One feature of the 2022 Australian Cotton Conference was the number of young growers and industry figures there in attendance. However it wasn’t just those already in the industry that featured strongly in the forums, panels discussions and on the exhibition floors – students were there in droves, thanks to CA’s education Manager Jenny Hughes.

Cotton Australia (CA) directly supported 12 Undergraduate students to attend all three days of conference including the welcome reception and awards dinner. The undergrads were from USQ, UQ, UNE, CSU, Bond universities and one from Longerenong College (online). They were selected because of their areas of study and interest in the cotton industry.

CA directly supported 8 schoolteachers for two days of conference and they came from as far away as Perth. In addition, 34 senior school students with 6 teachers attended on the first day of the conference as well as attending sessions and a tour of the Trade Hall before a, this group arrived at 8am on Tuesday before the conference proper started for a targeted workshop Cultivating the STEM in Cotton.