Australian Farmers Plant Smallest Cotton Area Since 1979 After Driest Year Ever
- ‘One of the worst summers in history for us,’ says grower
- Coronavirus outbreak brings worries for the export market
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After minimal rainfall last year, the McVeigh family in Queensland, Australia, planted just one paddock of cotton on their parched property this summer, about 5% of the usual amount.
“It’s been one of the worst summers in history for us,” said Matt McVeigh, whose family has grown cotton and other crops in the Darling Downs area in the south of the state for about 120 years. “A lot of people are very happy to see 2019 behind us,” he said in an interview.