Events

Upcoming events

Jun 27, 2025

Grower’s Voice and Carbon Chat Tour

This year the leaders of both Cotton Australia and CRDC...

Jun 08, 2023

Cotton Collective

What: Cotton Collective When: 5-7 August Where: Toowoomba, Queensland

2025 Cotton Collective

The 2025 Cotton Collective will be held in Toowoomba from 6-7 August.

Tickets on sale for biggest Australian cotton event for 2025

Tickets are now on sale for the cotton industry’s key learning and engagement opportunity, and the biggest trade show for cotton in 2025, to be held from August 5-7 in Toowoomba in Queensland.

Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray says this year’s Cotton Collective is only the second in six years after COVID forced changes in 2021, leading to the staging of a hugely successful follow-up Collective in 2023.

“The people in the cotton industry work hard year-round and when they have an opportunity to come together, socialise, swap stories, hear about the latest developments in research and development, and see the latest technology, they usually jump at the chance.”

See the full event agenda

Keynote speakers

Stefan Hajkowicz

Megatrends and the Australian Cotton Industry
Dr Stefan Hajkowicz PhD, Research Consultant, Analytics and Decision Sciences, Data61, CSIRO

Dr Stefan Hajkowicz is a chief research consultant at CSIRO, specialising in strategic foresight, scenario planning and megatrends. He is the author of Global Megatrends and has advised governments and industry globally. Stefan is a fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences and a long-time member of international foresight communities.

Natalie Waters

Reading People: The Business Skill You Can’t Afford to Miss
Natalie Waters, Human Behavioural Profiler, Adventure and Business Coach

Natalie Waters is a behavioural profiler and business coach with a background in law enforcement across Australia and the Middle East. Her career includes work with intelligence agencies, training in hostage negotiation, and personal protection for dignitaries. She now specialises in human behaviour, leadership and high-performance mindset coaching.

Dr. Graham Head

Dr. Graham Head is the global lead for Bayer Crop Science's resistance management programs. He and his team’s responsibilities span across technologies and regions. He has spent the past 27+ years at Monsanto and now Bayer in a variety of roles ranging from Discovery to Regulatory Sciences. He is the current chair of the US industry expert group IRAC (Insecticide Resistance Action Committee) and the Biotech Working Group of IRAC-International.

Stuart Tighe

My Family Farming Journey
Stuart Tighe – Grain Producer and founder of the PURE Grain Network

Stuart Tighe is the founder of PURE Grain Network, a traceable, data-driven platform connecting growers to end users. A former CEO of Boolah Farms, Stuart has over 30 years in broadacre cropping. PURE Grain services over 180,000 ha, supplying premium malting barley to major brewers with full supply chain transparency.

 Andrew Bate

What is next for SwarmFarms?
Andrew Bate, Founder Swarmfarms Founder

Andrew Bate is the co-founder and CEO of SwarmFarm Robotics, a pioneer in autonomous agriculture. A grain farmer from Central Queensland and trained agronomist, Andrew launched SwarmFarm in 2012 to commercialise robotic farming. In 2025, he and his wife Jocie were inducted into the AusAgritech Hall of Fame.

Matt Linnegar

Growing Great Leaders for the Farm and Beyond
Matt Linnegar, CEO of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation

Matt Linnegar is Chief Executive of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation. A former CEO of the National Farmers’ Federation and a Fellow of the Foundation, Matt has over 30 years of experience across agriculture, water, trade and leadership. He has held roles with Murrumbidgee Irrigation, Ricegrowers’ Association and the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation.

2025 Cotton Collective
2025 Cotton Collective