Delungra growers taking cotton to new heights

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As 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

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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Each service is described here and can be subscribed to separately... Cotlook Daily to separately... Cotlook Daily • Cotton news updated through the day • Three daily summaries one each from Beijing, Liverpool and Memphis Cottonquotes • Representative CFR Far Eastern quotations for a wide range of cottons • The Daily A Index and its constituent prices Cotton Outlook Weekly news • Electronic format • FREE Special Features to separately... Cotlook Daily • Cotton news updated through the day • Three daily summaries one each from Beijing, Liverpool and Memphis Cottonquotes • Representative CFR Far Eastern quotations for a wide range of cottons • The Daily A Index and its constituent prices Cotton Outlook Weekly news • Electronic format • FREE Special Features Cotlook Daily • Cotton news updated through the day • Three daily summaries one each from Beijing, Liverpool and Memphis Cottonquotes • Representative CFR Far Eastern quotations for a wide range of cottons • The Daily A Index and its constituent prices Cotton Outlook Weekly news • Electronic format • FREE Special Features • FREE Annual Special Edition • Cotton news updated through the day • Three daily summaries one each from Beijing, Liverpool and Memphis Cottonquotes • Representative CFR Far Eastern quotations for a wide range of cottons • The Daily A Index and its constituent prices Cotton Outlook Weekly news • Electronic format • FREE Special Features • FREE Annual Special Edition Vol. 96. No. 47. November 22, 2018 WEEK IN BRIEF Cotton Outlook DOCKET: 2945 CLIENT: COTTON COUNCIL AGENCY: SPLINTER DESIGNER: JD PUBLICATION: COTTON OUTLOOK DATE: SEPTEMBER 2018 TRIM: 210 X 297 MM BLEED: +3 MM CCI and CI are equal opportunity employers and providers. 2018 EXPORTER SPONSORS Hosted by the U.S. cotton fiber industry, Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Sourcing USA Summit 1521 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington, DC 20036 USA Tel: (202) 745-7805 sourcingusasummit.com sourcingusa@cotton.org INNOVATION QUALITY SUSTAINABILITY The U.S. Cotton Industry, Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated extend a special thanks to our Sourcing USA Summit sponsors. Learn more at cottonusa.org. 2018 ALLIED INDUSTRY SPONSORS TransGlobal Inspections Bayer Crop Science BASF CoBank Wakefield Inspections ON Global Cotton Inc. Murata Machinery, Ltd. Signode Rieter Machine Works Ltd. Cotton Outlook ICE Futures U.S. Applied DNA Sciences Life Materials Technologies Limited Cargo Control INTL FCStone Oritain Global Upland offering rates have ended modestly higher on the week; consecutive lower settlements in New York were more than offset by a sharp advance late in the period. Weekly turnover has decreased. Open interest has declined to its lowest for twelve months. The 10 th biennial Sourcing USA Summit was held in Scottsdale, Arizona last week… US Pima and Egyptian long staple values have tended lower… Prices on China’s ZCE futures have moved downward across the board. Spot values are also lower… Egypt has initiated a pilot project aimed at compliance with Better Cotton Initiative standards… Cotlook’s November assessment of global production and consumption appears on pages 7/9. In the United States, field work was interrupted by more unsettled weather over most of the growing belt last week, but skies have since cleared. Roughly half of the crop has been harvested in Texas, which is a lower proportion than last year. Cool temperatures have ruled in the Delta, where little cotton remains unpicked. In the Southeast, late-season rains may affect open cotton… Perhaps 30 percent of the crop remains to be picked in Tukey’s Urfa region. Poor weather of late has led to a lowering of crop forecasts… In India, the Cotton Advisory Board met for the first time in the 2018/19 season on November 22. Details of the meeting’s outcome are awaited. Daily arrivals have continued to increase… By mid-November, cumulative arrivals in Pakistan were over seven percent below the same point last season. The major deficit is in Punjab… Ginning in China’s important Xinjiang region is lagging behind last year. Several areas continue to report lower than anticipated yields. Long staple output may not meet expectations… Sowing has continued in Argentina, amid expectations