Bourke
Craig McDonald

Ginning of the Bourke crop is continuing, with some of the cotton being ginned in other areas, as in previous years. Yields and fibre quality have been excellent following an ideal season. In-crop rainfall was beneficial, with over 300mm recorded from 1st October 2023 to 1st May 2024, compared to the long-term average of 230mm. Temperatures were about average, with 24 days over 40°C and 106 days above 35°C, compared to the longer-term average of 91 days. Day degrees, Base 12 and 15/32, were close to the long-term figures.

The CSD BG3 XtendFlex® trial performed well in both yield and fibre quality. Growers had the opportunity to observe the new varieties in the field during the season. The trial results are available on the CSD website, and CSD plans to conduct more trials in the area next season.

Ground preparation is in good shape, with fallow fields almost ready for the new season. There will be a significant amount of cotton grown in fallows, with weed control remaining a priority due to continued rainfall events.

A reasonable area of cotton is expected to be planted in the coming season, and there is a sense of optimism leading up to planting.

Central Queensland
Kim Stevens

The 2024-25 season has begun in Central Queensland, with growers currently awaiting ginning and classing data from the 2023-24 season while preparing and planting for the new season. The projected planting area in Central Queensland is approximately 30,000 hectares, primarily scheduled for planting during August and September.

Last season’s environmental conditions extended the picking period until the end of July. Despite some quality downgrades due to hot, humid, wet, and overcast conditions from January to March, the ability to grow crops for a longer duration resulted in favourable recovery yields across the region. However, this has also presented challenges for the new season, with winter rainfall, trash load from the previous crop, and a tight turnaround time.

The release of new varieties containing XtendFlex® has gained significant interest from growers in the region. These varieties have been under observation in trial sites across Central Queensland for the past three years. Growers are eager to explore these new options, applying two new herbicide modes of action to manage hard-to-kill weeds in their crops. Additionally, these new varieties offer improved yield potential and enhanced disease resistance packages.

Heading into this season, the Central Highlands have a 30% water allocation and a maximum cap on carry-over water. With Fairbairn Dam at only 35% capacity, some growers are hesitant to plant entire farms immediately, instead waiting and hoping for spring and early summer rainfall. The Callide Dawson region presents a mixed scenario: some growers have little to no water, while those on the Dawson River have a 100% allocation until the end of September, with some carryover into October and November. All are hoping for spring and summer rainfall events to replenish the water systems across Central Queensland.

Darling Downs
Larissa Holland

This season in the Darling Downs has been one of give and take. Ample rain and humidity have contributed to fantastic yields for some, while others have faced widespread boll rot in their fields. At this point in the season, most, if not all, have finished picking. Timing the harvest between rain events posed a significant challenge, with many having to balance getting the crop off before the next round of rain and dealing with deeper wheel tracks than desired.

Ginning has been well underway, and this year’s big winners were dryland growers, who saw widespread excellent results. In double skip-row configurations, yields of over 9 bales per hectare were achieved, while a new Australian dryland record of 12 bales per hectare was set in the 60-inch configuration. Overall, dryland yields averaged between 7 and 10 bales per hectare. Irrigated yields, while lower than hoped due to boll rot, still produced good results, averaging between 8 and 12 bales per hectare. Boll rot, primarily low on the plant, resulted in some yield reductions.

In terms of quality, colour and leaf have been the biggest concerns. Leaf removal prior to picking was challenging, compounded by wet conditions during picking. Reports indicate a mix of high and low micronaire, with length and strength generally meeting base grade.

Looking ahead to the next season, growers are optimistic. With full soil profiles, there is potential for a substantial planting for 2024-25.

Gwydir Valley
Stuart McFadyen

Picking has concluded across the valley in both dryland and irrigated fields. This season, colour grades have been down due to late-season rain on open cotton. However, downgrades have been minimal, with the worst cases resulting in tendered cotton that escaped significant penalties. Irrigated yields in the region mostly range from 11-13 bales per hectare.

The season was marked by extreme heat, with several +40-degree heat waves occurring from late January through February. The hot nights and high humidity of late January had significant impact on yields. Much of the fruit shed occurred after this period, and the subsequent hot days led to many crops cutting out near the end of their flowering season. This was particularly true for fields planted in early to mid-October.

Growers who waited until early November to plant were rewarded with fast-establishing crops that escaped the cooler early-season weather and benefited from more average day degrees accumulated during the flowering period. This strategy is supported by the findings of the CSD Ambassador program, which indicates that the best-performing fields accumulate more day degrees up to the start of flowering, resulting in faster growth. From first flower to cut out, these fields accumulate fewer day degrees during flowering, avoiding the heat wave events that cause stress and fruit loss in earlier planted fields. These fields averaged 13-15 bales per hectare.

