employment priorities for Namoi Cotton are staff training and development and implementation and maintenance of stringent safety standards.

Senior Management Chief Executive officer Jeremy Callachor Chief Financial Officer Stuart Greenwood General Counsel and Company Secretary Bailey Garcha General Manager Grower Services

Directors Richard Anderson Stuart Boydell Robert Green Glen Price James Jackson Juanita Hamparsum Joseph Di Leo

Offices Wee Waa Ph: 02 6790 3000 Fax: 02 6790 3087 Toowoomba Ph: 07 4631 6100 Fax: 07 4631 6184 Goondiwindi Ph: 07 4671 6900 Fax: 07 4671 6999 Moree Ph: 02 6752 2903 Fax: 02 6752 5357 Trangie Ph: 02 6888 9611 Fax: 02 6888 9678 Website www.namoicotton.com.au

Gins Ashley Ph: 02 6754 2150 Boggabri Ph: 02 6743 4084 Hillston Ph: 02 6967 2951 Macintyre Ph: 07 4671 2277 Merah North Ph: 02 6795 5124 Moomin Ph: 02 6796 5102 Mungindi Ph: 02 6753 2145 North Bourke Ph: 02 6872 1453 Trangie Ph: 02 6888 9729

North West Ginning North West Ginning is owned by two prominent industry families. Plant, facilities and services to North West Ginning customers are world class and the entire operation is certified by internationally recognised ISO 9001 Quality Assurance Standards. COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 191

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The Lummus plant is capable of processing in excess of 200,000 bales per season and is renowned for the quality of cotton produced. Fullygravelled, flood free module yard, covered bale storage and loading bay enables North West Ginning to maintain and deliver a quality product.

Office Whittakers Lagoon PO Box 916 Moree 2400 Ph: 02 6752 3966 Fax: 02 6751 1067 E: manager@nwgin.com.au

Board members Directors James Mulligan Paul Swansbra

Management

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Waa) with a total capacity in excess of one million bales.

Head office 55 Wyandra Street Newstead Qld 4006 PO Box 2245 Fortitude Valley BC Qld 4006 Ph: 07 3250 3300 Fax: 07 3852 1600 Web: http://olamgroup.com

Management and Staff Executive Director and Country Head Australia Bob Dall’Alba E: bdallalba@olamnet.com

Executive General Manager Australian Cotton John Robinson E: john.robinson@olamnet.com

General Manager Wayne Clissold Operations Manager Robert Kennedy

Manager Cotton Marketing

Queensland Cotton

Bobby Irons E: bobby.irons@olamnet.com

Queensland Cotton offers a full range of marketing options including daily cash prices and ‘on call’ contracts are available. We also offer tailor made risk management strategies. Services to growers are supported by six gins in Queensland, (Cecil Plains, Dalby, Moura, Emerald, and two in St George) as well as three in New South Wales, (Mungindi, Warren and Wee

Pricing Manager

Meg Strahle E: meg.strahle@olamnet.com

Manager Cotton Operations

Maaike Brouwer E: maaike.brouwer@olamnet.com

Seed Trader Shane Wolski E: shane.wolski@olamnet.com

Quality and Export Manager Michael O’Rielley E: michael.orielley@olamnet.com

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Gins Cecil Plains Ph: 07 4668 0106 Dalby Ph: 07 4662 5590 Emerald Ph: 07 4982 1522 Moura Ph: 07 4997 1422 Mungindi Ph: 02 6753 2600 St George Ph: 07 4625 2145 Beardmore, St George Ph: 07 4625 4144 Warren Ph: 02 6847 4631 Wee Waa Ph: 02 6795 7188

Cotton Marketing Brisbane Ph: 07 3250 3310 Cecil Plains Ph: 07 4668 0106 Dalby Ph: 07 4662 5220 Emerald Ph: 07 4982 1522 Griffith Ph: 02 6964 8810 St George Ph: 07 4625 2145 Warren Ph: 02 6847 4766 Wee Waa Ph: 02 6795 7188

Pulses Mt Tyson Ph: 07 4693 7166

RivCott RivCott has become Australia’s largest capacity gin, processing over 330,000 bales in 2018 at a rate of 120 bales per hour. It is owned exclusively by 80+ growers who deliver cotton to it annually. RivCott was designed with the Riverina in mind, thus its unique

Marketing consultants Cotton Compass Pty Ltd

JCL Commodities Pty Ltd

Cotton Compass is an interactive cotton marketing news service – publishing a weekly newsletter specifically tailored to high quality Australian cotton growers, cotton traders, input suppliers and textile industry participants. www.cottoncompass.com.au E: cotton@cottoncompass.com.au

JCL is a specialist cotton marketing, risk management and information services company. JCL is Australian, fully independent, and privately owned. JCL works closely with cotton producers to maximise the Australian dollar return on their cotton production asset.

Farmarco Australia Pty Ltd Farmarco provides risk management and commodity marketing services and has been advising cotton growers on marketing since 1985.

Contacts Robert Imray Toowoomba Ph: 07 4637 6400. E: farmarco@farmarco.com.au www. farmarco.com.au 192 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Contacts David Watson – Mob: 0402 728 254, E: david.w@jclcom.com Ben Middleton – Mob: 0417 447 939, E: ben.m@jclcom.com

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drying and cleaning designs suit the moist and cool defoliation and harvest conditions. It has produced remarkable clean-cotton outcomes that have made it very attractive for local cotton growers.

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Management CEO Sam Buster, Ph: 02 6990 5060 Gin Manager Dwayne Martin, Ph: 02 6990 5070 Grower Services Michelle Buster, Ph: 02 6990 5000

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marketing and maximum seed program; • RFID tracking and real-time data; and, • Insurance from picker to bale.

Warehousing

Gin Contact Details 50 Conargo Road Carrathool, NSW 2711 Ph: 02 6990 5000 Fax: 02 6990 5001 E: office@rivcott.com W: www.rivcott.com

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Southern Cotton As the cotton industry continues to grow in Southern NSW and northern Victoria, Southern Cotton is building capacity to provide growers with even more support. Together with cotton ginning, we now deliver a number of additional services:

Cotton ginning Consistently ranked as one of the best gins in Australia, Southern Cotton achieves Best Management Practice for Cotton Ginning Accreditation each year. When you gin with us, you will benefit from: • Fast timely ginning and competitive pricing options; • Tailored logistics, cottonseed

Our warehouse provides growers and merchants a seamless service, including: • Our storage facility has a capacity of 80,000 bales at any one time; • Bales can be stored, without prior sale; and, • Bales can be stored for merchants and picked into lots before packing into containers for exporting.

Export Southern Cotton exports both lint and cottonseed directly from the gin to the port. This is the most cost-effective method of transporting our produce from the Riverina. Our site is AQIS approved and provides the following: • Timely picking with no cut-offs for container delivery to port missed; • Re-bagging of any cotton lint not export ready; and,

Omnicotton Australia Pty Ltd Suite 72, 283 Given Terrace Paddington, QLD, 4064 Australia P: 07 3367 1801 F: 07 3367 1827 E: australia@omnicotton.com COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 193

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• Accurate and compliant export documentation.

Contract picking Many new growers find picking to be a barrier to entry. Southern Cotton has partnered with cotton picking contractors to help prioritise first-time and smaller growers.

