It’s that time of year again – the cotton bolls have cracked open, and pickers are rolling through the wonderfully white and fluffy fields of the North West as they harvest this season’s premium crop.

“Cotton picking is really ramping up right now,” said Wee Waa agricultural consultant Steve Windress.

“So far, yields have been exceptionally good.

“Above average yields, above-average pricing – it is a tremendous outcome for the farmer.”

“It was a very kind summer, not too hot with a lot of rainfall to assist us in the season and that suited the crops in the Lower Namoi,” said Wee Waa agricultural consultant Steve Windress.

While farming is an incredibly rewarding job, a lot of blood, sweat and tears go into producing a cotton crop and growers are often at the mercy of Mother Nature, so it’s hoped the rain forecast at the end of this week won’t impact harvest.

“If we get too much rainfall, we could have some quality issues.”

Earlier this year, Cotton Australia predicted the industry’s second-largest crop on record due to favourable conditions across most of Australia’s cotton-growing regions.

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