Cotton news
News from Australia

As part of Cotton Australia’s ongoing support to make cotton farms in Australia safe places to live and work, the Cotton Industry Guide to Safety 2015/16 poster has been made available free of charge to all growers. This practical tool that growers display in farm sheds and offices promotes an awareness of work health and safety.

The 2015 Australian Cotton Production Manual is a one-stop-shop for Australia’s cotton 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 outlines important considerations for both productivity and profitability.

Excellent growing conditions in many Australian cotton growing valleys has led to record yields this season. Cotton Australia CEO, Adam Kay, says a national harvest of 2.2 million bales is expected for the 2014-15 season.

To help Australia’s cotton growers cut costs and improve their on-farm energy efficiency, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, NCEA and CottonInfo have been delivering the “Improving energy efficiency on irrigated cotton farms” project over the past two years, including delivering on-farm energy-audits to growers.

Bruce Finney, Allan Williams and Dr. Ian Taylor, from Australia’s Cotton Research and Development Center (CRDC) and Mike Bange, CSIRO Cotton Research Unit, visited Cotton Incorporated July 20 -23 to explore areas of future collaboration in agricultural research and textile manufacturing.

In a bid to continuously improve its on-farm sustainability, the Australian cotton industry is embarking on a full review of its myBMP (best management practices) program. The voluntary on-farm program includes over 500 checklist items across 11 modules that cover all aspects of cotton production from crop to people management.

HanesBrands, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Kohl’s® and Life is Good® Among Recent Signatories Since its establishment in 2013, the Cotton LEADS℠ program has attracted more than 300 partners from across the global supply chain. On Tuesday, May 12, a luncheon was held in Gastonia, N.C., to update the U.S.-based partners on program activities and to announce the latest additions to the Cotton LEADS℠ partner list.

Australia’s ‘Smarter irrigation for profit’ research project that aims to improve the profit of cotton, dairy, rice and sugar irrigators has been announced as a part of the Australian Government’s Rural R&D for Profit program. The project – to be rolled out across 19 irrigator-managed demonstration sites, aims to improve the profit of each irrigator by $20,000-40,000 per annum.