More than 160 delegates gathered in Canberra for the 2025 Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA) Conference, coming together to share ideas, experiences and strategies for strengthening food and fibre education in Australian schools.

Cotton Australia’s Education Manager Jenny Hughes took part in the Lightning Talks, sharing how integrating food and fibre into school programs can inspire future farmers, scientists, and educators. She also presented data showing that more than half of students surveyed over the past decade didn’t know cotton comes from a plant — a clear reminder of the need for stronger agricultural education.

Conference highlights

Grace Griffiths: Keynote address
Cotton grower, agronomist and founder of 101 Ag Pathways, Grace Griffiths, delivered a keynote focused on encouraging young people to explore careers in agriculture. She urged educators to highlight the full range of options, from on-farm work to science and technology.

Her three key messages to attendees were:
• The only prerequisite is being willing to learn
• You are not born a doctor you study to become one and agriculture is no different
• Agriculture never was and never will be just in the paddock the industry is diverse and evolving.

A Stitch in Time: Cotton Australia workshop
Cotton Australia hosted a Stitch in Time workshop to launch six new classroom resources and two free hands-on activities for Foundation to Year 12. The activities Cotton Crop Critters and the Water Sharing Game were trialled during the session with educators providing feedback on how they could be used across Science, Geography, Agriculture and STEM.

The workshop also showcased last year’s George the Farmer content and the popular Cotton Sample Kits.

SHIFT workshop: building real-world skills
Dr Nicole McDonald from CQUniversity led a SHIFT workshop on the non-technical skills needed to succeed in agriculture. Based on CRDC-funded research, the session shared tools to help students build adaptability, communication and teamwork skills — all vital for careers in the food and fibre sector. Teachers explored ways to use these resources to support students through work placements and transitions beyond school.

Supporting early-career teachers

Cotton Australia sponsored two early-career agriculture teachers to attend the event: Sarah Adamson from St Brigid’s Catholic College in Lake Munmorah and Georgia Bennetts from Coolah Central School. Both expressed gratitude for the scholarship and the opportunity to attend and connect with others in the ag education space.