Nearly 60,000 hectares of cotton have been planted in the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan Valley areas this year, more than double last year’s impressive haul.

Contractor Aaron Fitzpatrick, who this week was driving the picker at Joe Dal Broi’s farm, said they were moving quickly through the paddocks thanks to the decent weather.

“We haven’t been able to start until about 10.30 or 11 in the morning because of the moisture, but that’s usual this time of year,” he said.

“We’re getting through it quite quickly, which is good and the rain didn’t affect the crop too badly, unless it was flooded.”

Chair of the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Cotton Growers’ Association Gavin Dal Broi said it was individual growers, rather than the industry as a whole, who had suffered from the devastating floods.

“Really only one or two per cent of the whole crop will be downgraded because of the floods,” he said.

“It’s individual farmers who have taken a big hit. Some farmers have lost 20 to 30 per cent of their field.”

While last year growers struggled to get their crop off with rain and overcast conditions continually delaying harvest and damaging the cotton, growers are optimistic about this year’s harvest.

“It’s definitely a better crop this year,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“The cold weather in September hurt some of the crop early but we’re getting about 10 bales to the hectare on Joe’s place, which is up on last year.”

The explosion in the amount of cotton planted in the area has also seen a huge investment in infrastructure.

The gin began receiving bales from local growers last

week but won’t be ready to begin processing until late May or early June.

The new bale pickers which have cut down on time and labour, have also driven the move towards cotton leading the industry to affectionately dub them the green goose that lays the golden egg, for the yellow plastic it wraps the bales in.