The National Program for Sustainable Irrigation provided funds to undertake an 8-week research study on-farm during the 2010-2011 summer. The initial approach to this study sought to investigate and improve irrigation application efficiency of furrow irrigated sugarcane in the Arriga Flats of Far North Queensland, using the surface irrigation model SIRMOD. Due to above average summer rainfall preventing growers from irrigating during the whole study period, an alternative approach had to be developed. Seeking to identify areas of irrigation inefficiency on a fine spatial scale over one furrow- irrigated sugarcane block, I related bulk soil electrical conductivity (ECa) measurements, obtained from an EM38 survey, to deep drainage (DD) estimates as calculated by the model SALFPREDICT, using analytical data from 8 selected soil profiles. Using simple linear regression analysis, the study found that in this area (with soils that are variably sodic but not saline), the ECa was a poor predictor of estimated DD (r2=0.12). The study also found estimated DD to vary considerably (40-254mm/year) within the block, even though it was mapped as having one soil type. Appropriate identification of areas of irrigation inefficiency and the management of areas most susceptible to DD losses therefore requires a fine scale quantification of soil properties which influence DD.

The aim of this project was to provide a mechanism for growers of the Lower Namoi Valley to learn from other innovative growers experiences. This was done by running topic focused grower forums with researchers from the topic area in attendance. The response of growers to this format was very positive with requests for more of this format.

Also a number of growers who had tried different row configurations for cotton production over a number of seasons were interviewed and their experiences were compiled into a simple record and published. The interest in this publication and the information it contained was significant. With growers improved water stocks uptake of these management strategies has not occurred.

A workshop on pumping efficiently was held by Irrigation Australia Limited. The content was developed with the input of the Lower Namoi Growers Association. There was disappointing attendance from growers at the workshop.

The value that growers see in the experiences of other growers was highlighted.

A number of growers were identified by the activities of the project as resources for other growers to learn from. Seasonal developments made it even more difficult to get growers along to forums. The Lower Namoi Cotton growers Association will continue to facilitate this sort of forum on various topics as its members see the value.

The Cotton CRC and CRDC sought to gather quantitative information on cotton growers' usage and adoption of research and key farming practices, with a particular focus on change since 2001, in order to

1. Gain an understanding of where to focus research

2. Review the adoption of past research

3. Undertake an economic analysis of the Cotton CRC's investments and impact.

Existing information on Cotton CRC investments and related farming practises were collated into 'stories' by Ingrid Rencken (Crop Protection) and Guy Roth (Soils & Nutrition; Water). These drew together information from project data sets, the CCA survey and the latest grower survey conducted in 2007.

A new survey of cotton growers was necessary in order to fill the gaps in current information about farm practises. due to the relatively tight timeframes and previous low responses rates to written/electronic surveys, it was agreed that the most reliable approach would be to gather the information through structured telephone interviews.

At the same time, there was seen to be a need to develop evaluation expertise within the cotton CRC's development and delivery (D&D) team.

“Cotton growers working together for a sustainable landscape project” funded by the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country initiative consisted of three core components which included working directly with landholders to manage natural vegetation and improve biodiversity, an Envirostories competition involving schools, and an Aboriginal Cotton Traineeship program focussed on agriculture and environmental rehabilitation.

In the Central Queensland region, milestones contributing to the Project objectives were:

• Organise and hold field day and workshop with 20 cotton growers from the Dawson Valley Cotton Grower Association and Comet Sustainable Farming Association

• 20 farmers participating in the Cotton industry’s myBMP program

• Assist the Dawson Valley Cotton Grower Association and Comet Sustainable Farming Association to complete on-ground environmental activities

• Activities completed to assist at least 20 farmers to adopt activities that contribute to the ongoing conservation and protection of biodiveristy on at least 2000ha

22 landholders attended a total of three workshops at Theodore (one) and Orion (two). At the workshops, growers completed the IPM and Natural Assets of the Cotton myBMP workshop. They also received technical presentations from Dr Nancy Schellhorn (Team Leader, Spatial Ecology, Entomology Division, CSIRO) on how to manage on-farm remnant to improve productivity in their agricultural operations and from Duncan Swan (Principal Land Protection Officer, Biosecurity DAFF CQ) and Gordon Twiner (Rural Services Coordinator, Banana Shire Council) on identifying environmental weeds, impacts, their life cycle and suitable control methods.

Cotton growers identified that catchment-wide coordinated control of environmental weed infestations was a priority to conserve and protect local biodiversity assets, following the 2010/11 floods.

