— 19 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 200 — Spring 2018 Average water use in 2018 The survey data showed a lot of variation between farms with water use estimated from 8 to 13 ML/ha (Table 2). The calculated figures in Table 1 were based on the average water use across the data set of 10 ML/ha. Another good benchmark on performance is bales produced per megalitre of water applied. Results for the top ten crops in the survey are shown in Table 2. The five-year average is 1.4 bales/ML but it will vary depending on the season from 1.1 to 1.6 bales/ML. The success of the 2017–18 cotton season was attributed to attention to detail during the planting operation and excellent irrigation management. PHOTO: Cotton Seed Distributors Ltd. Table 2. Top ten yielding crops in southern NSW, in the 2017–18 cotton survey Crop Yield (bales/ha) Irrigation system Estimated ML applied Bales/ML 1 16.2 Bankless 1m hills 9.0 1.8 2 15.7 Bankless 90 cm beds 9.0 1.7 3 15.4 Siphons, 1:2000 1m hills 8.0 1.9 4 15.3 Siphons 1:1500 1m hills 11.2 1.4 5 15.2 Siphons 1m hills 11.0 1.4 6 15.1 Siphons 1: 1800 90 cm beds 11.0 1.4 7 14.5 Siphons 90 cm beds 11.0 1.3 8 14.2 Pipes through the bank, 1m beds 9.5 1.5 9 14.2 Siphons 1m hills 12.5 1.1 10 14.0 Bankless beds 13.0 1.1 Average 15.0 10.4 1.4 — 19 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 200 — Spring 2018 Cotton survey results