Cotton picking is in full swing across the district following delays caused by rain events throughout April.
While the planted area in the region is much smaller this year, roughly one third of what could potentially be grown, high yields, good quality and strong prices will enable the season to finish on a positive note.
Regional Manager for Cotton Australia, Paul Sloman, said the season is finishing strongly after a stressful start.
“There was pressure on water supplies to begin with, but the rain after Christmas followed by near perfect growing conditions boosted the plants,” he said.
“We had sunny days and fairly mild temperatures throughout summer which made for great conditions. We are now seeing close to record yields at approximately 10 bales per hectare on average, up to 12 bales in some areas.
“Obviously recent rain during picking wasn’t ideal and we expect it will lead to some quality downgrades.”
Paul’s summary is ringing true for local growers, with Pat Carberry from Cardale west of Narrabri describing this year’s crop as the best he has ever seen.
The Carberry family is picking its 47th crop on Cardale this year and is extremely happy with the result despite some downgrades due to late rain.
Andrew Watson from Kilmarnock north of Boggabri is also reporting record yields mid way through picking.
The rain during April, even though it has hampered cotton picking, has been very welcome across the district as farmers start planning for winter crops. More rain is needed to replenish soil moisture profiles and there are concerns that next year’s cotton crop could shrink further still.
“We expect the planted area will be down a further 20 per cent next year if it doesn’t rain,” Paul Sloman said.
“Unless you have access to bore water next year the outlook is bleak.
“The embargoed flows that came down the river recently would have enabled some people to plant a winter crop but unfortunately growers couldn’t access that water due to restrictions placed on irrigator licences.”