Freight logistics Southern Cotton provides transport of bales from other gins for packing with competitive freight rates to provide a total logistics service.

Address Darlington Point-Whitton Road. PO Box 41 Whitton NSW 2705 Ph: 02 6955 2755 Fax: 02 6955 2765 Email: info@southerncotton.com.au Website: www.southerncotton.com.au

Management: General Manager Kate O’Callaghan Ph: 0269 552 755 Gin Manager Chris Veness Ph: 0269 552 755 Accounts Coordinator Jeanette Veness Ph: 0269 552 755 Operations Coordinator Ben Bagust Ph: 0269 552 755 Grower Liaison Officer Michelle Reiner Ph: 0269 552 755 Directors Tim Commins Roger Commins Scott Hogan Larry Walsh Michael Pygram Ross Anderson

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MERCHANTS In addition to the integrated ginning and marketing services offered by processing companies — detailed on previous pages — the following companies are merchants of Australian cotton.

Cofco International With 11,000 people in 35 countries,COFCO International is the overseasagriculture business platform for COFCO Corporation,China’s largest food and agriculture company. The cotton division draws significantadvantage from synergies withinCofco INTL globally in the field of cropfinancing, warehousing, logistics andinnovative distribution across existingCofco networks worldwide. Cofco INTL is focused onorigination, supply chain managementand distribution from producers toend users. The integrated structureenables superiorcost, quality and performancemanagement, directly benefiting oursuppliers and clients. Providing flexibility, innovative solutionsand being a world class counterpartfor our producers and clients helps todevelop longstanding relationships. Ourassured performance and professionalintegrity ensures that these relationshipswithstand the test of uncertain marketsand changing global conditions.

Cotton Trade Deck Lucas Basset-Chercot Mob: + 971557455308 Australia Purchasing Agents River Channel Aust Pty Ltd E: cofco@riverchannel.com.au Ray Wall Mob: +61 498 652 542 Luke Wills Mob: +61 408 267 743 THIS SECTION BROUGHT TO YOU IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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ECOM Commodities ECOM Commodities is a fully owned subsidiary of ECOM Agroindustrial Corporation. ECOM Agroindustrial Corp is a family owned, global agribusiness that produces, processes and markets high value agricultural commodities such as cotton, coffee and cocoa. The foundations of the ECOM Group of Companies were laid in Barcelona, Spain, by the Esteve family during the 1840s. ECOM has since evolved into an international vertically integrated agribusiness. The ECOM Cotton Group established a domestic trade presence in Australia during 1999, opening a marketing and logistics operation in Sydney, along with major regional procurement centres. ECOM Commodities in conjunction with our offices located in Singapore and Shanghai, services Australia and the Far East. The Singapore and Shanghai offices have been simultaneously established to further strengthen the group’s presence in the Asian and Pacific Rim regions. ECOM Commodities has a presence in most cotton producing and consuming markets worldwide. ECOM Commodities presents itself as a partner to the Australian cotton grower, not merely as a service provider. The strategic aims and objectives of ECOM Commodities revolve around a well-established vertically integrated group focusing on procurement and distribution of Australian lint to the four corners of the globe.

Cotton Trade Desk Matthew Bradd Weng Chen Loh Shay Dhareula Shipping and Logistics Manager Stephen Boelhouwer Croperations Ph: 0422 202 740

Head Office 10.1 Graphix Row, 160 Bourke Road Alexandria, NSW 2015 GPO Box 29 Sydney NSW 2001 Ph: 02 9223 3631 Fax: 02 9233 6206 E: webcottonoz@ecomtrading.com Website: www.ecomtrading.com

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Agents Namoi Valley, Gwydir Valley and Macquarie Valley Steve Dalton AgVantage Commodities Pty Ltd Ph: 02 6792 2962 MacIntyre Valley Steve Dalton AgVantage Commodities Pty Ltd Ph: 07 4671 1225 Darling Downs Kelvin Bella Our-Tek Pty Ltd Ph: 0428 717 284 Steve Dalton AgVantage Commodities Pty Ltd Ph: 07 4671 1225 St George and Dirranbandi Kelvin Bella Our-Tek Pty Ltd Ph: 0428 717 284 Central Highlands and Dawson– Callide Kelvin Bella Our-Tek Pty Ltd Ph: 0428 717 284 Riverina Ecom Cotton Office Steve Dalton AgVantage Commodities Pty Ltd Ph: 07 4671 1225 Kelvin Bella Our-Tek Pty Ltd Ph: 0428 717 284

Louis Dreyfus Company Louis Dreyfus Company is an integrated ginning, marketing and warehouse business.

Management and Staff Managing Director Tony Geitz Procurement and Grower Services – Ginning Marketing Cathy Cook Treasury/Trading Michael Thompson Sales/Trading Mudit Sharma Cotton Seed Sales Dan Sullivan/Michael Thompson Warehouses Moree: 02 6752 4655 Dalby: 07 4662 6033 Gins Emerald: 07 4982 3888 Dalby: 07 4669 6988 Moree: 02 6752 5188

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Procurement and Grower Services Head Office Level 3, 1 Breakfast Creek Road Newstead Qld 4006 PO Box 2142 Ph: 07 3253 5999 E: BRI-CottonAdmin@ldc.com Toowoomba Office 2B Phillip St, Toowoomba, QLD 4350 Andrew Cook: 0428 441 676 Darcie Sutton: 0419 690 034 Juanita Park: 0428 753 282 Dubbo Office 2A 29 Church Street Dubbo NSW 2830 Rodney St Clair 0438 768609 Alex Dalton 0409 546712 Goondiwindi Office 116 Marshall St Goodiwindi 4390 Trent Raymond: 0447 194 125

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Omnicotton Australia Pty Ltd Omnicotton Australia Pty Ltd is a fully owned subsidiary of Omnicotton Inc based in Dallas, Texas, US. The company has been established for 17 years, concentrates its trading on US, Brazil and Australian growths, and through its strategic office locations, provides complete market coverage. With significant industry experience and representation on many of the globally recognised associations, Omnicotton is an active participant in the international cotton industry.

Head Office Suite 72, 283 Given Terrace Paddington QLD 4064 Ph: 07 3367 1801, Fax: 07 3367 1827 E: australia@omnicotton.com

Management and Staff General Manager Cliff White E:cwhite@omnicotton.com Mob: 0417 728 440 Office Administrators Roberta Bocchese E: rbocchese@omnicotton.com

Reinhart Australia Reinhart Australia Pty Limited is part of the worldwide cotton merchant Paul Reinhart AG, founded in 1788 and headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland. Our company is familyowned. We are proud of being responsible to manage it in the seventh generation. We and our staff are aware of our reputation for integrity. Our commitment, know-how and financial strength give our business partners the confidence that we can live up to our engagements. We source cotton from all exporting countries and sell it into more than 60 markets, acting as an intermediary throughout the supply chain from farmers to ginners and manufacturers. Our market position is especially strong in the extra-long staple segment. This strength bases on a long history which started in 1907 when Reinhart & Co Egypt was founded. COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 195

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We participate in ginning operations in Southeast and West Africa. Together with our partners we engage in crop support and help improve the standard of living of the local communities. We are also a member of the Better Cotton Initiative. We are present in the major cotton producing and consuming countries with our own staff or are represented by an extended network of agents. Recently we have established our own legal entities in the world’s largest markets China and India in order not only participate in the import and export business, but to source and market cotton locally. Our operations in Australia comprise a buying office located in Toowoomba, Qld, which sources directly from cotton growers and exports to all major consuming markets.

