Growing other crops in rotation with cotton appears to offer the best prospect for long term viability of the cotton industry. Growers in the Macquarie, Namoi and Gwydir valleys of NSW, were surveyed to find out how widely rotation crops are used and which rotation crops growers favour. Also, soil samples were taken from paddocks which had grown cotton continuously for several years, and paddocks which had grown a rotation crop the previous season. The soil samples were subjected to a wide range of physical and chemical tests to see what differences could be measured. The survey contacted over half the cotton growers in NSW, and found that on average, cotton fields grew a rotation crop one year in 4. Wheat was the crop most frequently grown in rotation with cotton, but there was widespread interest in the use of legumes. The survey also obtained data on problems growers had encountered with rotations, what benefits they saw, and what research growers would like done. The comparison of continuous cotton fields and those growing rotation crops found that the differences are small and difficult to measure. The only tests to show up differences were dispersion index, plastic limit, % of coarse particulate organic matter and soil respiration rate. Stubble management appeared to be just as important as cropping history. Soil structure was better at sites which retained the stubble compared to sites where the stubble was burnt.