"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today." -Malcolm X
"The only way you can predict the future is to build it." -Alan Kay

Purpose
This project was initially developed in response to the shift in the Australian 
agriculture industry to a new stage of transformation: the rise of digital 
agriculture. Reports on the future of the industry described potential scenarios 
and the current research has attempted to explore what this may mean for the 
workforce capacity and capability requirements of the Australian cotton industry. 
Building capacity in the cotton industry workforce involves equipping people 
to proactively drive change and innovation within the industry and on–farm, 
ensuring the Australian cotton industry maintains a competitive advantage in 
the future. The research presented in this report examines how people at the 
forefront of change are successfully adapting as individuals and as 
businesses to survive and thrive into the future and identify what these 
changes may mean more broadly for the future of work in the cotton 
industry.

Project Objectives and Research Aims
The objectives of the ‘Understanding and Planning for the Future Cotton Industry 
Workforce’ project were to undertake research to:
1. Provide an understanding of ‘drivers of change’ which will impact the 
future cotton industry workforce.
2. Identify the future skills required within industry and on-farm and 
prioritise the skill development areas to facilitate innovative farming 
practices.
3. Identify strategies to maximise skill development and transference of 
skills to raise employer and employee confidence and capacity in adopting 
future advances in cotton farming.
4. Assist Growers in adoption of new technologies on-farm, including 
workforce planning while implementing new technology introduction, 
transition, and maintenance periods.
5. Provide recommendations for future workforce planning considering 
impacts of ‘drivers of change’ on industry, growers, and workers.
The research aims of ‘Contextualising the Future of Work in the Cotton Industry” 
included
University of Southern Queensland | Contextualising the Future of Work in the Australian Cotton 
Industry 12
1. Understand factors influencing technology acceptance and adoption.
2. Understand grower and workforce experiences of transition that occur 
with the introduction of technology.
3. Understand entrepreneurial behaviours and the mindsets, skills and 
structures that encourage entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship within 
cotton businesses.
4. Understand the function of the knowledge network and consultants work 
in extending and influencing on-farm change.
5. Understand influences on attraction, retention, and development of 
workforce and how this occurs in adaptable businesses.
6. Identify other factors that may shape the future of work and workforce 
requirements for the Australian cotton industry.

The objectives of this project were to (i) identify the causal factors for yield variability and (ii) develop strategic soil and crop management options to address yield variability and improve soil health and sustainability in cotton farming systems. The project conducted a paired field comparison during the 2018-19 season to identify the causes of yield variability between cotton fields in close proximity and of the same soil type. As drought impacted the number of cotton fields under cotton in that year, the investigation focused on soil property-induced yield differences at paired fields within five farms. The paired fields at each farm recorded an average yield difference of >284 kg/ha (1.25 bales/ha). Despite being the same soil type, several soil properties differed between the paired fields at each farm comparison. The soil organic carbon stocks were higher in the higher-yielding fields (five-year average yield) at all the farm comparisons and the normalised lint yield percentage was positively correlated with soil organic carbon stocks. Soil sodicity was higher in the lower-yielding fields at 3 of the 5 farms. Soil compaction was a potential causal factor for lower yield at one paired-field comparison in the Macquarie region. Results for most soil nutrient tests were above the critical concentrations recommended for Australian cotton production. Visual soil assessment (VSA) using the FAO method was carried out across paired sites, multiple CSD ambassador sites and within ACRI across multiple cropping systems. No earthworms were detected at any site during visual soil assessment or soil sampling across all the sites. The visual soil quality index using FAO method was not a sensitive predictor of cotton crop performance. However, future investigation into individual components such as scoring for soil structure, surface crusting etc. will improve the understanding of soil conditions and subsequent management decisions.
Comparing soil properties using a paired-field approach identified compaction, sodicity and soil organic carbon levels among casual factors of yield differences. To assess the relative contributions of selected soil constraints and strategic management to address the yield differences, further investigations were carried out at Australian Cotton Research Institute.

In 1991, cotton became the first Australian agricultural industry to conduct a full external examination of its environmental performance. This marked the first industry-wide commitment to improved sustainability of cotton production in Australia. Each decade since, the industry has re-committed to reviewing its environmental performance by commissioning an independent assessment. Environmental assessments in 2003 and 2012 have recognised the cotton industry’s achievements and driven further improvements. In response to the 2012 assessment, the industry made a public commitment to continue to undertake environmental assessments every decade. At the same time, the industry committed to five yearly progress reporting against agreed sustainability indicators and targets, which are aligned with the globally recognised United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). GHD Pty Ltd (GHD) was engaged by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) to complete the Fourth Environmental Assessment of the Australian Cotton Industry. The recommendations from the assessment will be used to inform decisions for the industry to: x Target its investments to deliver improved environmental outcomes x Work with growers to continually improve environmental outcomes in cotton production x Demonstrate responsiveness to community and stakeholder expectations on the impact of the industry on the environment. The Fourth Environmental Assessment of the Australian Cotton Industry was undertaken between October 2021 and October 2022 and covers the period since the Third Environmental Assessment, being 2013-2022. The delivery of the project was overseen by a Project Steering Committee (PSC) from CRDC and Cotton Australia, and the industry’s Sustainability Working Group (SWG), which comprises membership from CRDC, Cotton Australia, CottonInfo, myBMP, the Australian Cotton Shippers Association and industry growers.