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Operations Assistant Pennie Shearer p.shearer@reinhart.net.au

Head Office Unit 10A Central Plaza 532–542 Ruthven St Toowoomba QLD, 4350 Ph: 07 4637 9070 E: mail@reinhart.net.au Website: www.reinhart.com

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20 year association with the Australian Cotton Industry; they deeply respect its innovative and hard working growers who consistently produce cotton of the highest yields and quality. S&G are a family owned and operated business that is proud to be recognised within the Australian cotton industry as reliable and personable traders. The owners and staff are active industry participates and strongly believe in giving back to the industry. They are members of the ACSA with their General Manager currently holding the position of Chairman. S&G have the knowledge; experience and flexibility to provide Australian cotton growers with a viable partner in the marketing of their raw cotton and cotton seed production. Before you sell make sure you have received an S&G price.

Management and Staff

S&G Cotton Australia Pty Ltd

S&G Cotton contact details

Grower Services/Marketing Tim Storck Ph: 0417 269 063 E: t.storck@reinhart.net.au Administration/Finance/Logistics Cheng Zhang Ph: 0417 497 463 E: c.zhang@reinhart.net.au

S & G Cotton Australia Pty Ltd forms part of the wider S&G group of companies. The group was opened in 2002 by its principles Mr Sam Guan and textile mogul Mr Gordon Wu, southern China’s largest cotton apparel manufacturer. Sam and Gordon relish their nearly

General Manager – Australia Roger Tomkins Ph: 07 3399 4890 E: admin@sgcotton.com.au Administration Manager Katy Huang Ph: 07 3399 4890 E: admin@sgcotton.com.au

196 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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INDEPENDENT CLASSING SERVICES Australian Classing Services Australian Classing Services (ACS) have been servicing Australian Cotton Growers and Merchants since 2003. We are currently the most technologically advanced cotton classing facility in Australia. Our in-house quality assurance program is the best in the Australian Classing industry ands includes the ‘cross checking’ of results between our four HVI machines. We also take the time to perform ‘check tests’, where cotton with a known value is tested frequently to ensure the precise calibration of our HVI machines. We are the only classing room in Australia to offer such a detailed and consistent QA program ensuring our clients are provided the most accurate results, each and every time. Our purpose-built software, streamlined systems and barcode scanners ensure your classing results are delivered in an efficient and timely manner, with traceability throughout the whole process from gin to classing result. The ACS team realise trust is everything, which is why we invite you, our growers, merchants and clients to watch us class your cotton. We aim to build trust and educate interested parties on the finer details of classing. This in turn, assists you in making better agronomic and ginning decisions. At ACS, your cotton samples are conditioned and tested under precise atmospheric conditions in line with the Cotton Classer’s Association of Australia (CCAA), BMP, USDA and the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) standards for cotton testing. This is backed up by a team of experienced USDA qualified classers.

Head Office 27 Trucking Yards Lane PO Box 143, Wee Waa NSW 2388 Ph: 02 6790 3059, Fax: 02 6790 3030 E: admin@ausclass.com.au

Manager James Woodrow Mob: 0437 414 939, Ph: 02 6790 3050 E: jwoodrow@ausclass.com.au Administrator Rachell Haynes Ph: 02 6790 3059 E: rhaynes@ausclass.com.au 198 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

ProClass Pty Ltd ProClass is Australia’s leading cotton classing operation. Fully independent, we operate two modern cotton classing facilities servicing Australian cotton growers and merchants. The first is located at head office in Goondiwindi, Queensland, right in the heart of Australia’s traditional cotton belt. The second is situated at Griffith, NSW, the hub of the rapidly expanding cotton growing region in southern NSW. At present, ProClass classes approximately 65% of the cotton produced in Australia. Our mantra is “Professional Independent Classing” and that is exactly what we provide. This is done with the help of a team of industry professionals with long term domestic and international experience, a fleet of the most up to date cotton testing equipment (HVI machines), a state-of-the-art humidification and environment conditioning system and a proactive, forward thinking Board of Directors. ProClass is a full participating member of the Cotton Classer’s Association of Australia (CCAA). We are fully compliant with the CCAA’s Best Management Practice for cotton classing and have been since that program’s inception. Both ProClass facilities are accredited under the International Cotton Association Bremen Laboratory Certification Scheme. The ProClass service is open to all cotton growers and merchants.

Goondiwindi (Head Office) 7 Troy Drive Goondiwindi QLD 4390 Ph: +61 7 4671 0333 Fax: +61 7 4671 1333

Griffith 23 Battista Street Griffith NSW 2680 Ph: +61 2 6964 4440

Staff General Manager Jon Hurford E: jon@proclass.com.au Mob: 0428 710 333 Griffith Ops Manager Patrick McDonnell E: patrick@proclass.com.au Mob: 0437 909 796

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Major industry organisations Australian Cotton Industry Forum ��200 Cotton Australia ��200 Associated industry bodies Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia ��202 Association of Australian Cotton Scientists ��202 Australian Cotton Ginners’ Association ��204 Australian Cotton Shippers’ Association ��204 Cotton Classers’ Association of Australia ��205 Cotton Research and Development Corporation ��205 Cotton Seed Distributors ��206 Crop Consultants Australia ��207 WinCott Women’s Industry Network – Cotton ��207 Regional cotton grower associations ��208

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COTTON INDUSTRY ORGANISATIONS Australian Cotton Industry Forum The Australian Cotton Industry Forum was established in 1997 (as the Australian Cotton Industry Council) to represent all sectors of the cotton industry.

Office Bearers Chair Fleur Anderson, Mob: 0409 620 302 Company secretary Adam Kay Suite 4.01, 247 Coward Street, Mascot NSW 2020 Ph: 02 9669 5222, Fax: 02 9669 5511 E: adamk@cotton.org.au

Members • Association of Australian Cotton Scientists • Australian Cotton Ginners Association • Australian Cotton Planting Seed Association • Australian Cotton Shippers Association • Cotton Australia Limited • Cotton Classers Association of Australia • Cotton Research and Development Corporation • Crop Consultants Association • CropLife Australia Limited • Wincott

Cotton Australia Cotton Australia is the peak body for Australia’s cotton producers, supporting more than 1200 cotton farming families in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The organisation strives to foster a world-class agricultural industry that’s sustainable, valued for its economic and social contributions and produces very high quality cotton in demand around the globe. Cotton Australia provides a united voice for cotton growers 200 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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across research and development, stewardship, natural resource management, biosecurity and cotton production issues, such as water availability and input costs. This is achieved though policy and advocacy, education, communication and grower services.

