Mobile devices are everywhere. Smart phones are more than just something to make calls with, and tablets have revolutionised the way that we work and play. A library worth of books can be stored and read on mobile devices and it is changing the format in which information is shared. The Cotton D&D Team is working to bring our library of resources to your phone or tablet as electronic publications and apps.

Tocal College has been working closely with the cotton industry since 2006 to deliver skills development and accreditation programs. This has ranged from Certificate II Skill Sets for jobseekers in Moree to Diploma level qualifications - including the development of the Cotton BMP Accredited Manager program. In all of these projects, Tocal College has worked with the cotton industry to find innovative and flexible ways of using competencies and qualifications to drive human capacity developments. This paper will outline and discuss this process and present some current developments.

Dryland cotton is often grown using skipped rows because of variable summer rainfall. Skip configurations are used to: increase the amount of soil-water available for the crop especially during flowering, which can influence the potential lint yield and quality; reduce the level of variability or risk associated with production; and reduce input costs. Expansion of production into new areas and the need for flexibility in farm equipment setup has meant there are more alternative configurations to the traditional single and double skip configurations. Super single (1 present, 2 skipped) may be suitable where rainfall is considered too low for profitable double skip production, while alternate row (1 present, 1 skipped) configurations are being considered instead of double skip to take advantage of equidistant spacing to improve yield and quality. This paper presents the latest summary of research comparing the yield potential of different dryland configurations. This information can be used in conjunction with other factors such as costs, fibre quality, climate, cropping history and equipment availability

Australia's highly mechanised agriculture, energy (diesel & electricity) represents a major cost for growers. Energy assessments can offer individual growers significant savings in their energy costs, up to 30% in some cases. An appropriate measurement protocol and benchmarked figures will underpin tools that allow growers to evaluate their own energy performance and identify potential savings

Management of moisture in cotton during ginning is important in determining fibre quality and the energy cost to the ginner. CSIRO with help from the Cotton Catchment Communities (CCC) CRC, the CRDC and Australian gin partners has developed a new moisture meter for gins. The meter measures the moisture content of seed-cotton or lint as it is moved quickly by air (up to 20 m/sec) through transport ducts between gin machines. Very good responses to fluctuations in cotton moisture indicates the meter can be used as a moisture controlling device. Such a system can be used to control driers and humidifiers.

The Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA) is supporting the delivery of the Cotton myBMP program, and providing significant funding assistance to CQ cotton growers for water quality improvements adopted under myBMP.Between June 2011 and 2012, 54 growers attended Grower myBMP workshops run by Blue Dog Agribusiness at Theodore (2), the Comet River, and West Emerald Irrigation Area (EIA), and 14 service industry members attended myBMP Adviser workshops held in Theodore and Emerald. Further workshops are planned in Biloela,

Survey information like this helps in targeting research and extension efforts for the industry and to track changes over time. This poster shows just some of the information about irrigation

Some insight to the make up of cotton growing farms can be drawn from the 2011 cotton grower survey. A survey of 183 cotton growers, covering 45,410 of dryland and 114,622 ha of irrigated cotton was completed for the Cotton CRC and the Cotton Research & Development Corporation in 2011. The survey looked into features of cotton properties, farming practices in the 2010-11 season and the use of information and research. While filling out a survey is probably not your favourite thing to do, the information gathered is really valuable for the industry. It gathers key data to help tell the industry 'story'. It also helps for targeting research and extension efforts. A cotton grower survey will be repeated in 2013.