WITH the push to establish an irrigated cropping precinct along the Flinders River, government and interested graziers would do well to look at the efforts of grazier/farmer Corbett Tritton.
Mr Tritton has been farming on Silver Hills, north of Richmond, for more than 10 years, after setting the property up for irrigation when he was an earthmoving contractor at the mines.
"What we set out to do was to drought-proof our property (Silver Hills) by creating a large water storage facility to see us through those dry times," he said.
Consequently, Silver Hills now has a 5000ML storage tank with water diverted from licensed weirs on the Flinders.
"I first planted cotton in 1998 to 2001, which achieved a yield of up to eight bales to the hectare," Mr Tritton said. "Then the government decided to put a moratorium on development and implement a water resource plan for the Gulf rivers.
"This action effectively halted any interest in developing farms on the Flinders River. Now, 11 years later, it's back on."
He currently has 515 hectares (1270 acres) of cotton planted to be harvested in July, from which he hopes to produce over 4000 bales.
The entire area is flood irrigated and has never been laser levelled, but uses the natural lie of the land.
Each week he flies an agronomist out from Townsville to check on the crop. This is an expense that could be shared if more farmers were to grow cotton in the district.
But the cotton has to be transported to the gin in Emerald for processing and this will cost around $100/bale. He believes that if the Flinders River Ag Precinct goes ahead and more farmers grow cotton, it would be viable to establish a gin in the district.
"Nowadays it is possible to get modular gins, and 20,000 bales of cotton would be enough to support such a gin. That amount of cotton could be grown on four or five farms in the proposed Flinders River Ag Precinct," Mr Tritton said.
He said cotton is suited to the district if it can be irrigated, as it has few pests, the soil type is right and research has made it easier to grow with better genetic varieties.
"Chickpeas, sorghum, corn and mungbeans can also be successfully grown in the district, but at the moment the high cost of freight beats you."
But the irrigated fields on Silver Hills are just a part of an integrated farming and grazing scheme.
Apart from the several thousand head of grassfed cattle, in order to further drought-proof Silver Hills, he established a 2500-head feedlot, which he calls "another tool" and is used primarily during drought times.
With his 5000ML water storage, he grows grain crops to use in the feedlot.
As to the establishment of the Flinders Ag Precinct, Mr Tritton says the best thing he can do to help is to grow a successful crop to prove to the powers that be that irrigated cropping is a viable alternative.
"When we have more farmers in the area, we will be able to forward market, which will give more security to farming," he said.
But Mr Tritton believes that without some government assistance such as free water and transport subsidies, it will be difficult for the industry to get established. Once set up, an irrigation industry would no longer need assistance. It would expand and flourish, and would contribute to the region's prosperity.
He said that the project had gone past the research stage and now just needs more farmers.
Mr Tritton is a pioneer of crop farming in the North West and government would do well to support him. He has set up an ideal water storage facility and has already outlaid hundreds of thousands of dollars in machinery.
If government were looking at the viability of any crop for the area, his would be the ideal property to start with.