Board Chair Hamish McIntyre Deputy Chair Nigel Burnett Directors Fleur Anderson Matt McVeigh Bernie Bierhoff Jeremy Callachor Bob Dall’Alba Susan McCutcheon Peter Tuohey Arthur Spellson Rob Dugdale

Head Office Suite 4.01, 247 Coward Street, Mascot NSW 2020 Ph: 02 9669 5222 Fax: 02 9669 5511 E: talktous@cotton.org.au Website: www.cottonaustralia.com.au

Head Office Staff Chief Executive Officer Adam Kay Policy Officer Angela Bradburn Education Coordinator Jenny Hughes Communications Manager – Digital Strategy Robert Virtue Supply Chain Consultant Cotton to Market Program Brooke Summers Finance Manager Therese Wooden Executive Assistant Rochelle Zakher

Project Officer – AgSkilled Claudia Vicary Communications Manager – Stakeholder Engagement Lucy Brennan Workforce and Training Coordinator Rebecca Fing

Regional Office – Toowoomba Unit 3, 6 Rutledge Street South Toowoomba QLD 4350 Ph: 07 4639 4908

General Manager Michael Murray Mob: 0427 707 868 myBMP Manager Rick Kowitz Mob: 0427 050 832 myBMP Customer Service Officer Nicole Scott Ph: 1800 COTTON (1800 268 866)

Regional Office – Brisbane Level 3, 183 North Quay Street, Brisbane QLD 4000 Paul Sloman Mob: 0448 094 883

Regional Office – Narrabri PO Box 322 Narrabri NSW 2390 Ph: 02 6792 6041 Fax: 02 6792 6042

Regional Manager (Namoi, Gwydir, Walgett, Bourke) Alec Macintosh Mob: 0428 618 004

Regional Office – Griffith PO Box 8175 Griffith East NSW 2680

Regional Manager (Riverina) TBC Mob: 0437 700 300

Regional Office – Warren Policy Officer – Research Direction and Stewardship Sally Ceeney Mob: 0459 189 771

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Field Staff Regional Manager (Emerald) Renee Anderson Mob: 0448 125 156 Regional Manager (Dawson Valley) Kelly Becker Mob: 0409 974 007 Regional Manager (Macintyre Valley) Cate Wild Mob: 0487 713 014 Regional Manager (St George/ Dirranbandi/Mungindi) Jane Hill Mob: 0419 259 194 Regional Manager (Darling Downs) Mary O’Brien Mob: 0408 982 291 Regional Manager (Macquarie Valley) Julie Wise Mob: 0447 370 043

Cotton Australia Members Cotton Australia members nominate representatives to attend the company’s General Meetings. The five largest Cotton Grower Associations are able to nominate two representatives. • Auscott Limited • Brighann Ginning • Carroll Cotton Company • Central Highlands Cotton Growers’ & Irrigators’ Association Inc. • Cotton Seed Distributors • Crop Consultants Australia Ltd • Cubbie Ginning • Darling Downs Cotton Growers’ Inc. • Darling River Food And Fibre • Dawson Valley Cotton Growers’ Association • Dirranbandi Cotton Growers’ Association • Gwydir Valley Cotton Growers’ Association • Louis Dreyfus Commodities • Lower Namoi Cotton Growers’ Association • Macintyre Valley Cotton Growers’ Association • Macquarie Cotton Growers’ Association • Mungindi Water Users’ & Cotton Growers’ Association 202 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

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• Namoi Cotton Co-Op • North West Ginning Pty Ltd • Queensland Cotton Corporation Limited • Rivcott Pty Ltd • Southern Cotton • Southern Valleys Cotton Growers’ Association • St George Cotton Growers’ Association • Upper Namoi Cotton Growers’ Association • Walgett Cotton Growers’ Association • Wathagar Ginning Company

Aerial Application Association of Australia Key objectives of the AAAA include improving safety and efficacy through professional development which it achieves by providing ongoing training to pilots and operators and a range of programs and information service, including a national convention, state meetings and technical workshops. AAAA runs two accreditation programs – Spraysafe and the Aerial Improvement Management System (AIMS) – which are based on sound competence of pilots and ground staff, appropriate facilities and comprehensive application and business management systems. AAAA works with a wide range of other organisations including Cotton Australia and agronomists to continually improve the services offered to clients and to improve knowledge of aerial application’s effectiveness, safety and economy. AAAA has also developed an Agronomist Guide to Aerial Application in cooperation with Crop

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Consultants Australia. Free e-copies are available from the AAAA website/ resource centre. Cotton growers are encouraged to support AAAA by having their aerial application carried out by AAAA members who hold AAAA accreditations.

AAAA contacts Chief Executive Officer Phil Hurst PO Box 353 Mitchell ACT 2602 Ph: 02 6241 2100 Fax: 02 6241 2555 Web: www.aaaa.org.au President Stephen Death, Hazair Pty Ltd

Association of Australian Cotton Scientists The association aims to provide a united and representative body to promote and enhance cotton research as a profession; to facilitate communication and collaboration between scientists; and, to act as a point of contact between scientists, the Australian cotton industry and with the International Cotton Researchers’ Association. Membership is open to students, professionals, technical staff and extension specialists who spend a majority of their time in active research (or teaching) relevant to the cotton industry. Associate membership is open to people who are indirectly involved in research delivery or management. One of the main activities that the association facilitates is the ‘Australian Cotton Research Conference’ which will be held in Geelong in 2021.

Office Bearers President Dr Paul Grundy Full Committee Members • Warren Conaty (CSIRO) • Guna Nachimuthu (NSW DPI) • Mary Whitehouse (CSIRO), • Iain Wilson (CSIRO) • Linda Smith (QDAF) • Susan Maas (CRDC)

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Australian Cotton Ginners’ Association The Australian Cotton Ginners’ Association was formed on 4 December 1992 and became an association of all the cotton processing organisations within Australia. It’s aims are: • To promote the common business interests of persons engaged in the cotton ginning industry within Australia; • To encourage and promote co-operation; • To sponsor technical development; and, • To seek improvement of communications, education and safety within the ginning industry

Office Bearers President Andrew van der Stok Namoi Cotton Ph: 0267 524378 Fax: 0267 525357 Mob: 0429 232303 E: avanderstok@namoi.com.au Secretary/Treasurer Lauryn Riordan Koramba Ginning Ph: 02 6751 1355 Fax: 02 6571 1359 Mob: 0429 774 649 E: marketing@koramba.com.au Member Organisations • Auscott, Sydney • Brighann Ginning, Moree • Carroll Cotton, Carroll • Clyde Agriculture, Bourke • Cubbie Ginnery, Dirranbandi • Louis Dreyfus Ginning, Brisbane • Koramba Ginning, Moree • Namoi Cotton, Wee Waa • North West Ginning, Moree • Queensland Cotton, Brisbane • Rivcott Ginning, Carrathool • Southern Cotton, Darlington Point • Tandou Cotton, Menindee

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Australian Cotton Shippers Association The Australian Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA) is principally involved in the enhancement of Australia’s cotton industry in our export markets. It also aims to promote best management practices and prosperity within the industry and the communities in which we operate. This especially includes the preservation of contract sanctity and adherence to established international trading terms, arbitration procedures and protection of the forward marketing platform. ACSA merchant members comprise the following: • Auscott Marketing • Cargill Cotton • CNCGC Australian • Cofco Agri • Cubbie Station • Ecom Cotton • Glencore Agriculture • Louis Dreyfus Company • Namoi Cotton • OmniCotton Australia • Queensland Cotton • RCMA Group • Reinhart Australia • S&G Cotton Australia The organisation has the support of over 30 Associate member firms who deliver finance, insurance, marketing, controlling, shipping and logistics services to the post farm gate supply chain. ACSA plays an active role in the local and international cotton arena through its membership of the Australian Cotton Industry Forum, the Australian Peak Shippers Association, the Committee for the Cooperation between Cotton Associations and the International Textile Manufacturers

