Cotton Collective 2025 event highlights
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Cotton Matters
The 2025 cotton industry awards were announced at the Awards Dinner during the Cotton Collective, with brothers Hugh and Jock Brownhill of Merrilong Agricultural Company awarded 2025 Bayer Cotton Growers of the year.
Cecil Plains growers Tyson and Rosie Armitage received the AgriRisk High Achiever Award while a Goondiwindi cotton grower and agronomist Grace Griffiths was awarded CRDC Chris Lehmann Young Cotton Achiever of the Year.
Dr Murray Sharman, Principal Plant Pathologist at Qld Department of Agriculture and Fisheries was recognised as the Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year and Boggabri grower Andrew Watson was honoured as the Incitec Pivot Fertilisers Service to the Cotton Industry Award.
Latest News
More than 200 growers, industry representatives, sponsors and suppliers attended the 2025 Cotton Collective in Toowoomba, with feedback suggesting the event was a great success.
Growers in Central Queensland have provided solid feedback on key topics for the industry’s future, as the Grower’s Voice and Carbon Chat Tour kicked off this week. The tour continues in late August, giving growers in the Macquarie and Southern Valleys a chance to have their say.
Cotton Australia has a new Chair and two new Board members after the Annual General Meeting was held at the Cotton Collective in Toowoomba.
Leeton cotton grower Liz Stott was elected as Chair after serving as Deputy for two years under Nigel Burnett who served for four years as Chair, and on the Board for 12 years.
Cotton Australia’s licensing program for the Australian Cotton Marks has seen record growth, with over 20 million products now carrying the marks in 2025. That’s a 38% increase from 2024 and an 80% rise in applications.
Cotton Australia’s myBMP Manager, Rob Crothers, recently took part in the Better Cotton-funded International Large Farm Delegation to Brazil. The study tour brought together representatives from major cotton-producing countries with the aim of sharing insights and getting a firsthand look at Brazil’s cotton industry — from farm to spinning.
The Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association recently marked its 30th anniversary with a celebration, recognising three decades of advocacy for irrigators and the cotton industry. Reflecting on the organisation’s beginnings, Moree cotton grower and inaugural chair John Seery told the guests that GVIA was formed in response to increasing government water reform and the need for a united voice that was prepared to “turn up.”
Cotton Australia’s Simone Cameron will join Wincott to host ‘Cotton Blooms & Tea Tales’ as part of the Taste of the Kimberley on Friday 15 August. Set among the Ord Valley cotton fields, this event will celebrate cotton, connection and conversation in the heart of northern Australia’s cotton country.
News in brief
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AgriFutures Australia, on behalf of 15 RDCs, has developed a draft Strategy to strengthen food and fibre education in primary, secondary and VET schools. It aims to unlock opportunities for students and educators across all regions and systems—urban and rural—and calls for government support to improve curriculum, compliance and infrastructure. Public consultation is now open --have your say on the draft Strategy. |
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Part-funded by SmartAg Queensland, this two-month program is open to Queensland women involved in plant-based agriculture. It includes eight 90-minute webinars focused on building practical skills and providing resources to help manage a farm business. Topics include personal effectiveness, team management, and risk management across WHS, intellectual property, and cyber security. |
Cotton Industry Awards
2025 Bayer Cotton Growers of the year, brothers Hugh and Jock Brownhill of Merrilong Agricultural Company are part of a farming legacy that began when their grandparents moved into the NSW Liverpool Plains area to begin a farming enterprise in 1959. Today, Hugh and his brother Jock, along with cousins Oscar and Archie Brownhill are Directors of Merrilong with 1,200 hectares of dryland cotton and 320 hectares under irrigation.
