Alternative and renewable energy sources, including solar for powering cotton production, were hot topics at this week’s (24 and 25 February) CottonInfo Big Days Out at St George, QLD and Gunnedah, NSW. The days attracted 60 and 80 participants respectively and visitors were keen to hear from experienced growers, energy researchers, auditors, consultants and system providers. Ian and Anne Brimblecombe hosted the first day at their St George farm, “Burgorah”, while day two was on Scott Morgan’s property “Kensal Green”, Gunnedah. AgriRisk High Achiever of the Year, Narrabri farmer Brendon Warnock featured at the days, sharing insights into his farm operation, including strategic planning, human resource management and expansion. CottonInfo and its associated partners, CRDC, Cotton Australia and Cotton Seed Distributors (CSD), ran the events, with funding assistance from the Commonwealth Department of Industry and Science

Travel funding was provided to 11 Future Cotton Leader recipients to enable them to travle to various industry related meetings. At each meeting, recipients interacted and were exposed to prominant business and industry leaders. Individaul Reports are available.

Recipients included:Brendon Warnock, Philip Firth, Daniel Hayllor, Brendan Barry, Annabel Wiseman, Fleur Anderson, Mitchell Carter, N Burnett, Ross Burnett,Rod Gordon and Sandy Young

The Darling Downs Cotton Growers Incorporated(DDCGI), as well a individual growers established a series of 21 weather stations across the region over the period 1996-1998. The weather stations are a means of providing growers with localised weather information to assist in farm management operations. The DDCGI has maintained these over this period and has recently commenced another upgrade on the stations to convert them from analogue to digital. The purpose of this project was to fund further upgrades to the stations. These upgrades have enabled text communications with the growers rather than voice in the old analogue system. To date, 11 stations have been upgraded by the DDCGI. The upgrades have had a significant impact on the efficiency for growers accessing weather data in critical times. In addition, and an extension of the usage, the stations have proven invaluable in assisting the growers to meet their legislative responsibilities in relation to chemical use.

The Darling Downs hold an annual grower of the year field day to showcase our local grower of the year and to provide information to growers on a range of topics. This information is improving local practises and knowledge of local weather variability, with access to long term weather history data. In February 2016, 160 persons attended the Annual Darling Downs Grower of the Year Field Day and to provide information to growers on a range of topics.

The cotton industry invests significantly across the cotton industry and agriculture more broadly, though its leadership development programs. This has created an upswell of engaged leaders, contributing in different forums,organisations, committees ad communities to the advancement of the cotton industry as a whole.

the cotton industry has a strong reputation amongst its graduate participants for being progressive, encouraging, inclusive ad dynamic.this bodes well for future recruitment to the sector as well as encouraging stewardship and leadership within.

While the leadership program offerings are extensive, there remains a few crucial critical leadership capacity gaps. This report examines current and identified gaps.

The Southern Valleys CGA had seen other valleys participate in Back Paddock nutrition workshops and identified this as a need in our region. We sought ways to better engage our cotton growers as many of them are new to the industry. We believed this this project as one way to simultaneously build the capacity of our growers as well as increasing their involvement in the industry and testing alternate nutrient management strategies and tactics.

At Tamworth, we have been monitoring H. armigera for carbamate resistance [thiodicarb (Larvin) and methomyl (Lannate, Nudrin) resistance since 1982. Thiodicarb resistance was first diagnosed in H. armigera in early 1993. The resistant populations were found in intensively sprayed sweet corn in NSW and Queensland and were associated with heavy methornyl and thiodicarb use. The thiodicarb/methomyl resistance on H. armigera remained largely confined to the sweet corn populations, until the 1994/95 summer season, when numbers of resistant individuals were found on cotton, with some control problems. In 1995/96, the problem has been exacerbated with increasing resistance frequencies and a number of resistance associated field failures.

Creation of lagoons or wetlands. River stabilization techniques. On farm reafforestation. The benefits and disadvantages of these to the landholder and to the environment. Counter productive aspects of some regulations designed to conserve wildlife.