This research aims to foster safe use of mobile plant on farms by: • Better understanding how to initiate and sustain behaviour change on farm. • Developing a repeatable, scaleable method for assessing mobile plant safety on farm. • Identifying practical ways to underpin safe use of specific plant from whole safety system assessment.

DAQ1903 was commissioned by the CRDC in response to industry concerns 

about the increasing pest status of SLW (Bemisia tabaci MEAM1) in southern 

cotton growing regions, its negative impacts on cotton lint quality and the 

threat posed by sticky lint to cotton exports. Commercial crop checking 

reports from southern Queensland and New South Wales were indicating that 

management recommendations for SLW control in effect at the time, based 

on adult sampling in the upper crop canopy, often gave results that were not 

consistent between crop checks, seasons and across different cotton growing 

areas.

A decision support tool (DST) based on graphical visualisation of SLW total 

(all-states) and viable-healthy large nymph density profiles from crop 

checking within a framework of population growth pathways was developed 

and made available for commercial use in the 2020-21 cotton season.

This system offers the user/crop manager/decision maker unprecedented 

capability to use not only current and anticipated future abundance of SLW in 

the crop but also levels of naturally occurring mortality within the population 

to underpin intervention (spray) decisions. Crop managers are currently using 

the DST to rationalise their intervention decisions for whitefly control in

cotton. It is expected that a high level uptake of the DST-based strategy for 

SLW control could result in at least 50% reduction in insecticide usage and 

reduce resistance selection pressure on key insecticides.

“The Gatekeeper to Photosynthesis: Mesophyll Conductance and Abiotic Stress in Cotton” endeavoured to build on the limited understanding of mesophyll conductance – the process of CO2 diffusion through the leaf to reach the site of photosynthesis – and how is responds in different cotton (Gossypium) species to heat and drought stress. Initially, we also aimed to use microscopic analysis to also understand whether anatomical characteristics and variation played a role in variation as a result of abiotic stress and inter-species differences.
However, due to delays as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in Sydney and lowest-on-record radiation levels during the La Nina, these samples were taken but were not able to be analysed in time for this report due to significantly longer processing and imaging timeframes and having this task outsourced. Therefore, the milestones were changed to remove protein and RNAseq analysis, and instead add a more time-efficient experiment to investigate the temperature response of a broader range of Gossypium species.

According to Cotton Australia, energy costs in the cotton industry have increased by 350% from 2000 to 2014. Energy (electricity and diesel) costs for Australian cotton growers are expected to continue to increase by 2.9–7.2% annually until 2040. Diesel fuel provides at least 90% of the direct energy harnessed in farms. On average, irrigation accounts for 50–75% of the total direct energy consumption on-farm. An increasing number of alternative irrigation systems, for example, centre pivots and lateral move systems, are expected to lead to highly significant energy costs associated with water pumping and machine operation. On the other hand, the costs of renewable energy continue to decrease, providing cotton growers with another option for energy supply. Renewable energy can be used to design the corresponding microgrids to irrigate cotton farms. The designed renewable microgrids can reduce these cotton farms' energy consumption costs and greenhouse gas emissions. This study aims to develop tailor-made renewable power planning and energy management plans for cotton-farm microgrids to secure power supply and reduce energy costs. In addition, we seek to optimize the microgrid's operation considering the uncertainty of environmental and demand factors on cotton farms to achieve cost savings for cotton stakeholders.

In this thesis, the first part presents an optimization model for cotton farm microgrid design, which explores available renewable energy sources (RESs) and energy storage options to ensure a reliable power supply for cotton farms. By using the RES power supply, renewable energy is optimally utilized to satisfy the seasonal load demand, and the grid power is used as a backup power source. The objectives of optimization include investment cost, operating cost, and a simple payback period. A case study is undertaken using historical energy consumption data from a cotton farm in Gunnedah, New South Wales, to verify the applicability of the proposed approach.

The second part of this study presents a model predictive control (MPC) approach to the above designed cotton farm microgrid to minimize the water pumping operational cost while taking full advantage of renewable energy sources. The reason for using MPC is its ability to handle noise, disturbance, and real-time parameter changes. Microgrids at two different cotton farms are used for case studies to validate the proposed MPC methodology. 

