Q. wrote:shoe boy wrote:Q. wrote:Bum Crack wrote:25% approximately of all irrigation water usage in Australia is used growing cotton. I'd like to see what percentage cotton farmers make up of all irrigators. It's quite scary when u look at it that way.
What was the figure last year given the allocation reduction? Gwydir, Namoi and Macquarie valleys all on zero % allocation.
Australian cotton is the most efficient in the world - we've doubled our water use efficiency in the last two decades. Cotton returns nearly the most money to the economy on a per megalitre basis.
Cotton uses about 8Ml/ha and is about 3Ml/ha in places like Namoi. Corn uses 10Ml/ha. Wine Grapes use 6Ml/ha. Lucerne 6Ml/ha. Almonds and citrus use 8Ml/ha. Why not the outrage at these other crops?
BULLSHIT !
Are you a cotton grower ?
No, but I'm an Ag Scientist with an environmental science degree
https://www.indexmundi.com/agriculture/?commodity=cotton&graph=yield
Q, interesting stats in relation to the cotton productions water use of 8ML/ha.
Corn 10
Cotton 8
Almonds 8
Citrus 8
Grapes 6
Lucerne 6
Puts it at the upper end of the spectrum, and to be honest, I'm not sure how big our corn industry is.
Also, is that for a standard figure world wide, or is that based in Australia?
The link you posted was very surprising, showing Australia's Cotton Yield per HA as the best in the world.
Now that could be for a number of reasons, and you are putting forward the suggestion that it is due to our efficiencies within our cotton industry, which I have no reason to doubt.
However, others may argue that these rates show that we are over working the land and pushing for yields 88% higher than America (who you would assume have access to very similar efficiencies than Australian cotton farmers).
Could these massive yields, (which granted I am assuming) only be possible from massive water use?
IE: In America they might be using 8ML / ha of cotton field, but in Australia we are pushing to the absolute limit and using say 10, 12 or even 15 ML/ha?