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A year full of challenges
SECTION 1 A year full of challenges
OVERVIEW This section brought to By Adam Kay – CEO, Cotton Australia you in association with
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The 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. Adam Kay – CEO, Cotton Australia. 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 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 O CHEMICAL ACCREDITATION CHEMICAL ACCREDITATION ne day new and half day refresher course high level. In the face of a heated national debate, our communications team worked hard to meet O CH ne day new and half day refresher c EMICAL ACCREDITATION ourse PLUS with key political and media stakeholders and Goondiwindi 19/11 • Moree 20/11 • Narrabri/Wee Waa 21/11 • One day new and refresher course proactively defended our industry and shared • Mungindi 21/11 • Gunnedah 2/12 • Tamworth 3/12 • our story across digital platforms and the media. • Hillston 26/11 • Parkes/Forbes 25/11 • Warren 22/11 • While the debate was robust, our industry’s • Narromine/Trangie 22/11 • Dalby 18/11 • voice was prominently heard at a national level, • St George/Dirranbandi 21/11 • Toowoomba 13/12 • Kingaroy 7/11 • and our team will continue to publicly advocate for our growers where appropriate.
If dates/location do not suit please advise of your requirements to enable future planning. Courses can be arranged elsewhere if required. Accreditation valid for five years • Please call or check web site for information on courses and schedules for 2020 Client feedback: If dates/location do not suit please advise of your requirements to enable future planning. Courses can be arranged elsewhere if required. Accreditation valid for five years • Please call or check web site for If dates/location do not suit please advise of your requirements to enable future planning. Courses can be arranged elsewhere if required. Accreditation valid for five years • Please call or check web site for information on courses and schedules for 2020 SUPERVISION SKILLS COURSE 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 SUPERVISION SKILLS COURSE Formal management training for managers, supervisors, leading hands or foreman Courses held as required • In-house courses can be arranged The drift section was very engaging & interesting. Geoff made the course very enjoyable & thorough – N Dodd. Great presentation. Good demonstrations. Clear explanations with good examples gained by experience – R Cooper. Trainer proved to be very well informed in this subject. Great to listen to – G Peters. Clear, easy to understand. Good material. Great examples. Good props. information on courses and schedules SUPERVISION SKILLS COURSE Formal management training for managers, supervisors, leading hands or foreman Formal management training for managers, supervisors, leading hands or foreman Courses held as required • In-house courses can be arranged 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 1800 626 281 Great presenting – S Rowland. Courses held as required • In-house courses can be arranged 1800 626 281 WWW.COUNTRYCO.COM.AU ountryco particular highlights of the year. The events were held in Griffith, New South Wales and showcased the strength of our industry as ountryco WWW.COUNTRYCO.COM.AU 1800 626 281 GEOFF PATON Countryco Training Pty Ltd a leader in best practice, innovation, and ountryco GEOFF PATON Countryco Training Pty Ltd countrycotrain.audit@bigpond.com WWW.COUNTRYCO.COM.AU GEOFF PATON Countryco Training Pty Ltd countrycotrain.audit@bigpond.com countrycotrain.audit@bigpond.com 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.
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.
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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The 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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Troy Cosh (IPF) and Kieran O’Keeffe.
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.
TOM AND CHARM ARNOTT – BAYER COTTON GROWER OF THE YEAR 2019
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.
“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.
The results speak for themselves with their cotton harvest averaging an estimated yield of 12.7 bales per hectare.
