Ian Rawlings, Manager Brighann Ginning - Moree and President of the Australian Cotton Ginniners Association discusses the ways growers and ginners can ensure a quality pick for 2006.

Can you just give us a brief rundown of the ginning operation you have here at Brighann Gin?

Yes certainly. Brighann Gin is a three stand Lummus Gin, it has completed seven seasons, this is its eight season. It has three lines of pre-cleaning which is unusual and has virtually all the latest ginning equipment available around the world is incorporated in the gin.

With picking approaching what can growers do in the lead up to ginning to improve their crops quality?

Well, one of the most important things a lot they can assist the gin and themselves is defoliation is an extremely important section of the whole process basically to produce as good a high quality seed cotton in the module as possible less trash, less green leaf etc and this obviously reflects in the way that the gin, gins it and the quality of cotton that comes out at the end.

So other things in regards to contamination and stuff like that?

Yes obviously that that is the main one but contamination is very important. There are tests being done Australia wide on gins this year with the CSIRO to try and get some feedback on how much contamination comes in. Another one is moisture. Moisture in the module is very important. Again you don’t want too much moisture in a module, we have got to put too much heat onto the module. These days the ginning process basically relies on using as little amount of heat as possible in order not to shorten the fibre or weaken the fibre.

What factors in the gin process will make a difference in regards to quality of cotton?

Well possibly the most important thing is the use of least amount of heat as possible before the reasons that I have previously said and also having the correct re-moisturising equipment in the gin. This gin has Samuel Jackson conditioning hoppers above the gin stand that allows us to put the seed cotton down the front of the gin stand at the optimal moisture level which is 6% rather than 4% which relaxes the fibre, as it goes through the process, cleans it better, produces a better fibre and also allows that fibre then to accept the moisture in re-conditioning at the battery condenser or steam roller much more readily. As far as a module coming in with too much moisture, again, the least amount of heat we can use the better and also there is new equipment. We have Lummus Sentinel lint cleaners which are the very latest lint cleaners in an attempt to reduce the Neps. We have done extensive trialling on this and it has reduced the Neps by well over 20%. It takes more dust out, and you get a slightly brighter cotton and better uniformity.

Would it be in your opinion that the ginning just enhances the quality it does not make the quality?

Basically, all ginning does, ginning under no circumstances can improve the quality of cotton. If the cotton is ginned in the correct method all we can do is reduce the damage, mechanical damage we do to it.

In your own opinion Ian, would you think that growers should take a more of an active role in the ginning process?

Most certainly, it’s a theme that the Australian Cotton Ginners Association of which I am president is pushing at the moment. There should be as much co-operation between the grower and the ginner as possible because basically it has got to be worked similar to a partnership. It really is a partnership. For the grower to enable the best quality cotton, to achieve the highest possible price to come out the end of the gin there is obviously various things that the grower can do to assist the gin and quite obviously there are different methods of ginning that the ginner can to do to assist the grower. So the two really can’t be separated.

What are the things that the growers can do to assist the gin?

Well basically, presenting the cotton in the module in as good a condition as they can. A least amount of trash, the right amount of moisture, very little contamination etc and the gin, basically the gin is the ginning process. How much modern equipment they have got, up to date equipment, the process they use whether they leave all the equipment in, again if you get really clean cotton you can leave some of the pre-cleaning out and probably the two most important things is the correct and precise use of heat and moisture during the process.

Further Information:
Robert Eveleigh, John Marshall,  Craig McDonald, David Kelly or James Quinn