Cotton Australia, along with other industry partners and The Australian Cottongrower magazine, is delighted to announce the 2023 Cotton Collective will be held in Toowoomba on August 1 to 3.
Best described as “Mini Cotton Conference” the program will feature many of the activities that make the Australian Cotton Conference such an awesome event but packed into a more compact timeframe. The most recent Cotton Collective was held in Griffith in 2019, while there was an understandable break in 2021. But now it is back, bigger than ever and in Queensland for the first time.
The feature event will be the Cotton Collective Conference and Trade Show on August 2 & 3 which will be held at the Toowoomba Showgrounds, utilising the Glenvale Room and the huge undercover Founders pavilion.
The pavilion will be packed with the latest in Agtech and services for our industry, while the conference program will have something for everyone. There will also be sessions on spraydrift management, irrigation automation, attracting and retaining staff, cotton diseases, sustainability and the always popular new technology session.
Growing up just around the corner in Clifton, Shane Webcke is no stranger to the Darling Downs, or to farming. After 26 tests for Australia, 24 Queensland jerseys and 12 seasons in the top tier of the country’s Rugby League competition, he turned his attention to farming, family, business, writing and guest speaking. Shane will be a key note speaker at this year’s Cotton Collective, and will also be appearing at the Thursday lunch break to help draw our major raffle prize.
Packing the clubs isn’t something that would feature high on the list when preparing for a trip to Toowoomba in August. Thanks to Growth Ag however, you’ll be able to work on the short game at their exclusive GolfSim site in the Founders Pavilion this year. And while there’s not enough time for a round of skins, you can have a crack at their ‘100m for $100’ competition, and also score a branded Dometic Esky if your short game puts you closest to the pin.
During the lunch break on both Wednesday and Thursday the Cotton Trade Show is proud to present Linda Capewell, a local singer with roots in Outback Queensland, for your aural entertainment. Growing up on sheep & cattle stations, she tuned her ear to Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks and Debbie Harry and was on the B&S Ball Circuit from age 17. Linda plays at venues all over South East Queensland, and has recently picked up a contract performing on Cruise Ships all over the world.
TIME | SESSION |
---|---|
9.15 - 4.30pm | |
6.30 - 8.00pm | Welcome Drinks The Rock – 520-526 Ruthven Street |
TIME | SESSION |
---|---|
7.30 - 9.00am | Registration – tea and coffee on arrival |
8.55am | Trade Hall Open |
8.00 - 9.00am | Cotton Australia AGM – To be held in the Committee Room |
9.00 - 9.05am | Official Session – Official Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country Nigel Burnett – Cotton Australia Chair |
9.05 - 9.30am | What’s next for Australian Cotton – Market and Drivers Beau Stephenson, Senior VP, Omnicotton (USA) |
9.30 - 10.00am | Carbon & Cotton Farming Prof Richard Eckard – University of Melbourne |
10.00 - 10.45am | |
10.30am | Wincott AGM – The Committee Room – Women from all aspects of the cotton industry are invited to attend and get involved with the organisation. |
10.45 - 12.15pm | Future Proofing Our Supply Chains Session Chair – Brooke Summers |
10.45 - 11.00am | – “Why Social and Environmental Sustainability Matters for the Australian Cotton Industry in 2023 and Beyond” – Brooke Summers |
11.00 - 11.15am | – The Need for Supply Chain Traceability and Transparency – Shannon Mercer – CEO, Fibretrace |
11.15 - 11.25am | – Marketing Our Cotton – Adam Kay – CEO, Cotton Australia |
11.25 - 11.35am | – Why Human Rights Matter for Cotton – Arthur Spellson – Director Cotton Australia and Australian Cotton Shippers Association. |
11.35 - 11.45am | – Certified Cotton from Australia – The Future of myBMP – Nigel Burnett – Chair, Cotton Australia |
11.45 - 11.55am | – Reporting Impact with Data – Dr Meredith Conaty – