{"id":816309,"date":"2025-01-01T05:18:46","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T11:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/01\/unexpected-crops-blooming-in-queenslands-dusty-cattle-country\/"},"modified":"2025-01-01T05:18:46","modified_gmt":"2025-01-01T11:18:46","slug":"unexpected-crops-blooming-in-queenslands-dusty-cattle-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/01\/unexpected-crops-blooming-in-queenslands-dusty-cattle-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Unexpected crops blooming in Queensland’s dusty cattle country"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Outback Queensland’s red dirt might not be a typical setting for a grape or cotton farm.<\/p>\n

Blazing summer temperatures in this part of the country easily reach the mid-40s at this time of year and cattle graze as far as the eye can see.<\/p>\n

But in the dusty North West, farmers are planting crops rarely seen in the outback, and a bright new industry is starting to bloom.<\/p>\n

At Etta Plains, more than 300 kilometres north-east of Mount Isa, cotton grower Lucas Findley owns around 4,000 hectares of dryland development and more than 2,000 hectares of ‘bank-less’ irrigation development.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"drone<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Cotton is proving to be a viable crop in North West Queensland. (ABC News: Kristy O’Brien<\/span>)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now planting his fourth cotton crop, Mr Findley aims to have 1,000 hectares in the ground by Christmas.<\/p>\n

“It’s been a steep learning curve \u2026 but now we’re starting to see some increased yields and productivity which we know we can grow up there,” he said.<\/p>\n

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Lucas Findley (right) has been growing cotton in outback Queensland for four years. (Supplied<\/span>)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While cotton can grow in the west, transporting crops to a cotton gin, a machine that separates the fibres from the seeds, remains a challenge for growers.<\/p>\n

The closest gin is in Emerald, over 1,000km away, or Katherine, 1,600km away.<\/p>\n

So, Mr Findley is advocating for one to be built near Julia Creek, 250km east of Mount Isa.<\/p>\n

“It will make the dryland cotton viable in the region,” he said.<\/p>\n

“[This] is an enormous opportunity everywhere from Richmond up to the Gulf of Carpentaria \u2026 [and] will allow broad acre farming to exist in a big, positive way.<\/p>\n

“We believe you’ll be able to grow some pretty substantial yields but the risk associated with dryland cotton until a gin is established is quite high.”<\/p>\n

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Mr Findley is advocating for a machine that separates cotton seeds and fibres to be built in North West Queensland. (Supplied<\/span>)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Former executive general manager of Queensland Cotton John Robinson said the expansive region had huge potential for dryland cotton and yields were expected to be high next year.<\/p>\n

“If production continues, there will be a cotton gin built [in the North West], but there won’t be for some time yet,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It’s got a lot of potential, and I think a lot of that country is probably underutilised \u2026 though you probably can’t be beaten for cattle country here.”<\/p>\n

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North Queensland’s Flinders River is an irrigation prospective for crops. (Flickr: southern_skies<\/span>)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Push for grain<\/h2>\n

Built on outback plains, the previous Queensland Government funded a $2 million common user grain facility at Maxwelton, about 350km east of Mount Isa.<\/p>\n

That facility is under construction and will process grain from start to finish and connect to the direct train line to the port of Townsville.<\/p>\n

Alongside cotton, Mr Findley grows a small number of other crops, including sorghum, chickpeas and mung beans.<\/p>\n

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Chickpeas would be processed at the grain facility. (ABC Kimberley: Courtney Fowler<\/span>)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He said he wants to expand if the grain facility gets up and running.<\/p>\n

“There’s a lot of people in the area now starting to grow and figure out systems particularly associated with cattle,” he said.<\/p>\n

“[That] is just going to make [the industry] grow leaps and bounds over the next few years.”<\/p>\n

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\"Barley<\/p>\n<\/div>

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With the development of a grain facility, North West Queensland could produce more varities of crops. (Flickr: Tom Blackwell<\/span>)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The tyranny of distance is one major hit to growers in the region.<\/p>\n

“Having the ability to deliver to Maxwelton will make this process extremely easy, and we’re very, very excited,” Mr Findley said.<\/p>\n

“It’s basically like growing grains in most other parts of eastern Australia, with closeness to port and prices.”<\/p>\n

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\"Man<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Richmond Mayor John Wharton says a local grain facility would be a major boost to the region’s agricultural industry. (ABC Rural: Lucy Cooper<\/span>)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Richmond Shire Mayor John Wharton said a grower in the region had called the project a “game changer”.<\/p>\n

“We need to look after all our farms, whether they’re growing cattle or sheep or grain, this would be a great thing for the North West,” he said.<\/p>\n

Outback grown grapes<\/h2>\n

Far from the cool breezes and lush green landscape of the Barossa Valley, a vineyard is growing in the desert heat, more than 500km east of Mount Isa at Hughenden.<\/p>\n

Victorian company Marciano Table Grapes expanded their business to the remote Queensland climate and planned to produce its first commercial crop this year.<\/p>\n

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Different grape varieties are being grown at Hughenden. (Supplied: Caddie Brain<\/span>)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Farm manager Maritz du Plessis told the ABC in 2021<\/a> that since early-season fruit was predominantly imported from California in the United States, the company was looking to divert some of those imports.<\/p>\n

The unique vineyard grew its first harvest in 2022 and initially invested $10 million to develop the farm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Abbey Halter
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Outback Queensland’s red dirt might not be a typical setting for a grape or cotton farm. Blazing summer temperatures in this part of the country easily reach the mid-40s at this time of year and cattle graze as far as the eye can see. But in the dusty North West, farmers are planting crops rarely<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":816310,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55114,26260],"tags":[20693,10364],"class_list":{"0":"post-816309","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crops","8":"category-unexpected","9":"tag-crops","10":"tag-unexpected"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=816309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/816310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=816309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=816309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=816309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}