The 2020-21 cotton season is steadily progressing throughout Northern Australia, with picking of dryland crops well underway in the Northern Territory and crops cutting out or close to picking across North and Western Queensland. In WA’s Ord River region, crops still have a way to go, after being later planted due to a wet start this season.   

It is still too early to predict yields from harvested crops. Although they have been wrapped and stacked for transport, they still have a long trip of almost 3000km to reach cotton gins in southern QLD, where turnouts and final yields will be revealed. Visually, crops looked good at defoliation, however they have been difficult to predict for yield in the past. Although boll numbers were good, boll weights are not yet known. As has been seen in the past, fibre quality will hopefully be very good.

Approximately 14,000 hectares of cotton was planted across Northern Australia this season, with the vast majority of the crop (approximately 80%) being grown on rainfall alone, without the use of irrigation water. The remainder of the crop will be irrigated, although the utilisation of wet season rainfall will likely reduce the amount of water needed to supplement the crop. With a La Nina forecast early in the monsoon, there were high hopes for a good wet season and for the most part, this was delivered. Despite calls for an early start to the wet, rainfall arrived in late December and good falls were recorded in many regions across the north.  

In the Gilbert catchment in North Queensland, heavy rainfall brought flooding to some areas, which delayed the start to planting, while also causing damage to roads and infrastructure. The Northern Territory had a relatively good start to their season, with dryland crops planted during December and early January, when the opportunity presented, amongst storms. While establishment was good in general, the region was not without its challenges, with hot ground temperatures and the use of cover crops key to successful establishment. Challenges were also present in the Ord, where wet season rain continually delayed the start of planting and meant that some crops were planted quite late – right up until the closing of the eight week window.  

Rainfall records were broken late in the wet season for parts of North Queensland, but in amongst the wet weather, a hugely successful field day was held in the Atherton Tablelands region in late March. The day was the brainchild of new cotton grower Brad Jonsson, from Wombinoo Station, who decided there was a great opportunity for local growers and the wider industry to view cotton growing in the region. Supported by his local Nutrien Ag branch, the field day was pulled together and executed in sensational fashion, with almost 150 people in attendance and three buses transporting attendees during the 14 hour round trip.  

Another highlight in the north this year was the biennial Northern Australia Food Futures Conference, held during May in Darwin, after a couple of postponements in 2020. The conference delivered and was certainly worth the wait, with over 400 delegates in attendance, including a large cross section of the Australian cotton industry. Attendees were treated to a number of high quality speakers and panellists over the three days, along with a number of farm tours and a gala awards dinner.  

As cotton in Northern Australia edges towards becoming a sustainable industry in its own right, a key piece of the puzzle that will be required is the ability to process cotton locally. This will not only dramatically reduce freight costs, but will also allow the processed fuzzy seed to be kept in the regions and used locally as an important protein source for the cattle industry. Excitingly, the NT is one step closer to this being a reality, with the recent announcement of a gin being built north of Katherine. Backed by the Tipperary Group with the prospects of being grower owned into the future, this will no doubt see an increased interest in cotton for the coming season. CSD looks forward to continuing support for the sustainable growth of the northern cotton industry through this progress.