The Findley family are pioneers in Queensland’s Gulf catchment, growing the first ever commercial crop of irrigated cotton on their property, Etta Plains, 125km north of Julia Creek. Positioned directly in the fertile, self-mulching cracking clay soils of the Gulf Country of North-West Queensland in Northern Australia, present owners the Findley’s are also successful cattle producers. They have recognised that this particular property (Etta Plains), one of a number they own, has significant irrigation and cropping potential.
Both the Australian Federal Government and the Queensland State Government are promoting agriculture as a growth pillar for the economy, and both have identified Northern Australia as an area to invest in.
The majority of the property is treeless plains of moderately deep brown and grey cracking clays (Vertosols) that generally exhibit self-mulching surface soils, and uniform light-medium clay textures through the profile. These profiles are typically 1.5 to 3 metres deep and have developed from a Allaru mudstone. The cropping site sits upon the Balbirini/Georgina landform which is comprised of gently undulating plains with even slopes between 0 to 3%.
The Findley’s had their soil and land surveyed to identify the major soil types and soil profiles. This is a regulated requirement, but more importantly, allowed the Findley’s to make informed decisions regarding crop selection, drainage, irrigation options, and assess potential environmental impacts such as erosion, runoff and salinity.
Cropping opportunities
Lucas Findley has a long history growing irrigated cotton on his family’s holding in the Namoi Valley, NSW. When presented with the potential development and high-quality property with excellent soils and water availability in a region that is on the verge of becoming a new growth and development area, it was a sound decision to invest. The Findley’s applied for a water allocation and licence in the first tender round of the Queensland Government’s water allocation in the Flinders catchment and were successful in purchasing 32,000 megaltires. This allowed them to explore a range of different cropping options without water being a limiting factor to production and yield. Some of the opportunities the Findley’s considered beneficial when determining crop suitability included:
Lucas Findlay and his family undertook the appropriate investigative process which included:
Growing cotton in a tropical monsoon environment presents challenges around managing intense storm events, that can lead to run-off, erosion, and put pressure on pump returns. One advantage of bankless channels is the ability to hold the water in-field and allow the heavy vertosol soils to absorb the water and utilise the 300mm Plant Available Water holding Capacity (PAWC), which has efficiency benefits for cropped fields, or those in fallow. Lucas commented: “I monitor my pump height thresholds during a storm event, unlike a furrow irrigated system where your tailwater return can be easily overwhelmed by stormwater. During an irrigation season, at a guess I would say we are reticulating 20-30% less water than I expected”.
A co-benefit of choosing an efficient irrigation layout can flow on to the balance sheet at some point in the future. Lucas feels that water and labour productivity measures will be reflected in the overall value of his farming development. “Although bankless channels use slightly more land, there is growing evidence that a more efficient and productive layout will command a premium for siphon irrigation farms, and with rural labour tightening and more economic pressure to use water wisely, that theory stands to reason.