10 businesses covering a total property area of 57,857 ha have completed 40% of planned on-ground control for Weeds of National Significance in the Dawson and Comet riparian areas. These include:

• 106.1km of parkinsonia

• 5702 ha of parthenium

• And 1663.8ha of hymenachne, lueacaena and rubber vine.

Most on-ground work is expected to completed by end December, weather permitting.

CHRRUP, the local catchment group in the Central Highlands is providing ongoing technical support to the Comet Sustainable Farming Systems Association members and working with DERM to identify, source funding and undertake complementary environmental weed control work targeting the source of infestations upstream.

The project in the Central Queensland region provided cotton growers with an increased appreciation of the role biodiversity can have in productive cotton systems. Growers benefited from enhanced knowledge of ecosystem services and have a better understanding of biodiversity management. This knowledge will enable more cotton growers to utilise ecosystem services as an integral component of their production systems.

The 2013 Australian Cotton Comparative Analysis (ACCA) is the ninth report produced by Boyce Chartered Accountants in conjunction with the Cotton Research & Development Corporation (CRDC). In this report, we present an analytical review of the 2011 results, a comparison with prior years and comments on emerging trends.

The 2013 was a very hot and dry season, with corresponding excessive water usage. Heat and flooding

impacted yields and profitability.

Net profit per hectare was well down on 2012 and the three year average. A low profit year puts pressure

on the industry, with less money being available for debt reduction or reinvestment.

In the 2012 report, we predicted that 2013 and 2014 would be tough financially for the industry. This has

played out in 2013 and seems to be playing out with what looks like low water allocations for the 2014 year.

This will obviously impact the ability of growers to further reduce debt.

The data in the Cotton Comparative Analysis has in previous years been affected by low water; this was an

issue in 2013 and 2014 is likely to be similarly impacted. While much effort continues to be invested in arguing

whether or not climate change is real, our view remains that growers should spend their efforts on ensuring

they can survive and indeed profit during extreme events. If this can be achieved, profit will be maximised

regardless of the outcome of the climate change debate.

Although we have not attempted to analyse in detail the return on assets from a capital growth perspective,

we have noted that in the past, many growers have obtained a large increase in their net assets from the

increase in the value of land and licences, rather than the accumulation of profits. It is probable that capital

growth of water and land has slowed in established cotton growing valleys; for some growers this has formed

the majority of their increase in net assets over time.

The agricultural sector in general and the cotton industry in particular are known for their early adoption

of technology. The technology available today, whether it is genetic, machinery-based or relating to systems

and process, is no doubt leading to increased yield and reduced labour. The question is though, at what cost?

If maximisation of profit is the goal, we think growers should establish the impact of technology on profitability

before it is adopted.

A slowing to the increase of asset values will see a greater focus on profits. This focus should hopefully result

in farmers understanding what it takes to be in the top 20% and striving to ensure their business implements

the necessary changes to achieve this objective. A healthy irrigated cotton farm cannot survive on capital

growth alone.

The 2013 Australian Cotton Comparative Analysis maintains our goal to measure and analyse the

components that provide farmers with a stronger financial bottom line.

The Australia cotton industry, through providing reinvestment in best management practice, sustainability

programs and in the communities in which it operates, plays an important role in the agricultural sector

of this country

Term of Reference I: Progress of cotton water research to desired economic, environmental and social outcomes since 2005

Term of Reference 2: Assess strength of cotton water story

Term of Reference 3: Identify opportunities for improvement

Term of Reference 4: Publication avenues for scientific and other target groups

Term of Reference 5: Assess quality of research

Term of Reference 6: Assess whether outputs meet end user needs

Term of Reference 7: Identify priority R&D and adoption gaps

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot, Disease Research Update, Weeds, GVIA Research Project The 'Filling the Research Gap' project which is looking at nitrous oxide emissions through irrigation water at Redmill is already showing some interesting results.

This project supported a teacher and four students to attend the Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast.

The students were exposed to the latest developments in the industry thus assisting with their studies in agriculture and Primary Industries. The event also highlighted the number and variety of careers available to graduates in Agriculture particularly in the Cotton industry.

This was also a key professional development and networking opportunity for the Agriculture teacher accompanying the students to the conference. It will in turn enhance the Agriculture programs delivered at Farrer.

In an increasingly competitive labour market, the ability to retain and develop existing employees is an ongoing challenge for the Cotton Industry. With approximately 4000 employees on cotton farms, even a small shift in labour productivity and retention will have significant benefits to the industry.