of a strong increase in cotton area. The pattern of mill demand has remained sluggish and most spinners have adhered to gap-filling purchases of cotton available nearby. Mills in Bangladesh have concentrated on modest lots of African Franc Zone cotton. Spinners in Turkey have purchased some US and Brazilian, discounted for grade. Mills in Pakistan have shown interest in US new crop, among other origins… About seven percent of Egyptian export commitments have been shipped… Indian cotton exports during September were higher than the corresponding month in 2017. The main destination was Bangladesh… Indonesia’s raw cotton imports during August were ahead of the same month in the previous season. The main source was the United States… In Brazil, 14,000 tonnes of 2020 crop cotton were this week registered for export. Sentiment in the cotton yarn market has remained somewhat bearish. In Pakistan, supply is ample and profit margins are narrow… China was again the main destination for Indian cotton yarn exports during September… Unsold yarn stocks are accumulating at mills in Vietnam… Speakers at the Destination Africa conference, held in Cairo, noted the potential for growth in African textiles and apparel exports. Cotton Outlook S p e c i a l F e a t u r e June 2018 Vol. 96. No. 47. November 22, 2018 WEEK IN BRIEF Cotton Outlook DOCKET: 2945 CLIENT: COTTON COUNCIL AGENCY: SPLINTER DESIGNER: JD PUBLICATION: COTTON OUTLOOK DATE: SEPTEMBER 2018 TRIM: 210 X 297 MM BLEED: +3 MM CCI and CI are equal opportunity employers and providers. 2018 EXPORTER SPONSORS Hosted by the U.S. cotton fiber industry, Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Sourcing USA Summit 1521 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington, DC 20036 USA Tel: (202) 745-7805 sourcingusasummit.com sourcingusa@cotton.org INNOVATION QUALITY SUSTAINABILITY The U.S. Cotton Industry, Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated extend a special thanks to our Sourcing USA Summit sponsors. Learn more at cottonusa.org. 2018 ALLIED INDUSTRY SPONSORS TransGlobal Inspections Bayer Crop Science BASF CoBank Wakefield Inspections ON Global Cotton Inc. Murata Machinery, Ltd. Signode Rieter Machine Works Ltd. Cotton Outlook ICE Futures U.S. Applied DNA Sciences Life Materials Technologies Limited Cargo Control INTL FCStone Oritain Global Upland offering rates have ended modestly higher on the week; consecutive lower settlements in New York were more than offset by a sharp advance late in the period. Weekly turnover has decreased. Open interest has declined to its lowest for twelve months. The 10 th biennial Sourcing USA Summit was held in Scottsdale, Arizona last week… US Pima and Egyptian long staple values have tended lower… Prices on China’s ZCE futures have moved downward across the board. Spot values are also lower… Egypt has initiated a pilot project aimed at compliance with Better Cotton Initiative standards… Cotlook’s November assessment of global production and consumption appears on pages 7/9. In the United States, field work was interrupted by more unsettled weather over most of the growing belt last week, but skies have since cleared. Roughly half of the crop has been harvested in Texas, which is a lower proportion than last year. Cool temperatures have ruled in the Delta, where little cotton remains unpicked. In the Southeast, late-season rains may affect open cotton… Perhaps 30 percent of the crop remains to be picked in Tukey’s Urfa region. Poor weather of late has led to a lowering of crop forecasts… In India, the Cotton Advisory Board met for the first time in the 2018/19 season on November 22. Details of the meeting’s outcome are awaited. Daily arrivals have continued to increase… By mid-November, cumulative arrivals in Pakistan were over seven percent below the same point last season. The major deficit is in Punjab… Ginning in China’s important Xinjiang region is lagging behind last year. Several areas continue to report lower than anticipated yields. Long staple output may not meet expectations… Sowing has continued in Argentina, amid expectations of a strong increase in cotton area. The pattern of mill demand has remained sluggish and most spinners have adhered to gap-filling purchases of cotton available nearby. Mills in Bangladesh have concentrated on modest lots of African Franc Zone cotton. Spinners in Turkey have purchased some US and Brazilian, discounted for grade. Mills in Pakistan have shown interest in US new crop, among other origins… About seven percent of Egyptian export