Australian Super Cotton

Australian Super Cotton

Rogan Pastoral Co has been growing upland cotton at St George, Queensland, since 1973, one of Australia’s most highly regarded cotton producing areas. Graeme Rogan and his wife Robyn moved their young family (aged 4-9 at the time) to 'Benelong' in 1973. Initially driving sheep and cattle for up to 3 months a year on horseback, the move to growing cotton came with the development of the St George irrigation project. Graeme included the children in the family business very early on. Glenn who had only just left school when he was included into the partnership. That partnership continues today, with Glenn taking over the bulk of the management of the farm and helping its expansion by purchasing neighbouring properties to make it what it is today. The additional land has helped Australian Super Cotton to enable smarter use of water, increased crop rotation and ultimately optimising the land they manage and care for. One of the key strengths Australian super cotton has, is that its family owned and run. They not only work together to continuously improve their systems, their efficiency and their yield, but to make sure everything they do works for their communities and the changing environment around them. Corporate growers come and go, working in short term reporting cycles, whereas the Rogan family, work with their future generations in mind - they plan in decades rather than short cycles, like many other cotton and wool growing families in Australia. Glenn and his family are always looking to produce the best Australian super cotton that exists in the market today by continuous improvement.

 

Their Fibre

For the past 7 years, they have been a dedicated grower of Australian Long Staple (ALS) premium cotton varieties. They have been a key grower in the Australian cotton industry's "Premium Cotton Initiative" which started in 2007.

AUSTRALIAN SUPER COTTON is a long staple (fibre) length, which means you can create a stronger garment or textile product out of less yarn. Fewer fibres in turn mean softness and a more luxurious feel. The raw premium cotton feels very soft and silky, with a bit of a shine to it, similar to wool. Producing premium cotton is much more than selecting the right varieties. Much of the characteristics are to do with the hot dry area of Australia it is grown, but more importantly the management decisions made during the life cycle of the crop.

 

Farming Practices


St George in South West Queensland is the ideal place to grow specialty cotton. With water allocations most years from the Balonne River, at the intersection of two major transport routes, and access to two ginning plants within less than 50km’s, ‘Benelong’ is situated in a winning spot. Glenn voluntarily uses Best Management Practices (myBMP) whilst growing his cotton. One very appealing feature of this leading industry initiative is that it enables full traceability - from end product right back to which paddock the cotton was grown in by individual farmers. It also ensures that cotton is produced on farms with the best farming techniques, technology and in an environmentally sustainable way.

Glenn's daughter Rebecca also plays a fundamental roll in the business as their product development manager. After graduating from the university of Queensland, Rebecca went on to be a grower representative on the CRDC committees which reviews research and funding for the cotton industry. She is also a qualified auditor and today looks after the compliance and the intricate record keeping side of their business.

"AUSTRALIAN SUPER COTTON is premium cotton - so premium that it’s in a class of its own."

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