Properly controlling the cotton ginning process increases fiber yields and monetary returns to the cotton farmer, improves fiber length distribution, and reduces short fibers, neps and seed-coat fragments. A computerized process control system that utilizes the cotton market price and the performance characteristics of gin machinery to determine the optimum machinery sequence is now available. Cotton moisture, color, and foreign matter measurements are made with electronic devices at three stations in the gin system and are used to control the gin process. Special routing valves are used to bypass or select any combination of seed cotton cleaners, dryers, and lint cleaners. When gin machinery is bypassed, the quantity of marketable lint is increased and the amount of fiber damage is decreased.

This paper reports the results of an experiment to quantify the fruiting characteristics of eight cotton varieties to enable crop simulation models to more accurately reflect yield and maturity of current varieties. Characteristics measured were time to first square, square period, and boll period, and their subsequent effects on crop maturity. Thennaltime to first square and bll period were correlated to the maturity ranking of the varieties. However, differences in the length of these periods compared with other reports indicates the need to pursue better methods to quantify these characteristics

Over 200 primary and secondary students from across New South Wales converged on Inverell, in North

East New South Wales on 19th and 20th November for the 2007 NSW Youth River Health Conference.

The students came together to showcase the presentations they had spent up to 6 months preparing on

issues that concern them about New South Wales’ coasts, rivers, creeks and waterways. They also took

part in a day of on the ground activities to put into practice their knowledge of natural resource

management with Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA managing this day. Volunteers from around Inverell assisted

as group leaders for the environmental project day, and many of our steering committee assisted as

Workshop chairs for the student presentations on the Monday.

The kids also had an opportunity to quiz an expert panel on the topic “How Can Schools encourage their

community to be more environmentally sustainable?” with speakers Kirk Coningham –Communications

Director, Murray Darling Basin Commission, Hon. Rick Colless – Council Whip, NSW Legislative Assembly,

Liz Blair – Environmental Education Officer, Border Rivers Gwydir CMA and Kelvin Brown – Aboriginal

Advisory Committee, Border Rivers Gwydir CMA -This expert panel was facilitated by Arron Wood the

conference MC and allowed students the opportunity to asks questions as wide ranging as how to get

sponsorship to run their school’s own river health conferences, the effects of climate change, politics and

the environment and also local Northern NSW Aboriginal environmental practices.

The 2007 NSW Youth River Health Conference is about a lasting commitment to our youth and the

sustainable use of the environment and the industries it supports. Adults took a back seat at the event as

the Year 5 to 11 kids taught each other about an area of interest or issue relevant to New South Wales

environment, and learn from each other about the most effective ways of dealing with these problems. This

Conference and the lead up months of preparation provided students with skills in natural resource

management, public speaking and the ability to communicate ideas in many different forms.

Students worked with mentors in the months leading up to the event to develop their 40 minute

presentations in a range of formats such as singing, acting, quizzes, art, PowerPoint, films and venue

audits!

The kids chose a variety of poignant issues to highlight at the event including:

• Biodiversity

• Endangered Animals in Northern NSW

• The importance of the Gwydir Catchment

• Water Supply – consumption and wastage in the household

• River Health (Macintyre River)

• Water Auditing in the Conference venue!

• Bats in Tamworth

• Platypus sightings in Inverell

• Copeton Dam

The 2007 NSW Youth River Health Conference was proudly supported by The Australian Government.

Additional financial support came from: The Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority,

Murray Darling Basin Commission, The Inverell Shire Council and The Cotton Research and Development

Corporation. The environmental project day was run by the Border Rivers Gwydir Catchment Management

Authority – through in kind support. Assistance with the Environmental Project Day was provided by Mitre

10 Inverell, as well as volunteers from Inglewood Landcare and Waterwatch NSW. In Kind catering

sponsorship was provided by the conference venue – the Inverell RSM Club. 15 Volunteers from the Inverell

region provided fantastic support throughout the conference. All event sponsors were involved in some

capacity in the lead up to the conference event and supporting the participants in their preparation.

90% of participants responding to the evaluation loved the NSW Youth River Health Conference and 88%

of them loved the Kids Teaching Kids concept as a way of learning! As well as this 74% found the hands-on

Environmental Project Day component of the conference informative and a fun way to learn about the

environment. The entertainment proved an enjoyable element for inclusion throughout the conference and

an opportunity for many students to showcase their performing abilities. A number of teachers suggested

the conference be run every year, with almost all looking to participate in future conferences!