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Federation. All merchant members are affiliated with the International Cotton Association. ACSA subscribes to the implementation of industry wide best management practices and has been supportive of developing BMP modules at each stage of the movement of cotton beyond the farm gate. ACSA has continued to support BMP by collaborating with Cotton Australia providing education to brand owners. ACSA also undertakes regular visits to both traditional and emerging markets to promote Australian cotton. It collaborates with organisations such as Cotton Australia, Cotton Research & Development Corporation and CSIRO and also ensures that messages from the market are fed back to those organisations that can influence the direction of our research and development. ACSA’s involvement with the latest industry marketing strategies of BCI and Cotton LEADS further reinforces our commitment to continuous improvement in placing Australian cotton as a premium product on the global textile stage. The interaction afforded by participating in these activities demonstrates ACSA’s commitment to the industry as a whole.

Office Bearers Chair Michael O’Rielley Olam Queensland Cotton Ph: 07 3250 3300 Vice Chair Tim Storck Reinhart Australia Ph: 07 4637 9070

Contact Secretariat Tracey Byrne-Morrison Tel 07 3848 3823 PO Box 4, Annerley QLD 4103 Web: www.austcottonshippers.com.au Email:secretariat@austcottonshippers. com.au

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Cotton Classers’ Association of Australia The Cotton Classers’ Association of Australia (CCAA) has four member organisations, one non-classing member and two associate member organisations. The aim of the CCAA is to promote consistency between classing facilities within Australia, both merchant and independent. The CCAA monitors this consistency through regular internal check tests for both visual and HVI testing. The CCAA is also involved in an international program – Commercial Standardisation of Instrument Testing (CSITC). All data from testing programs are analysed independently and results sent to classing facilities. The CCAA is firmly committed to its BMP program to ensure that Australian cotton growers and end users worldwide have their cotton graded consistently under the best possible conditions.

CCAA Best Management Practice If Australia is to maintain its reputation as a consistent supplier of high quality cotton it will need to ensure that classing facilities in Australia consistently specify their cotton. To do this the cotton classing sector is assessed independently to, amongst others, determine compliance with the current Best Management Practice (BMP) for Classing handbook, compiled by the Cotton Classers Association of Australia (CCAA), via formal audits. These audits are conducted currently by René van der Sluijs of Textile Technical Services, CSIRO’s Materials Science and Engineering (TTSCMSE), an organisation which is considered to be independent. These audits allow individual facilities to make technical and operational corrections to their practice so that ultimately the industry can achieve consistent and better precision of classing grades. There are currently four classing facilities in Australia certified by

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Cotton Australia as compliant to the current version of the BMP handbook for classing.

International laboratory certification The International Cotton Association in partnership with the Bremen Faserinstitut (ICA Bremen) launched the ‘International Laboratory Certification Scheme’ for cotton testing laboratories in July 2012. The scheme is based on laboratory experience to produce a certification process that will be widely accepted and recognised as being of the very highest standards. The reason for this certification scheme was to establish a list of laboratories located worldwide which meet a standard level of quality assurance. There are currently 12 laboratories certified world-wide including three from Australia namely Auscott Limited, ProClass Goondiwindi and ProClass Griffith.

Office Bearers President Greg Parle, Auscott Ltd Ph: 02 9439 0514 Secretary Margot Palmer, Auscott Ltd Ph: 02 9439 0514 Treasurer Jon Hurford Proclass-Goondiwindi 07 4671 0333

CRDC: Science underpinning the cotton industry’s success The Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) delivers outcomes in cotton research, development and extension (RD&E) for the Australian cotton

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industry. A partnership between the Commonwealth Government and cotton growers, CRDC invests in world-leading RD&E to benefit Australia’s dynamic cotton industry, and the wider community. We invest in innovation and transformative technologies to deliver impact, and as an organisation we are ambitious, agile, and adaptive. Our vision as an organisation is to power the success of Australian cotton through world-leading RD&E. To help achieve this, Australian cotton growers and the Commonwealth Government will co-invest $20.2 million through CRDC into cotton RD&E during 2019–20, across approximately 300 projects and in collaboration with around 100 research partners. This investment will be split across the five key focus areas of the CRDC Strategic RD&E Plan: • Iincreasing productivity and profitability on Australian cotton farms; • Improving cotton farming sustainability and value chain competitiveness; • Building the adaptive capacity of the Australian cotton industry; • Strengthening partnerships and adoption; and, • Driving RD&E impact. Over the next five years, our aim is to contribute to creating $2 billion in additional gross value of cotton production through our investments in RD&E. For more information, visit our website: www.crdc.com.au.

Contact CRDC 2 Lloyd St, Narrabri NSW 2390 P: 02 6792 4088 E: crdc@crdc.com.au W: www.crdc.com.au

CRDC 2018 Board of Directors Chair Richard Haire Executive Director Ian Taylor

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Directors Kathryn Adams, Liz Alexander, Greg Kauter, Jeremy Burdon, Les Copeland and Rosemary Richards

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CRDC team Executive Director Ian Taylor General Manager, R&D Investment Allan Williams General Manager, Business and Finance Graeme Tolson R&D Manager Susan Maas R&D Manager Elle Storrier R&D Manager Dr Merry Conaty R&D Manager (contractor) Stacey Vogel R&D Manager (contractor) Rachel Holloway Innovation Broker (contractor) Jane Trindall Commercialisation Manager (contractor) Jarrod Ward CottonInfo Program Manager Warwick Waters Communications Manager Ruth Redfern Monitoring and Evaluation Manager Ben Simpson Accountant Emily Luff Accounts Officer Jeevi Arjunan Executive Assistant Dianne Purcell Project Administration Megan Baker Project Administration Lynda George

Cotton Seed Distributors Ltd Cotton Seed Distributors Ltd (CSD) has been supplying quality cotton planting seed to the Australian cotton industry since 1967. CSD was formed through the vision of Australia’s foundation cotton growers and 206 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

remains committed to the success of today’s industry. CSD is a major investor in cotton breeding, research and development, having developed a long and successful partnership with the CSIRO Cotton Breeding Program. CSD’s objective is to deliver elite varieties that are specifically bred and adapted to suit local growing conditions by delivering yield and quality outcomes to keep the Australian cotton industry at the premium end of the global fibre market. On behalf of the industry, CSD takes an active role in the development and licensing of best in class biotechnology traits that add value to the overall performance of CSD varieties and to Australian growers. CSD also conducts large scale replicated trials focused on new varieties, technologies and techniques to assess performance across diverse environmental conditions; and provides industry wide extension services focused on cotton production and agronomy via the CSD Extension and Development Agronomy team and CottonInfo joint venture, in partnership with CRDC and Cotton Australia. For more, visit the CSD website: www.csd.net.au

