Australian cotton growers are being urged to nominate themselves or someone they know for the 2024 Australian Cotton Industry Awards – celebrating excellence in the way Australian farmers grow cotton, as demand for our sustainable product increases both in Australia and globally.

With big national crops in 2022 and 2023, and predictions of another significant crop in 2024, the Australian cotton industry is going from strength to strength due to improved farming practices, research and innovation and the commitment of growers to continuously improve their sustainability and environmental outcomes.

Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay said the awards are about not only recognizing outstanding growers, but sharing the knowledge and the processes so that the whole industry benefits.

“The awards have five categories and that ensures that the growers are rewarded for their success but also young industry participants, researchers who lead the innovation landscape and also those who have delivered services to the industry over many years.”

Nominations are open in the following categories for 2024:

• Bayer Grower of the Year
• AgriRisk High Achiever of the Year
• Chris Lehmann Trust CRDC Young Cotton Achiever of the Year
• Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year
• PF Service to Industry Award

Individuals and teams can nominate others, or themselves, for the 2024 Australian Cotton Industry Awards through the online nomination form. The nominations close on the 29th of March.

The 2023 Bayer Cotton Growers of the year, Johannes and Scarlett Roellgen from Tyunga Farms, Brookstead on the Darling Downs encouraged all growers to get behind the awards in 2024.

Johannes said it was a very positive experience and recognition of the broader team behind the farm’s success. “You do realise when you are getting nominated that there’s always a risk that you might win it. And you look over your shoulder and you think of how many people it takes to make a farming business a success. These awards are for all those people who make every farm a success.”

The launch of the 2024 Awards season comes just under a month before the Bayer Australian Cotton Grower of the Year Field Day on the property of Johannes and Scarlett, presented by Darling Downs Cotton Growers and Cotton Australia.

Each year the winner of the Bayer Australian Cotton Grower of the Year hosts a special field day at the launch of the new awards season and this year The Roellgen’s will be joined by the nearby winners of the AgriRisk High Achiever of the Year award winner, the Skerman’s.

The event, with the theme Nature and Numbers, will be held on March 20 at the Roellgen’s Brookstead property on the Darling Downs.

Register to attend the field day: https://events.humanitix.com/bayer-grower-of-the-year-field-day-2024