Advancing Water Management in NSW was initiated by industry and government in recognition of the importance of investing in a highly effective extension team to assist the cotton industry improve water use efficiency. In 2006 NSW Department of Primary Industries and its team of experienced cotton irrigation extension officers received funds from the Cotton Research Development Corporation, Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research Centre, and both the Namoi and Border Rivers Gwydir Catchment Management Authorities to undertake intensive water use efficiency extension in NSW cotton growing valleys.

The adoption of water management technology and irrigation best management practices are key drivers in generating greater water use efficiency. In order to stimulate adoption and initiate practice change a multitude of extension techniques were utilised. These included:

• Delivery of irrigation training

• Technology demonstration

• Dissemination of fact sheets and case studies

• Consultant support

• Water use efficiency benchmarking

• Dissemination on cost benefit analyses

The Irrigated Cotton and Grains Workshop Series and the Centre Pivot Lateral Move training courses were delivered to 250 cotton and grains growers. There is documented evidence that the training resulted in growers having a greater knowledge and understanding of irrigation best practice, and has lead to genuine practice change. Increased adoption of technology, better water management techniques, and investment in new infrastructure has improved whole farm water use efficiencies.

The irrigation training led to many growers applying for water use efficiency incentives available from Catchment Management Authorities. The increased knowledge, awareness, skills and attitudes acquired at the training workshops allowed growers to recognise strengths and weaknesses in their water management practices. Training also helped growers identify where investment would lead to the greatest increase in whole farm water use efficiency. Border Rivers Gwydir CMA assessed approximately 80 water use efficiency incentive applications. 66 applicants successfully secured funding for a variety of on-farm WUE activities, including the purchase and/or upgrade of soil moisture probes, storage surveys, field and storage EM surveys, storage deepening or reconfiguration, supply and tail water system upgrades. Similarly the Namoi CMA and CCCCRC granted funds to 9 applicants resulting in excess of 5111Ha coming under best practice water management.

A second outcome from the irrigation training was an increase in awareness of the Cotton BMP program. Each of the Irrigated Cotton and Grains workshops has specific linkages to the Cotton BMP Land and Water Module. Growers were encouraged to consider the advantages of obtaining formal recognition of their best practice. Between October 2006 and July 2008 Cotton Australia conducted a total of 35 and 20 Land and Water Pre-Certification Audits (PCA) in the Namoi and Gwydir Valleys respectively. Based on these PCA numbers, in the Namoi the Advancing Water Management project contributed to an additional 13,614 ha being managed and irrigated according to best practice.

Technology demonstration of Irrimate™ hardware and WaterTrack™ Optimiser software were initiated to showcase how decision support tools could assist growers to manage and measure water more efficiently. Knowledge and awareness of surface irrigation performance evaluation particularly has increased and practice change is now being documented within the cotton industry. Many growers have begun to reconfigure fields to minimise losses, shorten irrigation times, and optimise field application efficiencies. The demonstration of the WaterTrack™ software and storage seepage/evaporation meters also increased awareness of the magnitude of storage losses currently being experienced on irrigation farms. A growing number of irrigators are now either raising storage bank heights or consolidating water storage to minimise evaporative losses.

In an effort to stimulate adoption of current industry standards for recording water use efficiency, project staff conducted personal interviews on 42 farms from Emerald in central Queensland to Hillston in southern NSW to establish current WUE benchmarks for the cotton industry.

Benchmarking facilitates continuous improvement in management and water use. The results revealed that the average WUE for the 2006-07 season was 1.31 bales/ML (water pumped) or 1.13bales/ML (including stored soil moisture and effective rainfall). The results also highlighted that the top 20% of growers achieved a WUE around 1.5bales/ML. A paper was presented at the 2008 Australian Cotton Conference, and based on the response from industry, the benchmarking study and information generated has been very well received.

In an effort to increase both growers’ and industry’s awareness and knowledge of the financial benefits of investing in technology adoption and practice change, a number of economic case studies were produced with the assistance of a NSWDPI economist. Economic articles were posted on the irrigated cotton and grains website and published in the Australian Cotton Grower magazine. Materials were also distributed at irrigation training workshops and at various farm walks and field days.

In 2003 the Whole Farm Salinity Management Strategies for Cotton Production in the Macquarie Valley, CRDC Project Number: CRC 51C established five long term monitoring sites in the Lower Macquarie Valley. These sites are allowing the long term monitoring of deep drainage and changes to the salt store in the major irrigated cotton growing soils. In 2006 and 2007 members of the Advancing Water Management Project team collected and tested soil samples at these monitoring sites to build a long term picture of potential soil degradation and productivity decline due to poor water quality and irrigation management. An examination of the 2007 soil and water analyses suggest that sodium and chloride concentrations increase during the irrigation season but decrease during the winter (non-irrigation season). Presumably this is due to leaching of the salts out of the crop root zone with winter rainfall. In time, it is likely that they will move into groundwater reserves. However, there is considerable variation among locations due to variation in soils (texture, ESP etc.) and cropping systems. A technical paper will be published and presented at an industry forum in 2009.