Century-old farming dynasty ends with one last harvest

There will be mixed emotions when Pat Carberry finally steps out of the cab of his combine this season.

He spent 59 of his 97 years growing cotton on his land at Cardale, near Narrabri in northwestern NSW.

However, 2026 will be the last year he and his family take to the field.

The end of a century-old family partnership, rising machinery and fertilizer costs, and water licensing issues contributed to the decision to sell and pursue other ventures.

Cardale and its operation look very different since Pat’s father, Stan, bought the land in 1917 after returning from Gallipoli and the battlefields of the Middle East.

Even so, modern cotton farming is not a simple task for beginners.

“You might think we’re getting to the point where we’re faced with a silly situation, but that’s not quite the case,” Pat told AAP.

“Over the years we’ve increased our output by six or 700 percent, but so have all our expenses.”

Pat’s father, Stan, was wounded more than a dozen times during the First World War, but this did not prevent him from starting a farm on land obtained by the soldiers’ settlement scheme.

After thirty-five years of wheat and sheep farming, Stan and his children jumped on the cotton-growing wave launched in the 1960s by a pair of Americans seeking overseas territory.

Since the middle of this decade, Pat and his family have been at the forefront of Australia’s cotton industry, one of the most respected cotton crops in the world.

“We ran into insects, and that was partially solved with genetically modified cotton,” says Pat.

“I had 100 cotton shredders out there, and that was partially solved by genetically modifying the protein … so we could spray Roundup on it and kill the weeds, not the cotton.”

Four generations have lived and worked at Carberry Cardale; Pat’s son Mike and grandson Samuel have been taking over most of the day in recent years.

However, Pat cannot keep himself away from the action, especially during the harvest season.

He’s not afraid to get behind the wheel of one of the farm’s modern cotton pickers, which reduces the amount of manpower needed during harvest.

“Every day he comes out for a smoke and we take a tour around the farm,” says Mike.

“He says he goes to work, and I tell him he uses that word loosely.”

Despite gentle rebukes, Mike wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We love having him around the farm; what Dad has in mind is very valuable to us and I never lose sight of that,” he adds.

For much of its history in Australia, cotton has been steeped in family farming stories like Pat’s.

But small operators are struggling due to cost pressures on basic needs such as diesel and fertilizer and the growing influence of corporate conglomerates.

“The family farm struggles to get through the ups and downs, especially the lows,” says Mike.

“Our spending is out of control and we are price takers.

“The current fuel situation or the fertilizer situation, we can’t pass that on.”

One of the key drivers of increasing yields has been Australian scientists and growers making the industry more efficient.

Excessive water and pesticide use are environmental criticisms often leveled at cotton farming, especially during droughts.

But Cotton Australia’s chief executive says the industry is relying on science and technology to make giant strides to address these concerns.

“Swarm robots spray cops, they have cameras that only spray when there are weeds underneath… which reduces herbicide use by up to 80 per cent,” Adam Kay told AAP.

“We have doubled our water use efficiency, producing twice as much cotton per liter of water as 20 years ago.”

Mr Kay says cotton, as a natural fibre, has significant environmental advantages over its main competitors.

“Your polyesters and your lycras… they don’t break down and they’re made of oil,” he says.

Almost all cotton grown in Australia is shipped overseas due to the lack of local spinning infrastructure and cheaper wages overseas.

Bonds underwear was one of the last major textile manufacturers to operate a factory using local cotton, but its last facilities near Wollongong closed its doors in 2010.

Mike’s background and deep knowledge of the industry means he has long been at the forefront of Australia’s mission to improve standards for growers.

The MyBMP initiative is a set of industry standards for local manufacturers to ensure workplace health and safety and provide buyers with certainty about environmental protection.

Mike was involved from the idea stage and says standardizing processes across the industry will ensure Australian cotton remains attractive for years to come.

“We are trying to persuade people who want to use 100 per cent Australian cotton in their products,” he says.

Back home at Cardale our sole focus for now is on getting a good return from the 59th and final harvest under Carberry ownership.

Although Pat and his clan won’t be there, the immediate future of the farm is secure with the Carberrys selling to a neighboring seed company following the breakup of the family partnership that operated the farm for 107 years.

But Pat isn’t quite sure what to do now that he won’t have a farm where his family works the fields.

“We’re not quite sure where to go from here,” he admits.

“We’ll get our football and go home.”

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