Cotton Australia recently hosted Eric Trachtenberg, Executive Director of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), during a week-long visit to learn more about the Australian cotton industry.

Eric began his visit in Sydney with a meeting with Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay, where they discussed the structure and priorities of the industry. He then travelled to key growing regions in New South Wales and Queensland for site visits and meetings.

In the Namoi and Gwydir valleys, Cotton Australia General Manager Michael Murray joined Eric and two senior officials from the Federal Department of Agriculture on visits to the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), Cotton Seed Distributors (CSD), Australian Classing Services, the Australian Cotton Research Institute, and the AFF farm and gin.

They also visited the Kahl and Ball family farms and saw “Conan,” an autonomous swarmbot sprayer owned by Rob Everleigh. Along the way, the group met with local growers and industry representatives over meals and farm visits.

In Queensland, Cotton Australia’s Paul Sloman hosted the group in the Toowoomba region. They visited Mitch Brimblecombe’s farm in the Lockyer Valley to see irrigation systems, soil health strategies and crop rotations in action. The group also toured Bayer’s research lab and SwarmFarm Robotics’ production facility to learn about innovations in biotechnology and autonomous farming.

At grower John Cameron’s farm, they heard firsthand about workforce challenges, farm planning, and the benefits of myBMP accreditation. The group later met with the myBMP team to discuss sustainability standards and grower participation in the program.

The visit finished at the University of Southern Queensland, where researchers shared work on water engineering, crop genetics and smart irrigation—highlighting the industry’s focus on research and improvement.

As well as helping Eric gain a deeper understanding of the Australian industry, the visit was a chance for Cotton Australia and others to learn more about ICAC’s work, including its advice to the European Union on the risks of proposed sustainability regulations.

The visit also strengthened ties with the Federal Department of Agriculture and included meetings with ACSA, CSIRO and Deakin University.