Cotton Australia backs vital industry research project

The industry’s project - the 'Carbon farming in the Australian cotton industry’ project - will be managed by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC).

Cotton Australia is a collaborator on the project, with partners including the Cotton Info team (Cotton Industry Development and Delivery team), CSIRO, University of New England, the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Queensland University of Technology, the Grains Research & Development Corporation, and the Qld Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation.

The project was announced last week by Senator Joe Ludwig and Tony Windsor MP at Breeza Station - Andrew Pursehouse's property at Breeza, NSW. The four-year project will focus on providing information to growers about cotton-specific farming practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and optimise carbon sequestration, via the industry's existing extension channels - the myBMP program and the D&D team.

"Australia's cotton industry has been investing in emissions research, and productivity and efficiency improvements, for more than a decade," says Cotton Australia's CEO, Adam Kay.

"However, to deliver real gains in emissions reduction and optimise sequestration on farm, the industry needed technical capacity to integrate the various sciences, practical farm management, the policy context and economics of carbon farming. The 'Extension & Outreach' project meets this need."

"This important project will provide a greatly needed channel for cotton growers to learn about carbon farming information in a way that is directly relevant to cotton."

"This project will also help ensure that best management practices and extension campaigns to reduce emissions and sequester carbon are aligned with existing practices for productivity and natural resource management."

"By reducing emissions and participating in the Carbon Farming Initiative, growers can improve the bottom line of their businesses."

Cotton Australia