commitments have been shipped… Indian cotton exports during September were higher than the corresponding month in 2017. The main destination was Bangladesh… Indonesia’s raw cotton imports during August were ahead of the same month in the previous season. The main source was the United States… In Brazil, 14,000 tonnes of 2020 crop cotton were this week registered for export. Sentiment in the cotton yarn market has remained somewhat bearish. In Pakistan, supply is ample and profit margins are narrow… China was again the main destination for Indian cotton yarn exports during September… Unsold yarn stocks are accumulating at mills in Vietnam… Speakers at the Destination Africa conference, held in Cairo, noted the potential for growth in African textiles and apparel exports. Cotton Outlook S p e c i a l F e a t u r e June 2018 Vol. 96. No. 47. November 22, 2018 WEEK IN BRIEF Cotton Outlook DOCKET: 2945 CLIENT: COTTON COUNCIL AGENCY: SPLINTER DESIGNER: JD PUBLICATION: COTTON OUTLOOK DATE: SEPTEMBER 2018 TRIM: 210 X 297 MM BLEED: +3 MM CCI and CI are equal opportunity employers and providers. 2018 EXPORTER SPONSORS Hosted by the U.S. cotton fiber industry, Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Sourcing USA Summit 1521 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington, DC 20036 USA Tel: (202) 745-7805 sourcingusasummit.com sourcingusa@cotton.org INNOVATION QUALITY SUSTAINABILITY The U.S. Cotton Industry, Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated extend a special thanks to our Sourcing USA Summit sponsors. Learn more at cottonusa.org. 2018 ALLIED INDUSTRY SPONSORS TransGlobal Inspections Bayer Crop Science BASF CoBank Wakefield Inspections ON Global Cotton Inc. Murata Machinery, Ltd. Signode Rieter Machine Works Ltd. Cotton Outlook ICE Futures U.S. Applied DNA Sciences Life Materials Technologies Limited Cargo Control INTL FCStone Oritain Global Upland offering rates have ended modestly higher on the week; consecutive lower settlements in New York were more than offset by a sharp advance late in the period. Weekly turnover has decreased. Open interest has declined to its lowest for twelve months. The 10 th biennial Sourcing USA Summit was held in Scottsdale, Arizona last week… US Pima and Egyptian long staple values have tended lower… Prices on China’s ZCE futures have moved downward across the board. Spot values are also lower… Egypt has initiated a pilot project aimed at compliance with Better Cotton Initiative standards… Cotlook’s November assessment of global production and consumption appears on pages 7/9. In the United States, field work was interrupted by more unsettled weather over most of the growing belt last week, but skies have since cleared. Roughly half of the crop has been harvested in Texas, which is a lower proportion than last year. Cool temperatures have ruled in the Delta, where little cotton remains unpicked. In the Southeast, late-season rains may affect open cotton… Perhaps 30 percent of the crop remains to be picked in Tukey’s Urfa region. Poor weather of late has led to a lowering of crop forecasts… In India, the Cotton Advisory Board met for the first time in the 2018/19 season on November 22. Details of the meeting’s outcome are awaited. Daily arrivals have continued to increase… By mid-November, cumulative arrivals in Pakistan were over seven percent below the same point last season. The major deficit is in Punjab… Ginning in China’s important Xinjiang region is lagging behind last year. Several areas continue to report lower than anticipated yields. Long staple output may not meet expectations… Sowing has continued in Argentina, amid expectations of a strong increase in cotton area. The pattern of mill demand has remained sluggish and most spinners have adhered to gap-filling purchases of cotton available nearby. Mills in Bangladesh have concentrated on modest lots of African Franc Zone cotton. Spinners in Turkey have purchased some US and Brazilian, discounted for grade. Mills in Pakistan have shown interest in US new crop, among other origins… About seven percent of Egyptian export commitments have been shipped… Indian cotton exports during September were higher than the corresponding month in 2017. The main destination was Bangladesh… Indonesia’s raw cotton imports during August were ahead of the same month in the previous season. The main source was the United States… In Brazil, 14,000 tonnes of 2020 crop cotton were this week registered for export. Sentiment in the cotton yarn market has remained somewhat bearish. In Pakistan, supply is ample and profit margins are narrow… China was again the main destination for Indian cotton yarn exports during September… Unsold yarn stocks are accumulating at mills in Vietnam… Speakers at the Destination Africa conference, held in Cairo, noted the potential for growth in African textiles and apparel exports. Cotton Outlook S p e c i a l F e a t u r e June 2018 Vol. 96. No. 47. November 22, 2018 WEEK IN BRIEF Cotton Outlook DOCKET: 2945 CLIENT: COTTON COUNCIL AGENCY: SPLINTER DESIGNER: JD PUBLICATION: COTTON OUTLOOK DATE: SEPTEMBER 2018 TRIM: 210 X 297 MM BLEED: +3 MM CCI and CI are equal opportunity employers and providers. 