Contents - Greenmount Press

District Reports…
The early indications of the consequences of these two factors
are a 10–20 per cent decrease in the irrigated cotton area and a
50 per cent or more decrease in dryland plantings.
The wet early winter and a dry finish allowed for a good land
preparation of the irrigated area with most fields being planted
into back-to-back cotton – in many cases for the third year
straight. There has been a mixture of pre-irrigation and watering
up. Pre-irrigating began in mid-late September with the first of
the early planting starting on the western end of the district in
the last week of that month. A bulk of the planting started in the
first and second weeks of October.
Planting conditions have been variable – soil temperatures
have generally been good since mid-September apart from a cool
change in the first week of October and one that is occurring
now.
Dryland cotton this season will be mainly back to the growers
who regularly use the crop as part of their long-term rotation.
To date, planting opportunities for these growers have been very
limited with only a couple of people being fortunate enough to
land under some storms.
In late August, more than 100 keen golfers attended the
2012 Macintyre Valley Cotton Industry Golf Day. The event
raises funds for a student bursary which assists students from
the Goondiwindi State High to attend tertiary studies at the
university of their choice.
David Kelly
October 11, 2012
Darling Downs
Good general rain across the Downs on October 11 and
12 has been widely welcomed following a very dry winter.
The rain has provided moisture to a very stressed winter crop,
significantly improving the yield potential as well as opening up
Enjoying the awards evening L to R: Allyse Morris (Qld
Cotton), Esme Armstrong, Meg Kummerow (Young Achiever
Award), Geoff McIntyre (DAFF).
Some of the 350 guests enjoying the 2012 Darling Downs
Cotton Growers Awards night.
Pictured L to R: Vanderfield Machinery Darling Downs Cotton
Grower of the Year award winners Rhonda and Kevin Conlan,
Katrina and Tim Conlan, Geoff Rudd(consultant).
the opportunity to get the summer cotton and gain crop off to a
good start.
Total cotton planting is expected to be significantly down on
last year. Low cotton prices and reduced available land are having
a significant impact on the decision making process. Sorghum is
looking very attractive to many growers particularly dryland. The
need to rotate land out of cotton and high prices make it a very
attractive option.
The Darling Downs cotton growers celebrated a record
year on September 7 at the Annual Awards Dinner. Over 350
growers, their families, industry representatives, industry service
providers and businesses came together at Oakey Cultural Centre
to recognise outstanding grower achievement and celebrate
the successes of the year. The highly successful evening clearly
demonstrated the strength of the industry on the Downs and its
importance to the regional economy.
The Darling Downs Cotton Growers Association would like to
sincerely thank all those who attended and the sponsors for their
strong support that they provided in making the night such a
wonderful event. The association would also like to congratulate
all the entrants and the worthy winners. The quality of the
entrants clearly demonstrate the exceptionally high standard of
Down’s growers, their professionalism and skill levels.
62 — The Australian Cottongrower October–November 2012