Bringing you the latest comments from our team, via our CottonInfo blog.

Sustainability: we all have a part to play.
The Australian cotton industry’s sustainability framework benefits growers directly, as well as the entire industry. 

By talking to people inside and outside the industry, we have identified nine sustainability topics we know are most important to all stakeholders. Below are the summary actions we need to take as an industry to continue to improve in these areas. 

What can you do to play your part in the industry’s sustainability work?
1.    Read this list below
2.    Identify any areas you know you can improve.…

Biodiversity offset schemes - an area to watch for cotton growers

Biodiversity offset schemes aim to reward farmers for managing species and ecosystems through market-based mechanisms.

Along with soil and water, biodiversity makes up the natural capital that cotton farms rely on. Biodiversity can help with natural pest control and pollination, erosion control, carbon sequestration and storage and enhanced water retention. These can all deliver a direct financial benefit, as well as improving…

We are working to improve sustainability in nine key areas. 
PROFITABILITY. A sustainability fundamental: profitable growers can confidently reinvest in their business and community.

Why is this a priority?
Profitability is a fundamental sustainability indicator for growers. Profitable cotton growers can invest in the technologies and practices needed to adapt to a changing environment and market. It also enables them to contribute to local communities, economies and the environment.

Our goal is for growers to have sufficient profitability to…

During the 2020/21 season, QDAF and the NSW DPI entomology teams undertook insect sampling for the purpose of resistance testing. This fact sheet and presentations provide a summary of the results. 

Fact sheet - Resistance monitoring 2020/21 season

PowerPoint presentation - Resistance surveillance of major cotton pests

PowerPoint presentation - Silverleaf whitefly resistance monitoring

We are working to improve sustainability in 9 key areas

Productivity: More cotton per hectare

Our goal is to increase Australian cotton yield and quality within sustainable environmental boundaries. 
This aligns to UN SDG 2.4: implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity, help maintain ecosystems, strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, and improve land and soil quality.

Why is this a priority?
With the world’s population forecast to increase from 7.7 billion in 2018 to 9.7 billion in 2050, farmers all around…

We are working to improve sustainability in 9 key areas

Workplace: continuing to create safe, inclusive and skilled workplaces

Why is this a priority?

Wellbeing is defined by our partners at the University of Canberra’s Regional Wellbeing Survey as being a state in which a person can realise their own potential and contribute to their community.

This is a complex topic: wellbeing is influenced by a combination of physical, mental, financial, social and other factors. This complexity means no single organisation – or no single industry – is…

We are working to improve sustainability in 9 key areas

Workplace: continuing to create safe, inclusive and skilled workplaces

Why this is a priority?

Farms are made up of natural resources, but it is human resources – people – that turn these natural assets into some of the world’s finest and most efficiently-grown cotton. People are the difference between an industry that is average, and an industry that is the high-performing, dynamic and innovative one which Australia’s…

We are working to improve sustainability in 9 key areas. The fourth of these is soil health: Making soil health the driver of sustainable cotton productivity and yield improvements.

Why this is a priority?

Soils are a national asset. Healthy soil is the starting point for productive agriculture and the foundation of all terrestrial life. Soil health underpins the productivity of a farming business, providing all plants including cotton with support and access to water, oxygen and nutrients.

For cotton growers, improved soil health means improved resource efficiency…

Maules Creek farmers Andrew and Heike Watson and their family recently hosted a revegetation demonstration field day at 'Merriendi'.

Local farmers, residents and Landcare groups joined industry experts, researchers, and drone and tubestock specialists to share the latest revegetation methods and information.

The popular event was organised by CottonInfo, the Australian cotton industry's joint extension program.

It centred on research by Dr Rhiannon Smith from the University of New England comparing using drones for native revegetation in…

Planning ahead for the next cotton season begins in winter. Nutrient management is a good place to start. 

The primary nutrients we apply to our cotton fields are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and all are important to maximise yield. But crop use and the plant requirement for each nutrient differ for cotton and your management should be aligned to ensure high fertiliser recovery.

Our first action is to build your nutrition management plan – this includes finalising your application rates and what application method suits your operation.

To build…