The 2018 Australian Cotton Conference has come to an end, after a successful three days on the Gold Coast. The 2018 conference was the biggest yet, with 2460 delegates, 150 speakers and panellists, 28 sponsors, 110 exhibitors and 12 start-ups attending. The event brought together new and experienced farmers, agronomists and researchers, brands and marketers, students, supply chain partners and industry groups to explore a wide range of issues, ideas and opportunities from a multitude of standpoints.
The conference began with Cotton Australia’s Annual General Meeting on August 7. At the meeting, a new Chairman and three new Directors were appointed to the Cotton Australia Board. Hamish McIntyre, who served as Deputy Chairman for the past three years, replaced the retiring Simon Corish as Chairman of the Board. Bernard Bierhoff from the Walgett Cotton Growers’ Association, Susan McCutcheon from the Macquarie Cotton Growers’ Association, and Jeremy Callachor from Namoi Cotton were appointed as Directors.
The theme of the conference was ‘Pushing boundaries’ and featured presentations from various Australian and international guests, with topics ranging from how the cotton industry can strengthen its global position moving forward, to the current international trade situation. Creating a vision for a stronger cotton industry was also a focus, with presentations on investing in RD&E for the industry (which could see two-million more bales produced), an 18% improvement in yield and new transformative technologies to tackle pests, weeds and diseases.
18 university students and eight teachers received scholarships to attend the conference, which wasan excellent opportunity for them to learn more about Australian cotton and the industry’s leading role in water efficiency, pesticide reduction and sustainability and network with industry personnel.
Following the conference, more than 1000 cotton growers and industry representatives gathered to celebrate the recipients of the 2018 Australian Cotton Industry Awards. The awards program recognises excellence and achievement throughout the supply chain, from growers and ginners to product suppliers, consultants, agronomists and researchers. Congratulations to the awards recipients:
- Monsanto Grower of the Year: Brett Corish, Corish Management Pty Ltd, ‘Mundine’, Goondiwindi, QLD
- AgriRisk High Achiever of the Year: Bernie Bierhoff, Farm Manager at Avondale Ag, Rowena, NSW
- ADAMA Chris Lehmann Trust Young Cotton Achiever of the Year: William Back, Auscott Ltd, Narrabri, NSW
- Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year: Dr Joseph Foley, Dr Malcolm Gillies and Dr Alison McCarthy, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD
- IPF Service to Industry Award: David Montgomery, Moree, NSW
The industry is congratulated on another successful Australian Cotton Conference and we look forward to coming together to celebrate the industry in 2020.