growers@sgcotton.com.au Roger Tomkins - Greenmount Press

District Reports…
As in the past few seasons, most of the crop will be planted
using BRF technology. Sicot 74BRF will make up most of the area
in the lower Namoi and a significant portion of the upper Namoi,
along with Sicot 71BRF.
Cash prices for this year’s crop are at very low levels and this
will restrict planting from the highs of last year. Some growers
have sold forward some crop at reasonable prices. Perhaps 30
per cent of production has been forward sold. Let’s hope for a
few more price spikes during the season.
Overall the coming season looks promising. We just need the
price to improve.
Robert Eveleigh
August 10, 2012
Macquarie Valley
Modules modules everywhere! The forest of modules still in
fields is the most visible reminder of the 2012–13 cotton season.
Whether they are conventional blue ones or round yellow ones
there are still plenty to go in to the gins. Ginning will continue
well into November.
There are reports of cotton still to be picked in the area and
other fields that have been recently completed.
Early seed orders indicate continued optimism about the
coming season. Full water availability for the next few seasons
augers well for good areas to be planted. The current low price
is causing some pessimism but it has plenty of upside movement
potential.
Fibre quality on cotton picked before any major rain events is
holding up well. Later picked cotton is showing weather damage
Answer to iAn’s mystery
trACtor QuiZ
The tractor is a 1916 Galloway Farmobile, powered by a 20
horsepower Dart truck engine. The unit was equipped with one
forward and one reverse gear and weighed around 2.5 tons.
This historic tractor is owned by Kenny Kass of Dunkerton, Iowa,
USA. (Photos IMJ)
including some 41 grades and 4 leaf. Some later crops from the
eastern end of the cotton growing region have had some low
micronaire issues of around 3.5–3.7.
Yields across the valley have generally been good. The valley
should average over 10 bales per hectare and up to 450,000
bales could be produced here.
Burrendong Dam has received some very good inflows in
early July and is now at 107 per cent. Water is being released at
around 8000 ML per day to get it back to just over 100 per cent.
There have been several days of supplementary water available.
The Macquarie River Food and Fibre AGM on September 24,
2012 promises to be an interesting one with Senator Barnaby
Joyce attending as the guest speaker.
Winter crops in the area are looking excellent with good soil
moisture profiles.
Craig McDonald
August 1, 2012
Aquatech Consulting ....................26
Barcoo ........................................32
Barmac .......................................33
Bioag ..........................................29
BMC Partnership ...........................3
Cargill Cotton ..............................36
Case IH .........................................9
CGS ............................................IFC
Charlton ......................................48
Convey-All ...................................17
Cotton Outlook ...........................IBC
CSD ...............................................7
Countryco Training ......................10
Dinner Plain ............................ 1, 10
Ecom Commodities ......................41
John Deere .................................13
Advertiser’s Index
Monsanto .....................................19
Moree Real Estate .......................36
Mr Nozzle ...................................17
Namoi Cotton ..............................39
Neils Parts ....................................8
New Holland .................................5
Queensland Cotton ......................37
S&G Cotton .................................11
SMK Consultants............................2
Study Tours .................................21
Sumitomo ................................ OBC
Sustainable Liquid Technology Insert
The Appointments Group ...............2
Tractorman .................................51
Ultimate Agri-Products .................31
Valmont ......................................25
64 — The Australian Cottongrower August–September 2012