The performance of Sicot 619B3XF in CSD variety trials has encouraged many local dryland cotton growers to enrol in the last Bayer XtendFlex® training day in Moree on 5 September. Sicot 619B3XF has outperformed Sicot 748B3XF in every local dryland trial for the past two years, leading to strong early orders for this variety.

Winter rain has been fantastic so far, and winter crops look promising. However, this rain has slowed ground preparations for the next season. The Gwydir Valley is set for another significant cotton season next year, with Copeton Dam currently at 70% capacity and many fallow fields approaching full moisture in good time for spring planting.

Macintyre Region
Colin Lye

Cotton growers in the Macintyre region continue to demonstrate resilience and adaptability, working diligently to ensure successful crops, even when faced with unpredictable weather and water availability.

The skies have been kind recently, with no significant changes in water availability in the public dams since the last report. On-farm, fallow fields are patiently accumulating moisture, while growers work around the clock on their back-to-back fields. Winter crops are well-prepared, with expectations high for a smooth season.

Generally, the valley is on schedule with ground preparation. The gins can see the end of the season approaching, fortunately, sooner than in the past twelve months. Roads are busy with the current crop being transported to end users.

The 2024-25 season is projected to be on par in volume with the past year, despite fewer acres being planted. The Weir River growers will maximise their planting area, while the Border River area is down due to reduced water allocation.

Overall, the Macintyre region cotton farmers are well-prepared for the upcoming season. With favourable weather conditions and diligent preparation, the region is poised for another productive year.

Macquarie Valley
Craig McDonald

The 2023-24 season continues with around 1,000 hectares of cotton still to be picked in the Trangie and Narromine areas. Ginning will continue until the end of October, with many modules still on farms. Despite some weather-related discolouration in the later-picked cotton, yields and fibre quality remain strong. In Warren, over 90% of the cotton has achieved base grade or better for colour, while in Trangie, over 70% has met this standard.

The Macquarie Valley Awards Winter Ball Black Tie Dinner took place on 21 June at the Rhino Lodge in Dubbo, featuring a Casino night theme. The event was a resounding success, with several ‘Casino’ tables in operation and a great turnout to celebrate the achievements within the cotton industry. The awards for yield achievements honoured the successes of the 2022-23 season.

Congratulations to the award winners:

Large Farm Grower of the Year: Whittaker Family – Average 14.9 bales/ha over 727 ha. Agronomist: Dave Klaare, Nutrien Ag Warren.

Small Farm Grower of the Year: Hamblin Family – Average 15.92 bales/ha over 178 ha. Agronomist: Brett Cumberland, Delta Ag Trangie.

Highest Field Yield Award: Mark and Cathy Beach – 17.1 bales/ha.

Jim Beale Service to the Industry Award:  Amanda Thomas.

Young Achiever Award: Richie Quigley.

Well done to the awardees and the organisers of the Black-Tie Winter Ball.

Ongoing wet weather has made ground preparation challenging in back-to-back country, but most fallow fields are now in good condition. Winter crops are looking promising, with extra nitrogen being applied before rainfall events. The upcoming season looks hopeful as Burrendong Dam slowly fills, currently at 68% capacity and rising. The general security allocation is 7%, with full access to carryover for the valley.

Namoi Valley
Natalie Aquilina

Cotton picking for the 2023/24 season has been prolonged, with some areas still awaiting harvest. While recent rain has benefitted winter crops in the valley, it has posed challenges for those still picking cotton. Cotton picked before the rain produced exceptional quality lint with low trash and good colour. However, the quality of crops has declined due to the rainfall in May and June.

Both the Upper and Lower Namoi gins report a substantial amount of cotton yet to be ginned, indicating a busy ginning season extending until the end of September. Irrigated cotton yields across the Namoi Valley have been average for most, with some growers experiencing below-average yields. Dryland crops in the Upper Namoi have performed well, showing average to above-average yields and good quality. In contrast, the Lower Namoi faced challenges. Despite a promising start with late planting, the summer saw rainfall shortages. Some growers, benefiting from January and February storms, reported average yields for dryland cotton, while others saw below-average results.

The delayed picking season will lead to a busy period ahead of planting for the 2024/25 cotton crop. Above-average winter rainfall has postponed field bed preparation for many, which may require additional passes to rectify ahead of planting.

