Texas' Rush family set to pick last cotton crop as business commits fully to cattle trading and sheep breeding

Texas district grower Dennis Rush, director of JH Holdings, and his partner Grace Cheatley, manage his mother Helen Rush's Hopewood property on the New South Wales-Queensland border around 100 km east of Goondiwindi.

The Rush family have traditionally been cattle and sheep graziers with various fodders being the only cropping on the property over the past 100 years.

In 2018, Dennis first introduced cotton onto Hopewood, to help the business during the drought.

After successfully picking their first cotton crop in 2019, their cotton crops through 2020 and 2021 seasons suffered greatly due to poor weather and flooding.

"Our first season in 2018-19, was a really good season for us, then we had an average 2019-20 season, because we had a really wet finish and lost a lot of fruit," Mr Rush said.

"Then we were on track for a cracking season in 2021, right up until we were about to pick when we had major a flood, which absolutely decimated our crop and we lost it all.

"At the end of 2021, we went to start planting and we got flooded again, so we actually didn't have a cotton crop during 2021-22 season.

"We had contracts for about 1500 to 2000 bales in 2021 that we lost, so we're obligated to obviously fill those contracts."

Mr Rush said they received 52 inches of rainfall in 2021, while in 2022, they recorded 32 inches.

In October-November last year, Dennis made the decision to try cotton for the last time, planting 175 hectares under centre pivots at the start of the 2022-23 season.

"The flood was just too big of a loss for us and this is actually going to be our last cotton season," he said.

"Last year, we were on the brink of flooding here in the end of October and then basically after that was done, it stopped raining.

"That's why our current cotton crop is looking ideal at the moment and it's one of the best crops that we've ever had here, just with the softness of the season.

"It's been hot and dry but we haven't had a day over 40 degrees, which is very unusual."

Mr Rush said they double cropped their pivots coming out of a winter forage oats and ryegrass crop to cotton.

"Our centre pivots were all winter cereal crops and we were grazing with sheep and cattle on all those crops up to about three to four days before we planted our cotton," he said.

Four of their cotton centre pivots were planted into sprayed out annual Ryegrass and the other three pivots were sprayed out oats crops.

Mr Rush said it's been "exceptional growing conditions" this season and their fruit retention is currently above 90 per cent.

They planted their first cotton crop under pivot on October 15, wrapping up their plant on November 10, planting the 746 variety on 36 inch spacings.

"Around the time where we planted our first pivot, that period is typically where we'd like to plant but relatively early in comparison to where we planted in the past," he said.

"It was an incredibly slow start, which was sort of industry wide I suppose."

So far this season, Mr Rush said they've used three to four mega litres to the hectare on their crop.

"We usually budget on five to six mega litres to the hectare, but I think this year we'll probably end up finishing at seven to eight, depending on rainfall throughout February and March," he said.

Mr Rush said they planted seven pivot circles in total.

"Three of those pivots were actually subpar plant stands and we were scratching our heads, wondering whether we'd keep them. We're thankful that we kept the crops now, because we still think the worst of our cotton circles have that 11-12 bales a hectare potential if the season finishes how we hope," he said.

"Four of our pivots that we planted earlier, in better moisture and more warmth, have really good stands."

Mr Rush said their crops are currently at 24 nodes, which they plan to cut out next week.

Weather pending, the Rush family plan to have harvesters in the paddocks by late May, early June.

"Looking ahead, we'd love some storm rain that comes and goes and heaps of sunshine until pick, but we just don't want any cloudy wet weather," he said.

CGS Goondiwindi agronomist and branch manager Greg Pearce said it's been ideal cotton growing weather in the Goondiwindi region.

"It's been dry and quite hot, which is great for growing irrigated cotton, but it hasn't been ideal weather for local graziers growing pastures," Mr Pearce said.

"For cotton, it's all about accumulating day degrees and so far this season, it's been brilliant in this region.

"We've only had two overcast days so the crops have set a lot of fruit which is ideal, but keeping in mind that there's plenty of season to go."

Mr Pearce said the Texas region has also experienced low insect pressure.

"We get a few problems with green veggie bugs, as they come out of the lucerne a lot, but in general and around Goondiwindi, it's been quite light," he said.

"There is a strong cotton crop up around Texas this season, with a few new growers that have put in their first crop and a few growers returning like Dennis."

"It's looking like the forecast should be favourable."

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The Rush family have been trading cattle and sheep breeding for the last century, running about 10,000 ewes at the moment and a cattle trading operation, using Angus and Wagyu genetics.

"We really liked the way that that sheep and cattle complement each other in grazing habits," Mr Rush said.

"We will probably be pulling our sheep operation back by 50pc and increasing our cattle by 50pc moving forward, but sheep will always be part of our of business.

"I think after a few years of cotton growing, you pick an area where you feel a little bit more comfortable."

Mr Rush said after they've picked their cotton in June, they're transition their country back to 100pc grazing.

"Our risk profile, especially in 2021 when we lost the whole crop and that fact that we don't have any flood levees around our crops, it just became a high risk for us," he said.

"The cotton industry is fantastic and we really enjoy growing cotton and the grazing side of things, but I suppose it's just finding what's the best fit for us.

"I'm not saying that we'd never grow cotton again, but we're going to take it out as part of our system for a few years."

The Rush family run a few thousand black Angus heifers at the moment in an AI program to top Wagyu bulls and are alternating between joining heifers to Wagyu and Angus bulls as well.

Mr Rush said their cattle trading operation has grown in recent years, becoming their most dominant side of their business.

"We probably come out of the best period of six months of cattle trading that we've probably ever had," he said.

"We're finding the most profitable area of our cattle business at the moment is that Angus heifer joined to a Wagyu."

Earlier this year, the Rush family purchased a large run of 1000 plus Angus heifers out of Victoria.

"We've typically been buying from the New England region and try and buy larger runs of Angus heifers as we possibly can and bring them back down to Texas where they do tend to do a lot better once you get them out of the higher country," Mr Rush said.

"We buy a fair number of cattle ourselves just off AuctionsPlus as well and we've had a diversity of Angus livestock on our property in the last six months."