Parliamentary Briefing on the state of the cotton industry

Cotton contributes some $1.5 billion to our economy in non-drought affected years and helps keep many rural and regional communities across Australia vibrant and sustainable. This message will be delivered by leading cotton industry figures at a CRDC, Cotton Australia and ACGRA briefing for parliamentarians, media and others interested in the industry at Parliament House, Canberra, on August 14.

Senator Judith Troeth, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, carries government responsibility for the rural research and development corporations such as CRDC and will be a special guest at the presentation. Speakers will focus on what the cotton industry is doing to enhance sustainability of production, trade, regional contribution and its impact on the economic, environmental and social triple bottom line.

CRDC will launch its research and development strategic plan for 2003–2008, recently approved by the Australian Government, as well as the findings of an independent environmental review of the cotton industry, conducted by environmental consultancy firm, GHD. Ten years ago, the cotton industry was the first agricultural industry to submit to an external environmental audit. The 2003 review has looked afresh at the environmental performance of the industry, identifying areas where advances have been made in the past decade, as well as those areas where the industry must seek further improvement.

The Parliamentary Briefing is timed to coincide with CRDC’s Board meeting, to be held in Canberra on August 14 and 15, allowing the corporation’s directors to attend the briefing.

CRC undertakes Research Review

A peer review of research undertaken at the Australian Cotton Cooperative Research Centre in the 2002–03 financial year was held at The New England University’s Wright Centre on July 23 and 24. Some 130 researchers and extension staff broke into four groups, looking at farming systems, IPM and area wide management, the environment and weeds and diseases.

The review was undertaken to ensure that research was on track with the CRC’s research objectives and to look at where researchers would like the research program to head during the next three years.

The review was part of the process through which the CRC reports to its advisory committee, comprising cotton growers and experts outside the CRC who provide independent feedback.

Even though the Cotton CRC’s term does not expire until 2006, the bid for a new cotton CRC must be lodged with the Federal Government by May 2004. Participants spent the afternoon of the second day beginning the process of formulating a vision for the new CRC, which will have a broader focus on production, environmental and social issues facing the Australian cotton industry and its communities.

A widely-attended dinner was held on the first night to farewell outgoing Chief Executive Officer, Dr Gary Fitt.

Cotton IPM Short Courses coming up

“If you are serious about growing cotton you should do this course.” According to Cotton IPM Training Coordinator, Mark Hickman, this is just one of the comments growers have made after completing the Australian Cotton CRC IPM short course. One hundred growers from Emerald, St George, Goondiwindi, Dalby, Mungindi, Moree, Narrabri and Trangie have already attended the course, with about half electing to obtain a formal accreditation in IPM from the course. Accreditations are certified through either Murrumbidgee Agricultural College or Dalby Agricultural College, depending on the grower’s location.

The course consists of four components: a two-day classroom session, two half-day field sessions (one early and one late season) and a half day review. The course will run for the length of a season, beginning in August this year and culminating in approximately May next year. Mark Hickman points out that subsidies are available for FarmBis clients.

Courses are planned for the 2003–04 season at Emerald, St George, Dirranbandi, Goondiwindi, Oakey, Narrabri, Warren and Hillston. For further information contact either your local Industry Development Officer, or Mark Hickman, the IPM Training coordinator, at Queensland Department of Primary Industries, on 07 46881206 or mobile 0407 113 096.

IPM research set to deliver for growers

A workshop, held by David Murrary at the Queensland Department of Primary Industries in Toowoomba in late June, provided an update on a range of research projects on cotton and grains IPM, looking at potentially useful IPM-compatible strategies.

Dr Peter Gregg, of The University of New England’s School of Rural Science and Natural Resources, reported on his ‘Attract and Kill’ technology, which uses an attractant to entice heliothis moths onto one or two rows of plants and incorporates an insecticide to kill them.

The workshops also heard that research into the use of naturally occurring Trichogramma parasites to control heliothis in cotton on the Darling Downs is now moving into the extension phase, with some cotton consultants already using this method of control.

Changes afoot at CRDC

Several changes in staff have occurred or will shortly occur at the Corporation, with Communications Manager Lauren Pearce moving on, replaced by Elizabeth Tout. Program Manager Ruth Farwell and her husband have moved to new challenges on the north coast, with Cara Taylor, formerly of the NSW Department of Technology and based at the Australian Cotton Research Institute, taking on this role at CRDC.

Research Program Manager, Guy Roth, becomes Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Cotton CRC in September, replacing Dr Gary Fitt, who has accepted a position with CSIRO Entomology in Brisbane.

While Guy will be sadly missed at CRDC, his background in strategic planning and managing research programs and projects makes him an ideal person to oversee development of a high quality proposal for a new cotton CRC, for submission to the Federal Government in 2004. His time as Research Program Manager at CRDC has added further depth to his already considerable understanding of what the cotton industry needs and expects from its research and development investment.