Cotton Matters - 22nd April 2022
Cotton Australia advocates for growers at Sydney Royal Easter Show
Tens of thousands of people have discovered the Australian cotton industry during the 2022 Sydney Royal Easter Show.
Cotton Australia had a stand in the Woolworths Food Farm pavilion during the show, which educated city dwellers about our industry.
Our stand incorporated displays of cotton, banners presenting key industry information, as well as our virtual reality station, where showgoers could watch our VR video through special headsets that immersed them in life on a cotton farm.
Cotton Australia would like to thank all those industry personnel who volunteered their time to work on the stand with our staff and helped share the cotton industry’s story with the public.
High-end fashion designer showcases Australian cotton collection in the field
Gold Coast fashion designer Emma Bond has captured her cotton fashion collection in the field for an upcoming virtual runway project.
Emma, 31, conducted a fashion shoot at Mitch Brimblecombe’s Lockyer Valley property near Brisbane in Queensland, highlighting her label Madi & Pip.
Born and raised on a cotton farm in Nevertire, New South Wales, using cotton as the fibre of choice came naturally to Emma, and this year, Emma was selected to participate in Cotton Australia’s 2022 Australian Future Cotton Leaders program.
The shoot coincided with Fashion Revolution Week - a week dedicated to raising awareness for a fairer, safer and more transparent industry. It and also allowed Emma the opportunity to film footage to create a digital runway for future fashion showcases.
Get To Know: Adam Kay, Cotton Australia CEO
Cotton Australia is launching a new weekly social media series introducing you to some of the people working in the Australian cotton industry.
The series is starting by focussing on Cotton Australia team members.
It is hoped the series will inform growers and industry personnel of who our people are, and encourage you to contact us when you need to.
Book now: your Australian Cotton Conference tickets
The Australian Cotton Conference is back in 2022 with a program expected to engage, challenge, and unite our important agricultural industry at time of great opportunity and change.
To be held in person on Queensland’s Gold Coast from 16th
– 18th August 2022, the program will centre around the theme “Here for Good”, and will explore cutting edge cotton science, contributions to the economy and regional communities and resilience in the face of many recent challenges.
Full Cotton Australia levy paying growers can access a discount when they register for the conference. During the registration process, you will be asked to supply a Grower Number – this is any number assigned to the grower by their ginner or merchant.
Read more about the Conference
Last chance: apply for Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program
Time is running out to apply for the National Farmers’ Federation’s (NFF) flagship Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program.
Cotton Australia is a member of NFF and a founding partner in the program.
The program is designed to increase the representation of women in leadership positions in Australian agriculture and achieve the NFF’s goal to double the number of women in agriculture’s leadership ranks by 2030.
NFF President Fiona Simson said the organisation was proactively working towards narrowing the gender gap and the Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program was instrumental in achieving this.
Applications close on April 25th 2022.
NSW Government launches free quad bike program to protect kids
Students across regional NSW are putting safety first, as a free quad bike safety program kicks off across the state for kids aged 16 years and older.
As part of Youth Week, SafeWork NSW has partnered with Tocal College to deliver more than 400 free training events for quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles in regional and remote NSW schools.
Minister for Fair Trading Eleni Petinos said the program will provide practical skills for young people operating high-risk vehicles on farms and at work.
NSW growers: apply now for AgSkilled WHS and TR training
NSW growers are encouraged to register for an upcoming WHS and HR training course, funded through the AgSkilled program.
The WHS and HR Fundamentals training, delivered by Tocal College, aims to improve WHS and staff management in farm businesses, enhance understanding of WHS management systems, cover legal obligations, and deliver tips on attracting and retaining staff.
The course is aimed at owners, supervisors, or managers (or anyone aspiring to these roles) with a minimum of five years of experience in industry.
The training will be delivered online with recorded and written content, plus 10 live webinars over 16 weeks.
Applications close April 22nd 2022, with the course beginning on April 29th 2022.
Tips for reducing cotton contamination released
It’s that time of the year when pickers are rumbling across cotton fields in eastern Australia.
In Australia the biggest contamination risk to cotton during picking is from plastic, since most of the crop is harvested with pickers that produce round modules covered with plastic wrap.
To help our growers minimise lint contamination during picking and to help ensure clean and efficient picking, the CottonInfo team has compiled a valuable resource to guide you.
Time running out: enter Circular Fibres Pitchathon
Cotton Australia has partnered with CSIRO and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation to bring you the Threads and Opportunities Symposium – a fully online event from 23rd – 26th May 2022. This collaborative symposium’s goal is to help accelerate Australia’s science and innovation towards sustainable circular fibres.
The Circular Fibres Pitchathon is part of the symposium, with $2000 worth of prizes available for participating high school and TAFE/undergraduate students. The Pitchathon is a challenge to generate and pitch an idea for sustainable fibres and textiles.
Entries close: 2nd May 2022
Winners announced: 23rd – 26th May 2022 at the Threads + Opportunities Symposium (online)
Click here for more details
North Queensland growers: changes made to unallocated water Terms of Sale
Growers in North Queensland are encouraged to read the changes to the Terms of Sale for general reserve unallocated water in the Flinders River catchment.
In November 2021, the Queensland Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water released 110,000 megalitres of general reserve unallocated water for projects in the Flinders River catchment area via competitive tender.
The Department has now amended the Terms of Sale regarding this release to provide clarity and certainty to potential tenderers and stakeholders about the sale process, and with the intent of maximising participation in the release process.
Tenderers are encouraged to read the Terms of Sale in its entirety to ensure their preliminary tender applications are conforming with the amended Terms of Sale. This includes use of and completing the amended application forms and submitting these as part of a preliminary tender application.
