At Warrawidgee Station Peter and Valda Salvestro are happy with the way things are progressing. They have 1280 hectares of cotton ready to come off.  

“It looks very good. This should be as good a year as we’ve ever had,” Mr Salvestro said.

“We’ve been growing cotton for about seven years and are probably 35 to 40 per cent into picking.

“We’ve been going for a few weeks and it will probably take another three to four weeks until we are finished.

“The conditions have been excellent for cotton. We’ve had plenty of sunlight and very little cloud cover. 

“Cotton likes direct sunlight so it’s been ideal.”

Farming is a family affair for the Salvestros, with son Dean and his wife, Kiara; and daughter, Kate and her husband, Rob Beltrame, working together.

“We grow rice, corn and wheat but cotton is our major crop now,” Peter said.

“We wanted a more efficient use of our water and with cotton grossing twice as much per megalitre than rice we realised it was the way to go.

“Water is in short supply and you have to keep gross income up and the way to do that is to be as efficient as possible.” 

Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Cotton Growers’ Association chairman Gavin Dal Broi said sunny skies and enough pickers to go around meant local cotton farmers were smiling.

It is estimated that 36,000ha of cotton has been planted in the Lachlan Murrumbidgee this year.

“Overall it’s looking good,” he said. 

“Yields have been a bit fluctuating compared to last year. 

“Some crops during that heat period in January, if watered, are getting 11 to 13 bales per hectare but guys who struggled with irrigation are down to nine or 10 bales per hectare.

“It’s all coming along really well. We are about 10 days earlier than last year and the gins are going well and up and running.

“A lot of local growers are happy with how they are situated getting it off.”