2018 EXPORTER SPONSORS Hosted by the U.S. cotton fiber industry, Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Sourcing USA Summit 1521 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington, DC 20036 USA Tel: (202) 745-7805 sourcingusasummit.com sourcingusa@cotton.org INNOVATION QUALITY SUSTAINABILITY The U.S. Cotton Industry, Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated extend a special thanks to our Sourcing USA Summit sponsors. Learn more at cottonusa.org. 2018 ALLIED INDUSTRY SPONSORS TransGlobal Inspections Bayer Crop Science BASF CoBank Wakefield Inspections ON Global Cotton Inc. Murata Machinery, Ltd. Signode Rieter Machine Works Ltd. Cotton Outlook ICE Futures U.S. Applied DNA Sciences Life Materials Technologies Limited Cargo Control INTL FCStone Oritain Global Upland offering rates have ended modestly higher on the week; consecutive lower settlements in New York were more than offset by a sharp advance late in the period. Weekly turnover has decreased. Open interest has declined to its lowest for twelve months. The 10 th biennial Sourcing USA Summit was held in Scottsdale, Arizona last week… US Pima and Egyptian long staple values have tended lower… Prices on China’s ZCE futures have moved downward across the board. Spot values are also lower… Egypt has initiated a pilot project aimed at compliance with Better Cotton Initiative standards… Cotlook’s November assessment of global production and consumption appears on pages 7/9. In the United States, field work was interrupted by more unsettled weather over most of the growing belt last week, but skies have since cleared. Roughly half of the crop has been harvested in Texas, which is a lower proportion than last year. Cool temperatures have ruled in the Delta, where little cotton remains unpicked. In the Southeast, late-season rains may affect open cotton… Perhaps 30 percent of the crop remains to be picked in Tukey’s Urfa region. Poor weather of late has led to a lowering of crop forecasts… In India, the Cotton Advisory Board met for the first time in the 2018/19 season on November 22. Details of the meeting’s outcome are awaited. Daily arrivals have continued to increase… By mid-November, cumulative arrivals in Pakistan were over seven percent below the same point last season. The major deficit is in Punjab… Ginning in China’s important Xinjiang region is lagging behind last year. Several areas continue to report lower than anticipated yields. Long staple output may not meet expectations… Sowing has continued in Argentina, amid expectations of a strong increase in cotton area. The pattern of mill demand has remained sluggish and most spinners have adhered to gap-filling purchases of cotton available nearby. Mills in Bangladesh have concentrated on modest lots of African Franc Zone cotton. Spinners in Turkey have purchased some US and Brazilian, discounted for grade. Mills in Pakistan have shown interest in US new crop, among other origins… About seven percent of Egyptian export commitments have been shipped… Indian cotton exports during September were higher than the corresponding month in 2017. The main destination was Bangladesh… Indonesia’s raw cotton imports during August were ahead of the same month in the previous season. The main source was the United States… In Brazil, 14,000 tonnes of 2020 crop cotton were this week registered for export. Sentiment in the cotton yarn market has remained somewhat bearish. In Pakistan, supply is ample and profit margins are narrow… China was again the main destination for Indian cotton yarn exports during September… Unsold yarn stocks are accumulating at mills in Vietnam… Speakers at the Destination Africa conference, held in Cairo, noted the potential for growth in African textiles and apparel exports. Cotton Outlook S p e c i a l F e a t u r e June 2018

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