The Cotton Growing Practices 2016 survey was conducted in Spring 2016 by Roth Rural on behalf of CRDC. It gathered information on farming practices and views of cotton growers about the 2015-16 season on the issues of nutrition, plant growth regulation, farm hygiene, chemical application management, harvesting, solar energy, CottonInfo and participation in research trials. This information is collated and analysed as an industry data set to help inform cotton research and industry policy and provide information for cotton growers about management practices across their industry.

Survey responses were received from 176 growers, representing 35 per cent of the irrigated and 15 per cent of the dryland 2015-16 crop area.

Without doubt the world statistical stock situation would indicate that there is an enormous Imbalance between the supply/ demand situation for cotton, which on the f ace of it will last for some years yet. Nevertheless whilst this may be the case for cottons suitable for course count yarns it certainly is not the pos1t1on for cottons suitable for medium count yarns.

Although cotton has been grown in Australia for over one hundred years, mainly in Queensland prior to the early 1960's, it was not until 1963/1964 following the completion of the Keepit Dam and the introduction of the Raw Cotton Bounty Act (1964) that production started 1n New South Wales. It is worth remembering that the Bounty Act was brought in by the Federal Government to encourage cotton production for use by the local textile industry, in order to save much needed foreign exchange. The Bounty Act was one of the most successful schemes ever introduced by the Federal Government and by the late sixties some small quantities were produced surplus to domestic needs leading to the first exports of Australian cotton on the overseas market. The Bounty Scheme was subsequently phased out in 1971.

The following paper outlines the Bureau's latest outlook for the Australian cotton industry as recently published in the Quarterly Review of Rural Economy Vol . 8, No. 3 August 1986. Further discussion on the background and effects of the US farm bill and the medium term outlook for cotton will be presented at the Conference . This discussion will be based on this paper

The P2D project involves all Rural Research and Development Corporations, and is focused on three main aims:

• Facilitating the development of digital technology in Australian agriculture.

• Fostering the establishment of appropriate legal frameworks, data systems and access to critical datasets.

• Identifying the data communications systems required to deliver the benefits of digital agriculture to the Australia farm and agribusiness sectors.

Additional socialisation of project findings is required with international stakeholders to increase international awareness on next steps for stakeholder engagement and investment for digital agriculture in Australia.

Currently, the legal and regulatory frameworks around agricultural data are immature. Around the world, many groups are grappling with how best to manage agricultural data and what best practice would look like for the governance of agricultural data which would enable producers to capture the value of their data and for agricultural industries to foster and support digital innovation. The aim of this international travel exchange was to disseminate the research findings of the Legal Dimensions of Digital Agriculture research funded as part of the P2D project as well as provide the opportunity to network and collaborate with researchers working on the agricultural data governance internationally. Interestingly, Australia was shown to be leading the discussion on agricultural data governance in the international context.This Travel Exchange projectS RRDP1809 and 1810 achieved the aims and objectives as the contacts made in both Berlin and Montreal has already fostered some potential international collaboration with the international agricultural research community which will benefit Australian agricultural industries. From researchers presentations at Interest Group Agricultural Data, I was approached by the FAO, to join and lead 1 day of a 5-day international E-Consultation of ethical, legal and policy aspects of open data affecting farmers (from 4-8th June 2018) and to join in an International Working Party on the Legal, Policy and Ethical Aspects of Data for Farmers. This provided the opportunity to showcase the work that was being done in Australia and to connect with organisations who are also grappling with similar issues. Collaboration with Canadian research institutions was also fostered through conference presentations. This provides an important network to draw upon as Australia seriously considers the best way to guide Agricultural data policy and practice.

Like most other major manufacturing industries, cotton spinners in the western world have been constantly pressured by heavy competition from low wage costs countries. That constant pressure to reduce overall production costs has been the major catalyst in the development of the industry