Geophysical techniques involve the use of ground-based and airborne geophysical devices to measure physical properties of the earth. They can assist in the planning and management of irrigation developments by identifying the size and depth of aquifers, the connectivity between surface and ground water, the salinity of aquifers, the mineral composition and depth of the soil and the chances of successful water boring. Most geophysics applied to irrigation is in the form of imaging conducted

Marketing, specifically generic marketing, must be one of the linchpins of any strategy to &quote;cover our future&quote;. The fact that generic marketing must be done is a given. It has been recognised as a must for all bodies involved in marketing Australian cotton in some shape or form - Cotton Australia, the Australian Cotton Shippers' Association, and the Association of Cotton Systems Spinners'. What is not clear though, is exactly what direction generic marketing should take, or which body or bodies should be undertaking it

The imperatives for a comprehensive training scheme in the cotton industry are easily identifiable: looming skills shortage, new and complex technologies to be adopted, best management practices to be implemented and the principals of sustainable production to be digested. These imperatives are 'knowledge' imperatives, and a cross-industry team has built a prototype training structure to be tested over the next 12-18months. What is not so easily identifiable, and therefore implementable, are our 'knowing' requirements - empathetic understanding of our place in and responsibilities to the world outside the farm or departmental or organisational boundary. Knowledge, through training, has the potential to deliver substantial economic returns, but that potential is unlikely to translate to its promise if cotton industry values and visions remain out of step with those of the broader community. It is only by truly knowing why the community feels the way it does about cotton production and, therefore, why BMP is being implemented, why sustainable production is important, why new technologies are developed - that is, by learning about the learning - that industry and community goals and visions will align and the true potential of a skilled, knowledgeable workforce will be unleashed. That real benefits are returned when knowledge and knowing are combined has been amply demonstrated in this industry by the reversal of fortune of Namoi Cotton Co-operative. Its experience is documented here in a case study.

The human resource is the most important resource in our industry. Human resource managers and trainers often repeat these words in such presentations as this.

Tractors and harvesters that steer themselves would have sounded like science fiction 10 years ago, yet today there are several systems which can effectively guide machinery. Tractors and more recently cotton pickers can now steer themselves along a row with remarkable accuracy. Automatic guidance is provided by either video, global positioning or mechanical means with costs ranging from $7100 to $80,000. Most current systems are geared up for row crop situations, as much of the development work was funded by the Australian Cotton Research and Development Corporation But one of the leading Global Positioning-based systems has been used in broad acre farming for four years and it is expected that more of the technology will be adapted for cereal and pulse production in the not too distant future.

Many growers show little or no interest in their cotton once it leaves the farm gate. The only contact they have with their cotton after it leaves the farm is when the merchant, or independent classifier put a value on the cotton. The classer often makes a comment on the sample of cotton for the grower which is often only a justification for why the cotton has been called down in quality. However, when such comments as &quote;pin trash present, poor preparation, preppy cotton, immature fibres, neps&quote; etc are seen by the grower, where does the grower go? - back to the classer who can easily blame the ginner. I often wonder what growers think the function of a cotton gin is. In this presentation I will talk about some of the ways in which growers can improve the preparation of their cotton for ginning so that a better financial result can be achieved in the classing room.

Transgenic Bt (Ingard) cotton has been the biggest step achieved so farm reducing insecticide applications to cotton in Australia. In the past two years there has been a 50% reduction in applications of insecticide to Helicoverpa on Ingard compared with conventional cotton (Long et al 1997). The reduction in sprays has been especially so with endosulfan in the early part of the cropping season when Bt production and efficacy of Ingard plants has been best. The technology has disappointed many growers because of marginal and variable efficacy. Although the full reasons for variability are not well understood, better efficacy is required to continue advances in non-chemical pest control over a greater area

In his paper to you, Mike Logan, our youngest Cotton Australia Board Director, said to you, &quote;unless we have the support of the local communities, we are doomed to extinction&quote;. To that I would like to add that unless we effectively police ourselves as an industry through complete adoption and adherence to best management practice, then environmental agencies, water regulatory bodies and ultimately some consumers led by green activists, will all combine to convert this industry from the profitable, economic driver of much of the bush in NSW and QLD to a marginal one

Microbial damage to raw cotton, sometimes referred to as weathering damage, is a common event in most parts of the world. Microbes, viz. bacteria and fungi, are omnipresent in the environment. In the case of cotton production, microbes form an essential part of the biology and health of the soil in which the cotton plants grow. After the opening of the boll, wind-blown dust and soil components are deposited on the cotton fibres, carrying with them various bacteria and fungi. Thus the microorganisms are always present and only require favourable conditions for their growth. Ideal conditions occur when rain delays the harvest.

Precision Agriculture (PA) involves the management of sites or regions within a field based on local requirements rather than field average requirements. Historical best management practice involves the careful determination of best average treatment for a whole field or farm. Where there is significant variability in the resources to which management is being employed within a field, &quote;best&quote; management must also be varied in order to accommodate local peculiarities. While awareness of within-field variability is not a recent phenomenon, the ability to accurately locate (using DGPS) and revisit sites in a field, for the purpose of conducting useful quantitative measurements or treatments is only a recent development. On-picker real-time yield monitors provide the opportunity to accurately measure cottonseed yield each second during picking. When this yield information is linked to a geographic location a yield map may be produced giving the grower or agronomist quantitative data for use in evaluating the degree of variability in a field.