A previous CRDC project (Understanding the value added by vocational training in the Cotton Industry CRC1217) identified the significant role of employers in the process of developing employee skills, particularly in the identification of training needs, and the application and re-enforcing learning post-training. While training resources have been developed by the industry and the VET sector, there has been limited uptake by employers of staff management training or by existing employees on cotton farms of formal farm production training. This project seeks to understand the motivations and barriers to developing staff management skills and capacity building of employees.

This project had three key aims:

1) To test the metrics identified in the Value of Training project in a practical context and identify opportunities for application. This included considering the impact of individual farm capital investment in machinery and use of contractors on labour metrics as well as exploring the options for linking levels of competency of specific areas of practice (planting for example) to farm productivity. This relationship between skill level and productivity has formed the basis of measuring return on investment in training in other agricultural industries.

2) To explore the strengths and limitations of the employers role in identifying skills gaps and training needs and driving the delivery of training by; harnessing the resources available on farm, through industry development programs and through the vocational training system. This will involve a process to reflect on current practice, plan improvements and practically test those changes to the current system. This aim will explore the need and options for delivery of staff management training for employers to develop the skills to improve employee skills and retain current employees.

3) To engage with industry extension and the VET sector to adapt existing training resources and delivery options to meet the identified needs of the case study reference groups. This included consideration of the practical delivery of training for employees.

The irrigation industry is facing substantial change that is likely to affect the quantity and

timing of water supply, as well as the infrastructure involved in water delivery and use.

Effective adaptation to this change while ensuring environmental sustainability requires

knowledge of the effects of irrigation practices and landscapes upon local and regional

biodiversity, and the potential implications of predicted policy, supplier and farm changes.

Here we report on a three year project conducted by CSIRO in collaboration with the

Ricegrowers Association who have been conducting an Environmental Champions Program

since 2005. This program aims to assist landholders to improve environmental and economic

returns of their farm businesses and also allows them to be recognised for their past, current

and future environmental stewardship at an industry level.

Irrigated agriculture in Australia’s Riverina consists of a variety of industries - rice, cereal,

pulse and oilseed production, as well as livestock. Rice is the dominant crop, and is reliant

on irrigation water supply from the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers, supplemented in some

cases by underground water. Riverina irrigators are currently experiencing unprecedented

restrictions on production due to water shortages. The current drought, together with the

ramifications of the NSW environmental flow legislation of 1997, has resulted in irrigators

receiving only a fraction of their water allocations. The Riverina’s irrigation industries have

significantly improved water use efficiency over the past 20 years through research and

improved irrigation layouts. Given recent climate change projections, and increasing pressure

on water supplies, the need for even more efficient use of irrigation water in the future is

certain. Options for reducing water use are being implemented or canvassed at both the

enterprise and supply scales. Examples include changes in the cropping mix at an enterprise

level, reduction or cessation of flooding of rice crops, fewer crops and more efficient water

use. At the regional scale, changes to the nature of supply channels are possible, while the

application of more efficient techniques may result in less drainage being received in regional

wetlands.

Water is as significant a resource for native plants and animals as it is for people. Before

irrigation development the Riverina was semi-arid plain, with a range of shrubland,

grassland, woodland, forest and wetland vegetation. With the advent of the Snowy River

Scheme, and the resulting establishment of the Murrumbidgee, Coleambally and Murray

Irrigation Areas, new landscapes have been created incorporating irrigation infrastructure,

intensive farming in the form of broad-acre crops and horticulture, and significantly, a large

change in the temporal availability of water. The removal of native vegetation has adversely

impacted some of the original ecosystems, but it has also created opportunities locally for

wetland species and regionally for some wetland birds. In addition, some terrestrial biota

may well benefit from the extra resources associated with irrigation waters, despite some

losses of habitat vegetation (e.g. some species of birds). Interest in biodiversity was not part

of the original irrigation development agenda, and overall impacts are not well understood.

In recent times there has been more of a focus on protecting and enhancing remaining

biodiversity through Landcare, Land and Water Management Plans and industry initiatives

such as the Rice Industry’s Biodiversity Strategy and Plan. However the concern now is that

future changes in farming and water management practices do not further compound any

impacts that have already occurred.

The overall aim of this project was to assess the possible impacts of changed irrigation

practices on native biodiversity at local and regional scales, using the irrigation districts of

the New South Wales Riverina as a case study.