The wet outlook for spring is a double-edged sword: it will help improve water security for the season ahead and set the stage for dryland planting opportunities, but it may also pose planting and winter crop harvest challenges. Disease and weeds may also be more of a challenge, especially as we head into another big season, making variety and trait selection crucial.

In the meantime, some social events are on the horizon. Both the Upper and Lower Namoi CGA groups are organising golf days to be held in mid to late September to help us swing into another boll-cracking season!

 

Northern Queensland
Jodie Pedrana

The early and prolonged wet season, followed by overland flooding, posed numerous challenges during the establishment phase earlier in the year. Despite these difficulties, most cotton crops have rebounded significantly. As the 2024 season draws to a close, cotton crops in Far North Queensland are experiencing a cool and frosty conclusion. Notably, Palmerville in Cape York recorded a minimum temperature of 0.5 degrees, its coldest since 1913, and the coldest July day in the town since 1899.

The cooler than average overnight temperatures this winter in the tropics have made this year’s defoliation process longer than usual. However, I am pleased to report that the cotton harvest in the Tablelands began in July, and by the end of August, we anticipate most of the cotton will be picked in the Tablelands, Bowen, Flinders, and Leichhardt regions.

 

NT & WA
Angus Marshall

Northern Territory

Picking is nearly complete in the Northern Territory, with the last few farms fast approaching the finish line. The season has concluded smoothly, with minimal issues during the defoliation process. Estimated yields are varied; however, some dryland fields are expected to achieve over 4 bales per hectare, a fantastic result given the challenging wet season conditions. Ground preparation is already underway for an anticipated larger 2024-25 cotton season.

Results from the Douglas Station variety trial are in, with Sicot 619B3XF topping the trial at 5.54 bales per hectare, highlighting the quality of the incoming Bollgard® 3 XtendFlex® varieties. Siokra 253B3XF and Sicot 714B3F closely followed, both yielding over 5 bales per hectare. The quality from all varieties was exceptional.

The WANT cotton gin has finished ginning the 2022-23 season crop and will roll straight into this season’s cotton, with the module yard once again filling up fast. It’s encouraging to see trucks loaded with fuzzy seed heading to cattle stations to be used as fodder.

Western Australia

In Western Australia, crops in the Ord River District are finishing well. Early crops are being defoliated, and others are receiving their final irrigation. Crops progressed well into cut-out and boll fill, although some cool nights slowed development and impacted late flowers. Overall, conditions have been relatively good.

Weed and pest issues have been manageable, with Tridax Daisy again posing a problem in some fields. The XtendFlex® cropping system will allow for greater control of Tridax Daisy, highlighting the improvements in the incoming varieties, in addition to yield and disease resistance.

Overall, it has been a good finish to a season with a challenging start. Picking is expected to commence around the second week of August.

South East Qld
Chris Barry

Burnett Region

The cotton season for 2023-24 in the South Burnett is coming to a close. All fields have now been picked, and crop destruction/pupae busting is well underway.

Throughout the season, the area faced many environmental challenges. Constant cloudy weather, regular showers, and low day degrees affected plant growth, boll retention, and fibre quality. The amount of boll drop in each crop depended on when it was planted. Some of the early crops had reduced boll retention on the lower third of the bush. Some of the later planted crops that had cut out tried to regrow and put more bolls on the top of the plant. Multiple growers in the area decided to try and keep these late bolls and harvest as many as possible, increasing the number of bolls by approximately 40-60 bolls per meter. This decision to grow the crop on bolstered yields for those blocks and made the delays in picking well worth it.

XtendFlex® trials in the South Burnett showed great benefits for the upcoming season, highlighting the varieties that suit our unique area. Discussions with local growers and resellers about side-by-side management trials in the upcoming season will help us fully see the potential of these varieties in our region.

As ginning results start flowing back, the effects of the season are highlighted, with poor colour being the main discount for the area. Looking to the next season, irrigated areas are expected to be similar to this season, and there is a chance of increasing the dryland area, provided the season is in our favour.

Fraser Coast

All of the cotton in the Fraser Coast region has been picked, with the majority having finished crop destruction and pupae busting. All the cotton has now been transported to the gins, and growers are waiting for their final results. Some growers have taken advantage of the wet conditions and managed to plant a winter crop following their cotton harvest.

