A sustainable operation is key for the Corishs cotton farm at Goondiwindi

Ensuring their business is viable and sustainable for the long term is key for the Corish family.

RUNNING a profitable, sustainable farming operation is the main aim for Brett Corish.

The innovative, award-winning cotton grower is committed to ensuring the farm is viable and sustainable for the long term.

And that means being at the forefront of new technology and continually working to improve water efficiency and yields.

Brett manages his family’s 7550ha property, Mundine, at Goondiwindi on the Queensland-NSW border, with his wife Anna, parents Peter (a former National Farmers’ Federation president) and Kerry, and brother Simon and his wife Chantal.

The Corishs purchased Mundine in 1979 and started developing irrigation land three years later. The growth of the business over the years has allowed them to purchase neighbouring properties.

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Now the family has 2000ha under irrigation and 2600ha developed for dryland cropping, with the remainder used as grazing country. They also lease another farm near Talwood that is run by a manager. That farm has 2000ha under irrigation and 2000ha of dryland cropping.

While cotton is the Corishs’ main crop, they also have a sheep feedlot (developed 15 years ago and leased out about 18 months ago), grow cereal crops and run 120 Angus cows. Brett said the dryland cropping enterprise was an integral part of their business.

The Corishs plant about 800-1000ha of cotton annually, depending on water availability, with dryland cotton generally grown as an “opportunity” crop.

“The amount planted is decided on our water allocation and we try to put in production what we have water for,” Brett said.

PRECIOUS

RESOURCE
WHEN it comes to water use Brett said the family budgeted for 9-10 megalitres of water per hectare to produce the highest yields and best quality.

Cotton is grown as a “one in, one out” rotation with crops followed by a year of cereals (mostly wheat or barley) or fallow for organic matter. The Corishs grow two main varieties — Bollgard 3 Sicot 746 and 748.

“Cereals are grown in the year off to grow stubble matter to get soil health regenerating. It means we can take crops through to harvest or use them for green manure,” said Brett, who won last year’s Cotton Australia Cotton Grower of the Year award.

Brett said while he didn’t think the family farmed much differently to anyone else, he conceded there was a big emphasis on attention to detail. “Every operation or pass (with machinery or spray) is given great attention to detail,” Brett said. “We try to maximise what we do.”

Cotton grower Brett Corish of Mundine at Goondiwindi, Queensland, with a barley crop just emerging.

When water availability is good, Brett said the family aimed for cotton yields of 13 bales/ha — a benchmark they have been close to maintaining during the past five years.

Brett said the water came from the Border Rivers system, which had been reliable for the past 30-40 years but was currently “pretty dire”.

He described the negative publicity about cotton farmers and their role in the national water debate as “unjust”.

“We are irrigators (like other types of farmers) and the money spent on water licences is a business decision operations are able to make through a water system,” Brett said. “There are a lot of misconceptions about allocations and extractions.”

DRY ARGUMENT
THE upcoming season is not looking great, with no water allocations. The Corishs have planted some cereal crops, with about 250mm of rain for the year so far, about half what they would normally expect.

“Things will be pretty tough and the health of the river will be tough,” Brett said. But he said it was like everyone else in a dryland cropping situation.

“You minimise costs and make decisions to ensure we are prepared in the right way, so when the season breaks we can take advantage of it.

“It does mean spending money, but if we aren’t in a position to go when the season does turn, there is a long way back — we have to maintain production and keep maintenance up to scratch.”

As water has become less reliable, Brett has spent time improving water efficiency on farm.

Image of cotton a cotton boll. Pic Courtesy of Cotton Australia.

He has transitioned from siphon to bankless irrigation, achieving water savings of 5-10 per cent, while also increasing yields by a similar margin.

It also means there is quicker recycling of tail water, more even flow and it requires only one person to irrigate large areas.

Brett also designed a pop-up water indicator on newly developed areas of bankless irrigation fields. The water triggers a mechanism to raise a flag, which means there is now little need to manually check the position of the water.

Uptaking new technology or reconfiguring machinery to suit the operation helps in improving efficiency and production. Brett says the family adopts what technology is practical to the farm. They use a WEEDit precision sprayer for efficiency. This saves 80-90 per cent of pesticides applied. They also review yield maps to identify the better and weaker areas and monitor machinery for fuel and operator efficiency.

DOWN TO EARTH

THE Corishs also conduct soil testing and carry out EM38 surveys — electromagnetic induction-based soil sensing — on irrigation country to map soil variability and structure.

Soil and tissue testing as well as satellite imagery help to reduce fertiliser inputs, while manure from the sheep feedlot is used as part of the fertiliser program.

Moisture probes are used across the farm to ensure they are getting the best water efficiency, dam monitors are used to track water storage and weather stations are used to monitor weather.

The Corishs produce cotton under the Better Management Practices, or myBMP Cotton, which is the Australian cotton industry’s standard for growing cotton in harmony with the natural environment.

They are also members of the Better Cotton Initiative which aims to transform cotton production worldwide by developing BCI cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity.

Brett said the family had been part of BMP for 20 years.

“Production of cotton in the past 10-20 years has changed significantly with the introduction of GM (genetically modified) cotton. We have gone from 12-13 applications of insecticide to growing a crop on zero to one spray. That’s a massive tick environmentally.”

He also said irrigation farms provided environmental assistance in a number of ways, including through having water storage attracting native birds and wildlife.

“We have a big focus on sustainability as I’d like to pass it on to my children and give them the same opportunities I have had. If I do the wrong thing that won’t happen.

“Overall that’s the ultimate goal to live an enjoyable lifestyle as a family, while being sustainable and profitable.”