CSD 2017 Board of Directors Chair James Kahl Vice-chair Tony Quigley Managing Director Peter Graham Directors Joanne Grainger, Nigel Corish, Juanita Hamparsum, Matt Norrie, Doug Rathbone, Cleave Rogan

CSD Leadership Group Managing Director Peter Graham Executive Assistant & Administration Lead Fiona Campbell

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Chief Financial Officer David Coleman Extension and Marketing Lead James Quinn Quality and Research Lead Brett Ross Operations Lead Bruce Cowan Farm Lead Mark Cathcart Communications Lead Ngaire Roughley

CSD Extension and Development Agronomists Extension and Development Agronomy Team Manager – Queensland Sam Lee Extension and Development Agronomy Team Manager – New South Wales Jorian Millyard Darling Downs, Burnett and Fraser Coast Chris Barry Central Queensland Stewart Brotherton Macintyre Valley, St George and Dirranbandi Chris Teague Queensland Larissa Holland (Junior Agronomist) Gwydir Valley Alice Curkpatrick Namoi Valley Bob Ford Northern New South Wales Angus Marshall (Junior Agronomist) Central New South Wales Craig McDonald Southern NSW Ella Steinfort

CottonInfo Regional Extension Officers Darling Downs Annabel Twine Border Rivers, Dirranbandi and St George Andrew McKay Gwydir and Mungindi Janelle Montgomery Namoi Elsie Hudson

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Macquarie and Bourke Amanda Thomas Southern NSW Kieran O’Keeffe

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as providing networking opportunities. CCA represents the crop consulting sector at relevant industry forums and works in partnership with other industry organisations to address key issues. CCA publishes an informative fortnightly e-newsletter, organizes professional development events such as the popular two-day Cropping Solutions Seminar as well as coordinating nationally significant industry projects. Each year CCA collects data on product use within the cotton industry with these data packages available to purchase.

Address Head office ‘Shenstone’ 2952 Culgoora Road Wee Waa NSW 2388 PO Box 117, Wee Waa NSW 2388 Phone: 02 6795 0000 Fax: 02 6795 4966 Dalby office Corner Edward and Napier Streets PO Box 756 Dalby QLD 4405 Phone: 07 4662 6050 Fax: 07 4662 6060 www.csd.net.au www.facebook.com/ CottonSeedDistributors www.twitter.com/csd_cotton

For further information contact Crop Consultants Australia Incorporated PO Box 349, Woombye QLD 4559 Mob: 0429 925 459 E: info@cropconsultants.com.au www.cropconsultants.com.au

Wincott – Women in Cotton Crop Consultants Industry Network Australia Wincott – Women in Cotton – was Crop Consultants Australia (CCA) is the professional network for agronomists and those with an interest in agronomy. Members are based predominantly across the cotton, grain, pulse and oilseed producing regions of Queensland and New South Wales. CCA assists both those that are building an agronomy career and those that already have extensive experience. The Association provides avenues for members to stay up to date with industry information, news and research as well

established in December 2000 with the objective of supporting rural women across the Australian cotton industry, through facilitating opportunities to connect with other rural women and develop both personal and professional knowledge and skills. Wincott is driven by a group of dedicated volunteers, geographically spread across the cotton industry, who are passionate about their industry and supporting rural women.

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Key activities and programs that Wincott members have identified as being important for the next year: • Personal and professional development; • Health and wellbeing; • Motivation and inspiration; • Business and finance; and, • Industry knowledge.

President Gail Spargo Vice President Sara Pixley Secretary Anna Power Treasurer Charm Arnott Communication Officer Sharna Holman Regional Representatives Central Queensland: Alex Galea Dawson/Theodore: Jess French Toowoomba: Sharna Holman Macintyre: Becc Hertslet, Alisha Reading, Chantal Corish Brisbane: Emily Wilkins, Maaike Brouwer, Meg Strahle, Patricia Doobay Gwydir/Namoi: Kate Lumbar, Brooke Cutlet Macquarie: Alex Dalton, Sue McCutcheon Lachlan: Katherine Munn Murrumbidgee: Liz Munn, Sara Pixley, Kylie Edwards, Gabby Napier Contact E: wincott@mail.tidyhq.com

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REGIONAL COTTON GROWER ASSOCIATIONS Darling River Food & Fibre (Bourke)

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Chair Ian Cole Ph: 02 6872 2833 Mob: 0429 722 857 E: irc@darlingfarms.com.au Vice Chair Tony Thompson Ph: 02 6872 1999 Mob: 0419 462 117 E: afterhrs@bigpond.com

Secretary Bronwyn Christensen Mob: 0488 931 691, E: bronwync@cotton.org.au Treasurer Travis Anderson Mob: 04188078997 E: Anderson.travis@rocketmail.com

Darling Downs Cotton Growers Inc.

Dirranbandi Cotton Growers’ Association

President Georgie Krieg Mob: 0429 939 244 E: president@ddcgi.com.au Vice-President James Trail Mob: 0417 143 792 E: james.traill@onetreeag.com.au Secretary Darcie Sutton E: secretary@ddcgi.com.au Treasurer Derryck Mickelborough Mob: 0433 887 533 E: derryckm@gleneskfarming.com.au Address PO Box 114 Dalby Qld 4405 www.ddcgi.com.au

Address PO Box 332 Dirranbandi Qld 4486 President Scott Balsillie E: sbalsillie@eaagri.com.au Mob: 0458 567 678 Vice President Billy Carson E: billy.carson@bigpond.com Mob: 0438 258 654 Secretary Edwina Graham E: simon.eddie@bigpond.com Mob: 0437 258 000 Treasurer Kathy Burrell E: burrelltrafcot@bigpond.com Mob: 0746 258 641

Dawson Valley Cotton Growers’ Association

Central Highlands Cotton Growers’ and Irrigators’ Association

Address PO Box 18 Theodore, Qld. 4719 President Simon Green Mob: 0429 063 100 E: sgreen_badminton@activ8.net.au 208 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

President Aaron Kiely Mob: 0411 702 236 E: ackiely@bigpond.net.au

Vice President Cameron Geddes Mob: 0400 009 190 E: cam.geddes@bigpond.com Secretary Alexandria Galea Mob: 0439 191 095 E: AlexandriaGalea@cgs.com.au Treasurer Danni Ingram Mob: 0427 834 655 E: danni_stanton@hotmail.com Address PO Box 33 Emerald Qld 4720

Gwydir Valley Cotton Growers’ Association Chair Mick Humphries Mob: 0427 527 890 E: mick.humphries@hotmail.com Vice Chair Murray Connor Mob: 0407 663 721 E: mconnor@aff-limited.com.au Secretary Lou Gall Mob: 0427 521 498 E: secretary@gwydircotton.com.au Treasurer Zara Lowien Mob: 0427 521 399 Ph: 02 6752 1399, Fax: 02 6752 1499 E: gwydircotton@gwydircotton.com.au Address PO Box 824 Moree NSW 2400

Lower Namoi Cotton Growers’ Association Chairman Rob Eveleigh Mob: 0427 915 921 E: roberte2390@gmail.com

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Secretary Adam Coleman Mob: 0447 838 882 E: a.coleman@auscott.com.au Treasurer Mandy Gilmour Mob: 0408 411 649 E: arnfarm1@bigpond.com Cotton Australia Alec Macintosh Mob: 0428 618 004 E: alecm@cotton.org.au All correspondence to: PO Box 388, Wee Waa NSW 2388 E: arnfarm1@bigpond.com

