Employing Young Workers on Farms: What Employers Need to Know
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Cotton Matters
Representatives from across the Australian cotton industry came together in Brisbane in July for Exercise Common Thread, a two-day biosecurity emergency preparedness exercise designed to ensure Australia remains ready to respond to its highest priority exotic cotton pest threat – the Cotton Boll Weevil.
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Cotton industry perspectives were part of the conversation when the first cohort of the Murray-Darling Basin Leadership Program gathered in Moree this week, bringing people from across the Basin together to build understanding, strengthen relationships and work through the complex challenges surrounding the Murray-Darling Basin.
Cotton grower Gavin Dal Broi is a Safer Farms Ambassador this National Farm Safety Week, challenging the culture of pushing through at any cost. As part of Farmsafe Australia's ‘Set the Standard: Show ‘em how it’s done’ campaign, Mr Dal Broi is encouraging farmers to recognise that the standards set during the busiest periods often become the standards others follow.
Cotton growers and industry representatives from across South-West Queensland and North-West New South Wales caught up last week for meetings of the Mungindi, Dirranbandi and St George Cotton Grower Associations.
Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray appeared before the Queensland Parliament’s Primary Industries and Resources Committee to present evidence on the State Development and Public Works Organisation (Critical Minerals) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026.
Young people often help on family farms, but employers need to understand the child employment laws that apply in their state or territory. Cotton Australia asked workplace relations specialist Wayne Schwalbach to explain the child employment rules that apply across Australia.
Wrap up the Australian Cotton Conference with good food, great company and a celebration of the people who make Australian cotton what it is. The Australian Cotton Industry Awards Dinner will recognise the growers, innovators, leaders and researchers whose achievements and contributions continue to drive the industry forward — and the best part is, tickets are still available.
As part of National Farm Safety Week 2026, Cotton Australia hosted the webinar Fatigue on farm: what the new codes mean for growers, presented by Josh Ingham from Ingham & Co who outlined the new fatigue Codes of Practice, what they mean for cotton businesses, and why fatigue is a key workplace safety issue.
Machinery incidents, falls and manual handling continue cause serious injuries and deaths across Australia's cotton and grain industries, highlighting simple areas where action can prevent harm. New national safety data released during National Farm Safety Week 2026 shows workplace injuries and fatalities are costing Australia's cotton and grain industries almost $190 million, while creating significant downtime and productivity impacts across the sector.
Growers are reminded not to allow livestock to graze on cotton stubble or eat cotton crop residues. Many cotton pesticide labels do not allow crop residue to be fed to livestock, and the industry’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian Beef Cattle Industry outlines the steps growers must take to keep cattle out of cotton fields after harvest.
News in Brief
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Cotton Australia continues to participate in the fortnightly Fuel, Fertiliser and Plastics Supply Roundtable convened by the Minister and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to monitor supply chain risks arising from the Middle East conflict. Discussions continue to indicate that fertiliser availability remains stable, with around 92% of seasonal demand secured nationally, while industry and government continue to monitor global supply pressures, pricing and emerging risks. |
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Join us at the 2026 Australian Cotton Conference for Beyond the Farm Gate: Using Social Media to Build Trust and Reach New Audiences. Hear from Lillie Hamblin, co-founder of House of MOMO, and Rebecca Scurr from Piñata Farms as they share tips and insights on using storytelling and social media to connect with consumers and advocate for our industry. 1-2pm, Tuesday 4 August, ANZ plenary. |
myBMP
myBMP: Bruce Mennie, Blackville NSW
Bruce Mennie manages Dalara Pastoral Operations, a mixed farming operation at Blackville on the Liverpool Plains in NSW.
Dalara Pastoral Operations has recently completed myBMP certification which has helped the team benchmark their operation against industry standards, recognise what they were already doing well, and strengthen documentation and procedures for the future.
