In their first year the Gardiners delivered eighty hectares to Southern Cotton. Despite this being a considerably small run, Southern Cotton continued to prioritise the Gardiner's cotton to ensure an efficient turn around.

"Delivery time really matters to us growers and Southern Cotton recognises this. Nothing is ever too much trouble for them," said Trent, who is the Chair of Coleambally Irrigation.

As the cotton industry leader in Southern NSW, Southern Cotton has a reputation for providing fast, timely ginning for its growers. But the team at the Whitton based gin goes above and beyond - its focus on environmental performance and education pathways is what attracts quality growers like Trent and Chris Gardiner.

Since 2013, the Gardiners have continued to gin their cotton with Southern Cotton. While the competitive ginning rates were a factor in this decision, Southern Cotton's strong commitment to educating growers and the broader community about the ways the cotton industry is continually improving its environmental credentials, sealed the deal.

Like most growers, the pair operate from a point of view that profitability and productivity go hand in hand - and gains in both rely on adopting sustainable measures and maximising efficiencies across all processes in farming production. With particular focus on water management, the Gardiners implement a range of new irrigation techniques to ensure sustainability.

"We are 100 per cent recyclable on both our farms - it means we don't waste any water," Trent said, "Most farmers want to be more sustainable, in general."

As a result, the Gardiners were able to secure a 12 bale per hectare average across both of their farms at Coleambally in the 2015 season, which is considered an excellent return.

Southern Cotton tailors their ginning management to suit personal requirements, including freight, logistics, marketing, gin run timing and reporting. The team adopt a tracking system that works from field to finished bale, delivering detailed yield data direct to the farmer.

"Southern Cotton has been extremely user-friendly from a farmer's perspective," Trent said.

"Kate is a real asset to the Southern Cotton team. Her personal approach is always accommodating and ensures us growers are provided with valuable ongoing support."