The 2023-24 season has been a consistently wet one. Growers were unable to spray their crops conventionally and had to use drones. With limited drone services and the longer time required to cover the same area, some paddocks were not sprayed right away, leading to an increase in canopy size, which was not in our favour this year. Constant rain and large canopy size increased the incidence of boll drop and boll rot at the end of the season. The rain not only impacted spraying but also led to a wet harvest, something no cotton grower likes for many reasons. Similar to the South Burnett, quality issues such as colour are the main ginning concerns. Overall, yields are down this year due to the constant wet, cloudy, and cool conditions.

The upcoming season will see a similar area grown to cotton as this year. Growers are glad to see the end of this crop and are looking forward to the 2024-25 season.

Lockyer/Somerset Region

Cotton growers have completed picking and are progressing well into ground prep for next season, with recent rainfall helping to melt clods and consolidate a good seed bed. Overall, the cotton crop this season has been average for irrigation, with yields down due to wet and cloudy weather. However, dryland crops had some excellent results.

Growers are currently thinking about early seed orders and finalising rotation decisions. With another full water allocation, growers are ready for another big year of cotton.

The new XtendFlex varieties seemed to have suited this valley, performing well in both irrigated and dryland conditions. We are looking forward to seeing some quality results.

Southern NSW
Michael Taylor

In what was an outstanding finish to the season, Riverina yields are projected to average around 12 bales per hectare, based on the latest gin reports. The picking season is nearly complete, with an estimated 1,000-1,200 hectares still to go. This delayed completion is due to an unusually wet May, particularly around Hillston, where many properties recorded 175-200 mm of rain. According to some, this was the wettest May in Hillston since records began. Further south, Hay, Carrathool, and Griffith saw totals of 100 mm, while Coleambally, Jerilderie, and Deniliquin recorded 75-90 mm.

Most growers completed their picking before the heavy rains in May or had only minimal areas left to finish. The favourable end to the season is reflected in both yields and quality parameters. While the seasonal average is expected to be around 12 bales per hectare, many growers are reporting yields two bales higher than anticipated, given the challenging start to the season in the Riverina. Quality has been excellent, with colour and micronaire well within base grade specifications. However, classing results for fields picked after the wet May are showing a decline in colour quality.

Many growers are reporting their best fields yielding 14-15 bales per hectare, and even higher in some instances, particularly in the southern end of the region. Additionally, growers are seeing good yields from the new varieties containing, namely Sicot 619B3XF, Sicot 761B3XF, and Siokra 253B3XF. Trials and side-by-side paddock comparisons consistently show these varieties are yielding equal to or better than the Bollgard® 3 varieties, such as Sicot 746B3F and Sicot 7143BF.

This is an exciting development for the industry, as it gives growers confidence to adopt the new varieties containing XtendFlex®, knowing they are capable of delivering better economic returns due to the weed control flexibility XtendFlex offers.

Looking towards the upcoming season, progress with paddock preparation is mixed. Larger operators who experienced delayed picking have also had ground preparation delayed, while small and mid-size operations are on track. All growers are hoping for better sowing conditions than those experienced last spring. Plantings are expected to increase slightly, given the current water situation, the state of rotations, and limitations on maize and rice demand.

Table 1 below summarises the seasonal conditions from January to April, comparing this season to last season and the 10-year mean at Hillston (Cowl Cowl), Griffith (Benerembah), and Jerilderie (Treatment Works). The numbers highlight a consistent correlation in the Riverina between accumulating at least 700 (1532DD) from January to April and achieving good micronaire results. This year has been no exception.

Hillston (Cowl Cowl Station) CSD Day Degree Calculator Comparison.
January 1st to April 1st 2024  (61 days)	10 Year Mean	January 1st to April 1st 2023 (61 days)
784.3    (1532DD)	771.6    (1532DD)	677.8  (1532DD)
748 Predicted by March 31st
25.6 C Av temp	25.4 C Av temp	24.2 C Av Temp

 

Griffith (Benerembah) CSD Day Degree Calculator Comparison.
January 1st to April 1st 2024   (61 days)	10 Year Mean	January 1st to April 1st 2023 (61 days)
741.8 (1532DD)	722.2 (1532DD)	641.1 (1532DD)
737 Predicted by March 31st
24.8 C Av temp	24.6 C Av temp	23.6 C Av Temp

 

Jerilderie (Treatment Works) CSD Day Degree Calculator Comparison.
January 1st to April 1st 2024   (61 days)	10 Year Mean	January 1st to April 1st 2023 (61 days)
698.6 (1532DD)	669.2 (1532DD)	603.0 (1532DD)
737 Predicted by March 31st
24.1 C Av temp	23.9 C Av temp	23.0 C Av Temp