Macintyre Valley Cotton Growers’ Association Chairman Brett Corish Mob:0427 743 846 E: bjcorish@corishfarms.com.au Vice Chairs Tom Arnott Mob: 0428 409 177 E: Tom@fairfieldfc.net.au

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Brendan Griffiths Mob: 0427 715 990 E: griff@griffithsagriculture.com

Treasurer Nigel Corish Mob: 409 904 500 E:ncorish@newleafag.com.au Executive officer Hollie Gall Mob: 0438 381 192 E: Hollie.gall@olamnet.com

Macquarie Cotton Growers’ Association President Sinclair Steele Mob: 0437 837 380 E: sinclairsteele8@gmail.com Vice President Amanda Thomas Mob: 0417 226 411 E: amanda.thomas@cottoninfo.net.au Secretary Sophie O’Brien PO Box 130, Warren, NSW 2824 Mob: 0403 833 881 E: admin@mcga.org.au

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Menindee and Lower Darling Cotton Growers’ Association The MLDCGA was formed in 1998 by employees of Tandou Ltd to improve the flow of information and Cotton Australia’s services and resources to our isolated location.

Office PO Box 207 Menindee NSW 2879 Secretary/Treasurer Sammy-Jo Field Mob: 0427 256 501 E: sammyjo2880@hotmail.com

Short term, skilled labour available now The LABOUR PLACEMENT division of The-Gate is essentially a service introducing Australian farmers needing short-term skilled labour, to keen and experienced young workers with farming backgrounds. The-Gate offers a pool of skilled international farm workers with picker and other large machinery experience.

So to get the ball rolling on solving your short-term labour needs, go to www.the-gate.com.au and register (for free) on The-Gate’s database or contact Catherine on 0408 717 459

www.the-gate.com.au

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Mungindi Cotton Growers’ and Water Users’ Association Address PO Box 68, Mungindi 2406 President Tristram Hertslet Mob: 0428 771 078 E: cotton@reardonfarms.com.au Vice President Sam Heagney Mob: 0437 470 841 E: sheagney@southbunarba.com.au Secretary Nellie Lawson Mob: 0458 766 197 E: jlawson@elders.com.au Treasurer Rebecca Longworth Mob: 0427 151 018 E: rlongworth@southbunarba.com.au

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Mob: 0475 831 093 E: john.durham@southerncotton.com.au

Vice President Paul Cleton Mob: 0428 361 858 E: pcleton@riverviewfarming.com.au Secretary Eliza Star Mob: 0436 008 200 E: eliza.star@olamnet.com Treasurer Helette Ferreira Mob: 0457 573 113 E: svcgat@gmail.com

St George Cotton Growers’ Southern Valleys’ Association Address Cotton Growers PO Box 424 Association St George 4487 Address PO Box 41 Whitton, NSW 2705 President John Durham

President Drew Knights Ph: 0427 265 553 E: big_dingo@hotmail.com

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Vice President Geoffrey Todd Ph: 0409 577 892 E: gjtodd@gmail.com Secretary Wendy Armstrong Ph: 07 4625 3756 E:secretary@sgecga.com Treasurer Tom Crothers Ph: 0428 089 681 E: tom.crothers@nufarm.com

Upper Namoi Cotton Growers’ Association Address PO Box 855 Gunnedah 2380 President Nick Beer Mob: 0429 868 920 E: nickbeer11@hotmail.com Vice President Scott McCalman Mob:0428 474 819 E: jedburghfarming@gmail.com Secretary/Treasurers Julie Glover Mob: 0427 426 393 E: Weetaliba@bigpond.com Scott Davies Mob: 0427 445 282 E: scott@carrollcotton.com.au

Walgett Cotton Growers’ Association

50% off for Aussie Growers

thanks to the generous support of our sponsors:

www.cottoncompass.com.au 210 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

President Jack Harris Mob: 0428 657 436 E: jack@pjhsons.com Vice President Bernie Bierhoff Mob: 0427 293 069 E: berniebierhoff@bigpond.com.au Secretary Lori Nemec c/- ‘Carlton’ Walgett NSW 2832 Mob: 0427 693 796 E: lanemec@yahoo.com

S E C T I O N

1 6

SUPPLIERS’ DIRECTORY AG CHEM AND FERTILISER

IRRIGATION

Adama – www.adama.com AgBitech – https://www.agbitech.com/ AgNova – http://www.agnova.com.au/ Agsafe – www.agsafe.org.au B&W Rural/Elders – www.bwrural.com Bayer – https://www.bayer.com.au/ BioAg – https://www.bioag.com.au/ Cotton Grower Services – www.cgs.com.au eChem Australia – www.echem.com.au FluroSat – https://www.flurosat.com/ FMC – www.fmcaustralasia.com.au Growth Ag – www.growthag.com.au Incitec Pivot Fertilisers – www.incitecpivotfertilisers.com.au Landmark – https://www.landmark.com.au/ Mapleton Agri Biotec – http://mabiotec.com/ NuFarm – www.nufarm.com/AU/Home Organic Crop Protectants – https://ocp.com.au/ Orica – http://www.orica.com/ Sero-X – www.innovate-ag.com.au/sero-x Sipcam – www.sipcam.com.au Stoller – http://stoller.com.au/ Sumitomo – www.sumitomo-chem.com.au Tessenderlo Kerley International – http://www.cropvitality. com/ UPL – www.uplonline.com/uplaustralia Yara Australia – www.yara.com.au

Aqua West – www.aquawest.com.au BnB Engineering – www.bnbeng.com.au Cotton Equipment – www.cottonequipment.com.au Environdata – www.environdata.com.au Filtermax – www.filtermax.com.au Irrigation Australia – https://www.irrigationaustralia.com.au/ Irritek – www.irritek.com.au Leverlink – www.leverlink.com.au Lindsay Irrigation – www.lindsay.com/irrigation Padman Stops – www.padmanstops.com.au Paterson Pumps – http://www.patersonpumps.com/ Power Equipment – www.powerequipment.com.au Rodney Industries – www.rodneyind.com.au SMK Consultants Pty Ltd – www.smk.com.au Smart Syphon ISLEX – https://islex.com.au/smart-syphon/ Solar Pumping Solutions – https://www.solarpumping.com. au/ Valmont Irrigation – www.valleyirrigation.com Volvo Penta – https://www.volvopenta.com/ Warrego Water Services – https://warregowater.com.au/ Wildeye Farm and Irrigation Monitoring – http://www.mywildeye.com/

CONSULTING Australian Classing Services – http://www.ausclass.com.au/ Crop Consultants Australia – https://cropconsultants.com.au/ INTL FCStone – https://www.intlfcstone.com/ McGregor Gourlay Agricultural Services – www.mcgregorgourlay.com.au Raw Cotton Australia – http://www.rawcotton.com.au/

EDUCATION AND TRAINING American Cotton Shippers Association – http://www.acsa-cotton.org Countryco Training – www.countryco.com.au Ergon Energy – www.ergon.com.au Essential Energy – www.essentialenergy.com.au Labour Solutions – www.laboursolutions.com.au UNE Cotton Production Course – griff@griffithsagriculture. com

