Agriculture Around Burren

Agriculture is at the heart of Burren Junction and the surrounding district. Throughout the year, the landscape changes as crops are planted, grown and harvested, and livestock graze across the open plains.

To the east of Burren Junction, irrigated agriculture is prominent, particularly cotton, while to the west, broadacre dryland farming is more common. Wheat and other winter crops are grown throughout the district, along with a variety of summer and pulse crops.

Depending on the time of year, visitors may see tractors preparing paddocks, crops being planted, irrigation underway, cotton pickers and headers at work, cotton modules waiting for transport, or large numbers of grain trucks travelling through town.

Agriculture never really stops — it just changes with the seasons.

Cotton Country

Cotton is one of the major crops grown around Burren Junction and across the wider Namoi Valley.

To the east of Burren Junction, where irrigation water is available, much of the cotton is irrigated. To the west of town, cotton is predominantly grown as a dryland crop and relies on seasonal rainfall.

Cotton is generally planted during September and October and picked from around April through to June.

During picking, cotton pickers form large round modules which are wrapped before being transported to a cotton gin.

Wheat & Winter Crops

Wheat is extensively grown on both sides of Burren Junction and is an important part of the district's broadacre farming industry.

Winter crops are generally planted during autumn and grow through the cooler months.

As spring progresses, the countryside changes from green to gold and preparations begin for harvest.

Wheat harvest generally begins from late October and continues through November and December, depending on seasonal conditions.

Other Crops

There is much more growing around Burren Junction than cotton and wheat.

Depending on the season, local farmers may also grow canola, faba beans, chick peas, mung beans and mustard seed, along with other pulse and rotational crops.

What is planted can change from year to year depending on rainfall, soil moisture, available irrigation water and seasonal conditions.

A paddock growing cotton one year may be growing something completely different the next.

Cattle & Sheep

Cropping is only part of the agricultural story around Burren Junction.

Cattle and sheep are also raised throughout the district, and many farming businesses combine livestock with cropping.

Visitors travelling through the surrounding countryside will regularly see cattle and sheep grazing alongside some of Australia's major cropping areas.

The mix of livestock and cropping is an important part of agriculture across the district.

What's Happening When?

Jan – Feb: Cotton and summer crops growing.

Mar – Apr: Cotton matures and preparations for picking begin.

Apr – Jun: Cotton picking and winter crop planting.

Jun – Aug: Wheat, canola, faba beans, chick peas and other winter crops growing.

Sep – Oct: Cotton planting and winter crops approaching maturity.

Late Oct – Dec: Grain harvest.

Harvest Time

Harvest is one of the busiest times of the year around Burren Junction.

From late October, headers can be seen working across the district and there is a significant increase in grain trucks and agricultural machinery on local roads.

Burren Junction's grain receival facilities handle grain produced across the surrounding farming district.

Please take extra care on our roads during harvest and allow plenty of room for heavy vehicles and slow-moving farm machinery.

Cotton Ginning

After cotton is picked, the round cotton modules are transported to a cotton gin for processing.

At the gin, the cotton fibre, or lint, is separated from the cotton seed and other plant material before being pressed into bales ready for classing and marketing.

The Merah North Cotton Gin, east of Burren Junction, processes cotton grown throughout the surrounding district.

Visitors interested in seeing how cotton is ginned. Contact the Merah North Gin to arrange a tour.

Cotton Classing

Once cotton has been ginned, samples from each bale are sent for classing to determine the quality of the cotton fibre.

Australian Classing Services (ACS) in Wee Waa tests characteristics including colour, leaf content, staple length, micronaire, strength and uniformity.

The results help determine the quality and marketing of each bale of cotton.

Visitors can contact ACS to enquire about arranging a visit to the classing facility.

Cotton Seed Distributors

The cotton growing cycle begins with the seed.

Cotton Seed Distributors (CSD) is based at ‘Shenstone’ near Wee Waa and has been part of the Australian cotton industry since 1967.

CSD supplies cotton planting seed and works with the Australian cotton industry in seed, genetics and technology.

Visitors interested in learning more about cotton seed production can contact CSD to enquire about visiting the Wee Waa facility.

Grain Harvest & GrainCorp

Burren Junction is an important grain receival centre for the surrounding farming district, and harvest is one of the busiest times of the year.

GrainCorp has invested $5 million expanding its Burren Junction site, adding 100,000 tonnes of storage capacity, four new bunkers and an expanded existing bunker.

The expansion also included a marshalling yard capable of accommodating up to 54 road trains.

During the 2024–25 harvest, Burren Junction received a record 232,000 tonnes of grain – a wonderful indication of the scale and importance of agriculture in our district.

Sharing Our Roads During Harvest

Agriculture is part of everyday life around Burren Junction, and during harvest our roads become particularly busy.

Visitors may encounter grain trucks, cotton module trucks, tractors, headers, cotton pickers and other large agricultural machinery travelling between farms and local processing and receival facilities.

Please allow plenty of room when approaching or passing agricultural machinery, watch for vehicles entering and leaving paddocks, and avoid overtaking unless it is safe to do so.

A little patience helps keep our farmers, truck drivers, local residents and visitors safe.