The third part of this study addresses the problem of optimizing cotton farm operating costs under uncertainties. An MPC approach is adopted to maximize the usage of renewable energy and minimize the overall water pumping cost during the cotton growth and irrigation period. To deal with the uncertainties in renewable generation, water demand, precipitation and evaporation, the operation problem of the cotton farm pumping system is formulated as a stochastic MPC problem to cater to real-time changes in uncertain weather conditions and irrigation demand. Static and dynamic scenario generation-reduction techniques are applied to obtain typical scenarios and the corresponding probabilities, which are further applied to formulate the stochastic optimization problem to deal with uncertainties.

Riparian ecosystems are a critical element of the landscape, especially in agricultural and other human-dominated landscapes (Capon et al. 2013; Capon and Pettit 2018). We define riparian ecosystems broadly here as those areas spatially (and temporally) adjacent to watercourses and waterbodies that influence these aquatic ecosystems and which, in turn, are influenced by them, largely through hydrological connectivity. Defined in this way, riparian ecosystems therefore include floodplains as well as channels and wetlands during dry phases. Such ecosystems are disproportionately valuable with respect to the area they occupy due to their key role in many essential ecological functions and in supporting much biodiversity (Capon et al. 2013). Riparian ecosystems are also crucial to the provision of many ecosystem services benefitting people. Furthermore, there is increasing recognition that these values are likely to grow under a changing climate and with increasing human pressures on natural ecosystems in the Anthropocene (Capon et al. 2013). Understanding the ecosystem services provided by riparian ecosystems, and the factors driving these, is therefore vital for effective natural resources management in agro-ecological landscapes. Cotton farms occupy significant areas of Australia’s inland catchments, especially in the northern Murray-Darling Basin straddling the Queensland and New South Wales borders. These farms typically comprise large areas of relatively natural ecosystems in addition to their productive and more intensely managed areas. In lowland regions, most of these natural ecosystems are likely to be riparian, including floodplain, ecosystems. Consequently, there is a need to understand the values, threats and management associated with riparian ecosystems in these landscapes to support effective management of these unique landscapes and their biodiversity and to promote sustainable cotton farming into the future. This report provides an overview of work conducted by Griffith University on behalf of the Cotton Research and Development Corporation between 2016 and 2019 to address knowledge gaps associated with the management of natural ecosystems on Australian cotton farms for the provision of ecosystem services.

The 2024 Australian Cotton Production Manual is a critical reference tool for cotton growers. The manual is a one-stop-shop for growers, outlining all the various decisions that need to be made on-farm in preparation for, and during, cotton production. The manual provides an understanding of cotton physiology, and discusses important considerations for both productivity and profitability. The Australian Cotton Production Manual is published by CRDC and CottonInfo and is updated each year to incorporate the latest research and consistent improvements in industry best practice.

The Winter 2024 edition of Spotlight takes a look at the just-released Fourth Environmental Assessment, commissioned by CRDC and Cotton Australia as part of our industry’s PLANET. PEOPLE. PADDOCK. Sustainability Framework, and some of its recommendations.

The Australian cotton industry is no stranger to scrutiny from outsiders. But with 30 years of independent and publicly available environmental assessments and reporting, arguably the greatest scrutiny comes from within our industry itself. There is no other agricultural industry in Australia with such a long history of examining its own progress in such an independent, transparent way. After three decades, and with such strategies in place as the framework, 10-year assessments, five-yearly reports and annual updates, our industry is well ahead of the curve when it comes to commitment and credentials. But, as ever, there is still work to do.

At CRDC, one of our key goals is helping growers prepare for a world of increased scrutiny and ensuring we as an industry can meet ever-changing global requirements to maintain market access. One area we’re currently focusing our research, development and extension (RD&E) effort on is emissions – helping to provide a standardised approach for growers to emissions calculations, and providing knowledge and tools to reduce emissions.

With our fellow research and development corporations, we’ve invested in the development of a standardised emissions calculator with Agricultural Innovation Australia. The Environmental Accounting Platform (EAP) allows growers to calculate their carbon footprint at a commodity, enterprise, and whole of business level. We’re also supporting the new CRC for Zero Net Emissions from Agriculture (ZNE-AgCRC) to develop technologies and solutions to reduce emissions from Australian agriculture. We’ll be working closely as a partner in this venture to ensure the outcomes are meaningful for cotton.

Also in this edition we’ve included information on how growers can be involved in setting research priorities: from speaking directly to our team of experienced Innovation Brokers, led by our new General Manager, Innovation, Dr Merry Conaty, through to representing your local growers and Cotton Grower Association at the twice yearly priority setting forums. A great opportunity will be at the Australian Cotton Conference in August. As Foundation Sponsors, our CRDC team will be at the Conference, and look forward to talking to you about your research needs.

All this, and more, in Spotlight.