Border Rivers Cotton Grower Reduces Planting Area Amid Water Constraints
Mick Freeman plans to decrease cotton acreage to a few hundred hectares due to water scarcity after three successful years. The reduction will allow for infrastructure upgrades and better soil management, vital for maintaining yield quality.
Theia Market Signal Identification - AI AssistedMick Freeman is set to plant only a few hundred hectares of cotton next season due to limited water availability. This decrease follows three consecutive years of substantial yields but allows for necessary upgrades to aging equipment and improvements in soil health.
The area cultivated for irrigated cotton is dependent on water resources, with current conditions leading to a focus on infrastructure, including replacing pumps and improving drainage. Freeman's farm features 3000 hectares for irrigated summer cotton and 4500 hectares for dryland crops.
The farm practices a rotation that includes wheat and chickpeas, but continuous cotton cropping has caused declines in soil health, resulting in yield reductions of 10-20%. Current planting practices include the use of specific fertilizers and advanced planting equipment to optimize crop establishment.
Challenges remain with weed management in dryland areas, although irrigation remains effective. The farm's water sourced from local rivers and stored in dams supports its cotton production strategy, while ongoing conversions to bankless irrigation aim to enhance efficiency.
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