2019 Grower Development and Extension Programs and Off Target Spray Drift Mitigation

Date Issued:2020-06-30

Abstract

During the past few cotton seasons in the CGA region there were approximately 20 spray drift reports per season, with nearly 40 unreported events per season. It is estimated that these events impacted 15-20,000ha of crop in our region alone. The 2015/16 Crop Consultants Australia survey estimated that 45,000ha of cotton was affected by spray drift. Spray drift events not only lead to yield reduction and so forfeited income but also leads to numerous social problems such as conflict between neighbours as well as damaging the image of cotton growers and ultimately impacting our social licence to farm. The objective of this funding was to provide educational and outreach programs for cotton growers in the southern valleys region, by partnering with other industries and organisations to cohesively fund various programs for the benefit of the growers in the region.

Southern cotton growers had the opportunity to tour northern cotton growing areas in 2017 and 2018 attending the Gwydir Valley CGA field days, meeting number of industry leading farmers and visiting their properties. These tours not only exposed growers to the cotton growing systems in the north and cotton research but it also provided a tremendous opportunity to network with growers from other regions, learn about alternative irrigation systems relevant to their farming operations.

A two fold objective was to target all local industries within the southern valleys CGA, and focus on the prevention and management of off target spray drift. A meeting was held in January 2019 attended by around 60 representatives from all agriculture and spray related industries including, dryland cropping and grazing, rice, grains and horticultural production systems, apiarists, local council weeds officers, irrigation companies and government departments. A stakeholder spray drift committee was formed and since then, Stop Off-Target Spraying Riverina Valleys Inc (SOS RV) has been formed. The SOS RV who meet monthly, ran a two day training event targeting advisors and agronomists in late October and a series of farmer focussed workshops also in late October.

The second objective was to organise and coordinate a trip to the northern valleys for growers in the southern region. The aim of this trip was to create an opportunity for these less experienced growers to explore the farming operations and learn about some of the cotton growing fundamentals in the northern valleys to ultimately increase their knowledge and develop and implement some of these methods in their own farming operations. In March, 18 southern growers and industry representatives were on the bus tour which included attending the 2019 Monsanto Cotton Grower of the Year Award Winner Field Day at Mundine, Goondiwindi as well as tour of Keytah and other properties around Moree.

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