GINNING Cherokee Ginning Solutions – https://cherokeefab.com/ Lummus – http://www.lummus.com/ Namoi Cotton – www.namoicotton.com.au North West Ginning – manager@nwgin.com.au Queensland Cotton – www.olamgroup.com

INSURANCE AND SUPERANNUATION AgriRisk Services – www.agririsk.com.au AustSafe Super – https://www.austsafe.com.au/

MACHINERY AGCO – https://www.agcocorp.com/ Atlas Copco – https://www.atlascopco.com/en-au BMC Partnership – www.bmcpartnership.com.au C and C Machining and Engineering – www.candcmachining.com Case IH – www.caseih.com/anz/en-au/home Chesterfield – www.chesterfieldaustralia.com.au Countrywide Industries – http://www.countrywideindustries.com.au/ Croplands – www.croplands.com.au Goldacres – www.goldacres.com.au Hardi – http://www.hardi.com.au K-Line Industries – www.k-line.net.au New Holland – www.newholland.com OneCrop – https://onecrop.com/ Serafin Machinery – www.serafinmachinery.com.au Simplicity Australia – www.simplicityaus.com.au Tilco – https://www.tilco.com.au/ Vanderfield – www.vanderfield.com.au Vomax – www.vomax.com.au Westfield Augers – www.westfieldaugers.com.au

MARKETING Indigo Agriculture – www.indigoag.com/en-au Louis Dreyfus Company – www.ldcom.com/au/en OmniCotton – www.omnicotton.com Proclass – www.proclass.com.au Reinhart Australia Pty Limited – www.reinhart.com

PACKAGING AND STORAGE Entegra – https://www.entegra.com.au/ Samuel Strapping – www.samuelstrapping.com Signode – www.signode.com.au Tama Bale Wrapping – https://www.tama-australia.com.au/

COTTON YEARBOOK 2019 — 211

•

S U P P L I E R S ’

D I R E C T O R Y

•

PETROLEUM AND OILS

SEED SUPPLIES

Alemlube – http://www.alemlube.com.au IOR Petroleum – www.ior.com.au Lowes Petroleum – www.lowespetrol.com.au Valvoline – https://www.valvoline.com/en-australia

Cotton Seed Distributors – www.csd.net.au

PRECISION AG AgAerial Images – https://www.agaerialimages.com.au/ Agleader – http://www.agleader.com/ CBRE – https://www.cbre.com.au/ Farmers Edge – https://www.farmersedge.ca/ Precision Cropping Technologies – https://pct-ag.com/ Precision Seeding Solutions – https://pssag.com/ Spot On Ag – https://spotonag.com.au/ Trimble – www.trimble.com

REAL ESTATE Moree Real Estate – www.moreerealestate.com.au Opteon Property – www.opg.net Ray White Rural – www.raywhiteruralmoree.com.au

SOIL MONITORING Goanna Telemetry – http://www.goannatelemetry.com.au/ Sentek – www.sentek.com.au

STILLAGE Agri Parts Direct – https://www.agripartsdirect.com.au/ Boss Engineering – www.bosseng.com.au Excel Agriculture – www.excelagr.com.au Gessner Industries – www.gessner.com.au Serafin Machinery – www.serafinmachinery.com.au Tillage Traders Queensland – www.ttq.net.au

TYRES Big Tyre – www.bigtyre.com.au Titan Australia – https://titanaust.com.au/

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX ACSA......................................................... 115 Adama................................................ 4, 7, IBC AgBiTech Pty Ltd..................................... 54-55 AGCO Australia..........................................OBC AgLeader ��123, 135 AGnVET Services �� 29, 31 AgriRisk Services Pty Limited......................... 17 Agsafe....................................................... 117 Aquatech Consulting ��129, 131 Bayer �� 95, 97 Barcoo ��82, 118, 159, 176 B&W Rural/Elders......................................... 25 Boss Engineering.......................................... 11 C and C Machining and Engineering............. 33 Charlton’s Fishing................................. 60, 207 Cherokee Complete Ginning Services �� 13 Corteva agriscience ��145, 147 Cotton Compass................................... 52, 210 Cotton Grower Services (CGS)...................... IFC Cotton Outlook.......................................... 100 Cotton Seed Distributors Limited (CSD)... 49, 59 Countryco Training.......................................... 8 Dinner Plain............................................... 126 eChem (Australia) Pty Ltd........................... 137 Entegra.......................................................... 1 Essential Energy........................................... 63 Excel and Gyral...................................201, 203 Goldacres..................................................... 75 Growth Ag............................................. 15, 61 Incitec Pivot Fertilisers.........................153, 157 Indigo Agriculture.................169, 170-171, 173 Irritek........................................................... 91 212 — COTTON YEARBOOK 2019

Louis Dreyfus Company................................. 57 Lowes Petroleum.................................125, 127 Lummus Australia Pty Ltd.....................179, 181 McGregor Gourlay........................................ 23 Moree Real Estate........................................ 47 Namoi Cotton............................................ 183 North West Ginning...................................... 99 OmniCotton............................................... 193 Opteon Property........................................... 52 Orica............................................................ 21 Padman Stops.....................................103, 105 Queensland Cotton..................................... 185 Raw Cotton �� 119 Reinhart Australia Pty Limited..................... 196 Rodney Industries/BnB Engineering............... 83 Samuel Packaging........................................ 77 Sentek......................................................... 67 Signode.......................................................... 2 SMK Consultants Pty Ltd............................... 73 Southern Cotton......................................... 141 Study Tours �� 66, 197 Sumitomo...........................................113, 117 The Gate �� 78, 209 UNE CRDC Cotton Production Course......... 114 UPL............................................................ 192 Valmont Irrigation........................................ 81 Vanderfield �� 149 Volvo Penta.................................................. 87 Warrego Water Services................................ 85 Westfield Augers (Australia) Pty Ltd............... 14 Yara Australia................................................. 9

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Cotton Yearbook 2019

Articles inside

Up-to-date marketing information including Processing, Marketing, Merchants and Classing Organisations

BCI’ s membership grows

Austr alian brands switch on to better cotton

Converting low-grade cotton into gel with variable use qualities

CRDC list of current projects

A new crop of chinos at M.J. Bale

CottonInfo and Meet Our Team

Better dryland cotton yields with phosphorus

Burr breakthrough: Insights into Noogoora

Using drone technology to release beneficials in cotton

Help prevent spray drift with new crop mapping technology

myBMP underpins Australia’s cotton sustainability credentials

New Texas variety can be used for food and fibre

Seeing green on green: A new way to look at weed control

Local group takes creative approach to spray drift

Diversity extends herbicide ‘life’ in triple-stacked cotton

Cotton Landcare Tech-Innovations 2021

Australian Rural Leadership program

Nuffield scholars announced

Education plays a key role

Delungra growers taking cotton to new heights

The UNE/CRDC cotton course update and future plans

Microwaves: More bing for your weed control buck?

Cotton a profitable option on Maryborough cane farm

A year full of challenges

Noble gases and clever science equals better grasp on

Big year for Women in Cotton

Cotton production footprint getting bigger

Megadrought caused mega biodiversity loss

First cotton plants sprout on the Moon

Predicted climate change impacts

A smorgasbord of travel