The industry is set to support graziers and the cattle industry.A grain facility is under construction and farmers are calling for an additional cotton processing machine to be built.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 seen in the outback, and a bright new industry is starting to bloom. 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 ofNow planting his fourth cotton crop, Mr Findley aims to have 1,000 hectares in the ground by Christmas. 'It's been a steep learning curve … but now we're starting to see some increased yields and productivity which we know we can grow up there,' he said.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.So, Mr Findley is advocating for one to be built near Julia Creek, 250km east of Mount Isa.' is an enormous opportunity everywhere from Richmond up to the Gulf of Carpentaria … will allow broad acre farming to exist in a big, positive way. '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.' Mr Findley is advocating for a machine that separates cotton seeds and fibres to be built in North West Queensland.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. 'If production continues, there will be a cotton gin built , but there won't be for some time yet,' he sai