Turning to cotton

Forced to change their summer cropping rotation after the National Parks and Wildlife Service purchased land adjoining their property and vermin pressure became too much, the Tomlinsons made the shift from mungbeans and sorghum to cotton in the summer of 2016.

Despite a tough introduction to the crop, with less than ideal conditions and having never grown cotton before, Mr Tomlinson said it would continue to be part of their rotation. 

“As a fallow summer option, it’s been something we can grow and feel it will hang in there as it seems to be such a tough plant,” he said.

“Both years have been hot, dry summers, but with good moisture in our profile at the start and a little rain at just the right time, both crops have achieved a result.” 

Sown into a full soil moisture profile on November 23, Mr Tomlinson said the 120 hectares of dryland cotton struggled with the conditions.

“In January the crop looked as though it would come to nothing, but on January 25 we had 35 millimetres on which we spread approximately 45 units of nitrogen across the crop,” he said.

With a total of 128mm of in-crop rain, the crop has yielded 2.3 bales to the hectare, and McGregor Gourlay agronomist, Brooke Cutler, Moree, said the crop performed well considering the difficult season. 

“The crop set itself up well, and staged itself well – it didn’t go in big,” she said.

“Because of the minimal rain, it allowed itself to grow to what it could, and then really set its bolls quite early and got into making them. 

“The number of five segments we had in the bolls was a true indication of that.”

Making the shift from sorghum and mungbeans wasn’t the first choice for the Tomlinsons, but Mr Tomlinson said no matter what he and his neighbours did, they just couldn’t control the number of pigs.

“National Parks tend to not really control their vermin very well, so it seems to be an endless battle trying to stop the pigs,” he said.

“Because we grew the feed, they came out looking for it and absolutely nailed us, which cost us a fortune.”

While the pigs do still do damage in the cotton, Mr Tomlinson said they haven’t caused such a huge impact.

“They are still here because we see bolls chewed up, but they don't tend to wipe them out, whereas a sorghum crop and a mungbean crop can be a total loss,” he said. 

Cotton remains a saving grace in dry times

With the imminent onset of winter and no forecast break to the dry conditions, Craig and Merrilee Tomlinson, “Springfielfd”, Bellata, say the remains of their 120 hectare cotton crop will be a saving grace for their cattle. 

Running 200 Hereford cows in a self-replacing herd, the Tomlinsons sell most of their cattle straight off the cow as weaners and Mr Tomlinson said in recent years they have expanded their operation with the purchase of another 1000ha.

“It's progressed really well, and in the last couple of years it has been hugely profitable with cattle prices the way that they are,” he said. 

“But this year we'll have to put a bit back in to keep them going.

“In my 25 years of being here, this last 12 months is the worst I've seen it.” 

Where they would normally plant a winter crop of chickpeas, this year the Tomlinsons will be using the remains of their cotton crop to feed 100 heifers.

“Normally with a good season, we would be mulching the stubble and putting chickpeas in like we did last year, but this year the ground's far too dry,” Mr Tomlinson said.

“Because the cotton has sucked virtually everything it can get out of it, the ground has gone very hard so we'll put about 100 heifers in there.

“It's less than ideal to do that, but it'll give us three weeks grace, and then we've got to do something to pupae bust.”

Like much of the state, feed has been short across “Springfield” and the Tomlinson’s second property, “Westwood”, in recent months, forcing them to find an alternate source for their herd.

“At the moment we're feeding the heifers on cotton seed, so they'll understand that and go straight into the crop,” Mr Tomlinson said.

“Without a better word, the paddocks have probably been over-grazed because of the dry situation. 

“The issue will come when it does rain, how to rejuvenate the paddocks.”