09 August 2024, AU: The 2024 Australian Cotton Conference took place this week, with almost 3000 members of the industry coming together from all over the world.
L-R Elders State General Manager for Queensland and NT, Lisa Hewitt, Elders Katherine agronomist, Tom White, Territory Business Manager for Bayer Crop Science, Ben Turner, and Managing Director at Customised Farm Management, Andrew Parkes.
As proud supporters of the cotton industry, Elders and B&W Rural have this year reinforced their strong commitment, appearing as exhibitors for the three-day event.
Bringing along a strong contingent of both pink and blue shirts, the two teams were pleased to get involved in a mix of technical seminars on cotton agronomy, plus updates on emerging chemistry, trial sites and research projects. Another highlight of the conference is always the Cotton Industry Awards Dinner, which recognises those who have contributed to growth, development and innovation within the cotton space.
Elders and B&W Rural were at the forefront of the discussions on Monday night, when B&W Rural’s Peter Birch led a panel session which discussed both current opportunities and challenges in the industry. He was joined by Elders State General Manager for Queensland and NT, Lisa Hewitt, and Elders Katherine-based agronomist, Tom White.
Elders State Technical Services Manager for Queensland and NT Maree Crawford explained that the biennial event is always an outstanding opportunity for Elders advisors to come together to network, learn and build on their existing knowledge and skill sets.
“The Cotton Conference is a great opportunity to bring all of our young agronomists, who are specialising in cotton, right across Australia, together to learn about all the new technology and get some new skills in this industry that will add a lot of value in the future,” Maree said.
One such up-and-coming agronomist is Meg Brown, from Griffith in New South Wales. It was her first time as an attendee at the conference, she said that she has been looking forward to an inside look at emerging innovation and technology in cotton.
“I have been looking forward to some of the presentations that are happening today, in terms of what’s happening in the future, and in terms of the strategies that people are putting forward, as well as what the role of consultants will look like going forward,” Meg said.
“I am particularly interested in what is happening in artificial intelligence, as well as extend flex technology, which is emerging in our weed management strategies. There is plenty coming through the pipeline for us and I am excited to see what it could look like.”
Another agronomist in attendance, hailing from Moura, Queensland, was Danielle Hogarth. She explained that while the technical presentations are important, the most valuable element for her has been the opportunity to build relationships.
“It is so important to strengthen relationships between suppliers, between people that we work with, for our growers and also immersing our growers in the culture that is Elders,” Danielle said.
“We’ve got a great national network that is here to support our growers and get them the best service possible – so that’s great to have it all here in one spot.”
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