William Scott
THERE’S something remarkable about walking along the rows of the neatly stacked bales at the Northern Cotton Gin.
Single lights, spaced evenly along the trusses above the creamy-white wrapped fibre bales brighten the space.
The Entegra-built shed looks new. It feels fresh.
There’s capacity to store 14,000 cotton bales in this facility.
More than 3000 tonnes of cotton.
But it’s not the size – or scale – of this facility which sets it apart.
It’s what it represents.
These bales are proof of Australia’s expanding cotton industry.
Evidence of the viability and sustainability of northern cotton.
And in many ways it’s also an insight into the future diversification of Northern Territory and West Australian agriculture.
Expanding cotton production into northern Australia has been a work in progress.
These bales prove it’s possible.
Cotton in cattle country is a reality.
And the benefits will flow through the entire region and agricultural sector.
The Northern Gin was officially opened in December 2023.
More than 22,000 modules or bales were ginned since May this year, on track to hit about 65,000.
Owned by local company WANT (Western Australia Northern Territory) Cotton and operated in partnership with global agribusiness Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), it’s a striking construction sitting just off the Stuart Highway 35 km north of Katherine in the Northern Territory.
At 21.5 metres to the eave, the gin is a tall building, flanked by the bale shed and offices.
Sitting behind the gin is a cottonseed shed.
Storage for the co-product of cotton ginning is humongous – 97.5 metres long, with a 43m span and 8.25m high- to be exact.
Seed is transported via raised plastic pipes from the shed into the gin.
This steady stream of seed slowly builds into large piles, aerated by tunnels beneath the concrete floor and protected from the elements by an Entegra shed.
Referred to by many as the by-product of cotton, it could be argued that this part of the cotton production process offers the most opportunities for the Northern Territory.
And it has the $1.2 billion cattle industry excited.
Whole cottonseed represents about 55 per cent of each cotton module.
This seed is a valuable and nutritious livestock feed as it includes energy, fat, protein and fibre.
According the FutureBeef – a collaborative project for the northern Australian beef industry – the approximate feed composition of whole cottonseed is dry matter 90-93 per cent, energy 14 megajoules per kg, crude protein 22-24 per cent, oil 15-18 per cent, calcium 0.15 per cent, phosphorus 0.75 per cent and digestibility 80 per cent.
It’s a suitable supplement for stock grazing low-quality feed and in times of drought, breeders have survived on 1 to 2 kilograms of whole cottonseed per head per day.
But for Northern Territory and northern Western Australian cattle producers, they see the cotton seed as an opportunity to diversify and value-add their livestock industry.
And it could be a game changer for the Northern Territory’s largest agricultural sector.
Thanks to a plentiful and local supply of cotton seed, producers will be able to cost effectively “finish” cattle – add muscle and meat to their frame and optimise fat cover in preparation for slaughter – similar to feedlots.
A constant supply of “finished” cattle could support growth in the local meat processing sector and provide opportunities to develop new markets for meat, both locally and globally.
A stepchange for an industry that’s underpinned by the export of live cattle, processing cattle for meat in the Northern Territory could provide countless economic benefits.
For example, additional local jobs, another industry for the Northern Territory, market diversification and openings for further investment.
At the other end of the cattle supply chain, cottonseed could also supplement the diets of breeders – helping them maintain optimum condition for joining – to maximise productivity by decreasing calving intervals.
This enthusiasm from the cattle industry comes as increasing numbers of cotton growers in the Big Rivers region of the Northern Territory are cultivating land.
According to the Northern Territory Government, 10,000 hectares of cotton was planted during 2023-24.
And the industry is confident this will expand, fast.
A stark contrast to the 800ha grown just three years earlier across six properties, there’s an energy surrounding the sector that oozes optimism.
Trials at the Douglas Daly Research Farm, Katherine Research Station and other commercial cotton operations are growing a cotton variety that’s enhanced by biotechnology, to reduce chemical and water use.
Cotton Australia also expects to create 2500 regional and remote jobs linked to the Northern Territory cotton industry by 2030.
Back at the Northern Cotton gin, a b-triple pulls into the module pad and prepares for unloading.
The pink and yellow wrapped modules are stacked neatly alongside others awaiting processing.
Earthworks continue on either side of the gin and cottonseed shed.
Expansion of the module pad is underway, with plenty of other finishing touches planned for the site.
Australia’s newest cotton gin is in full swing and growth is on the horizon.
Here, on the outskirts of Katherine, history has been made.
And there’s more to come.
The pristine, creamy-white cotton bales produced at the Northern Cotton gin couldn’t look any different to the sparse, red dirt landscape surrounding the facility.
But they represent so much for what lies outside the boundary of this processing plant.
Cotton underpinning the expansion of the Northern Territory’s powerhouse cattle industry?
Now that is truly extraordinary.
Ready to take your operations to the next level? Speak with the Entegra team today and discover how they can help you achieve greater productivity and set you on the path to sustainable profitability growth. Call 1300 296 206 or connect with the team at www.entegra.com.au.
The future of your business starts here.
