January Newsletter

Welcome to the second edition of our monthly newsletter!

We’re excited to continue keeping you informed with updates from the Gin and region. This month, we have a special contribution from Angus Marshall of Cotton Seed Distributors, who has provided a regional update across the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Additionally, we’re in the process of upgrading out module feeder to make it more efficient.

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INSIGHTS & PERSPECTIVES

Angus Marshall

Regional Update: Northern Territory & Western Australia

Angus Marshall - Cotton Seed Distributors - Extension & Development Agronomist NT & WA

Northern Territory

Good build-up rains had things looking very promising leading up to the opening of the planting window in the NT, with some areas receiving as much as 300mm. Planters started rolling into good moisture across the majority of the growing area. Cotton planted early in December established well, however, some latter planted cotton fields were a mixed bag.

A later than usual monsoon saw several dry spells in late December and early January. Periods of 5-10 days without rain combined with very warm weather resulted in some plant losses, particularly in areas with sandy soils. As a result, some fields required replanting.

The key takeaway from this season's planting is the importance of rainfall post-planting to cool soil temperatures and aid in establishment, regardless of subsoil moisture. As I write this report (early January) majority of the cotton area in the NT has received a timely 50mm of rain, on the back of this most replanted crops should establish well. 

This season in the NT there are 3 B3XF variety trials, two dryland and one under centre pivot irrigation. All have established well with some varieties showing some outstanding early vigour, Sicot 619B3XF and CSX 1375B3XF. Looking forward growers are optimistic for the coming season, with flowering likely to occur later in the month fingers are crossed for sunny days and stormy afternoons.  

Western Australia

On the back of their extended planting window, some growers kicked off plating on the 1st of January this season, taking advantage of a dry spell. Ground preparations were hampered a little leading up to plating due to December storm activity, however, a dry start to January enabled growers to make up for lost time.

Cotton planted early in the window benefited from follow-up storms resulting in great establishment. Some growers are taking advantage of the extended planting window this season and splitting their plating up, reducing the risk of prolonged wet periods pushing them late into the plating window.

This season will see the biggest plated area ever in the Ord with an estimated 8,000ha expected to be planted.

Want to hear more from Angus?

If you'd like to hear more from Angus, check out his podcast, ‘Cotton Yarns’. It's available on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Just click on the links or search for ‘Cotton Yarns* to tune in, be sure to follow so can be notified of new episodes.

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WHAT’S NEW

Module Feeder Upgrades

We’re kicking off the year with some upgrades to our module feeder!

The module feeder is where the rounds are first introduced into the gin for processing, it works by breaking the cotton modules apart using spiked rollers, which pull the cotton apart to begin the ginning process.

We are making improvements to the the electrics in order to speed the process up. With enhanced technology and faster handling, we’ll see less retraction time, leading to more consistent output. These upgrades will increase efficiency and help boost bale production by minimising idle time.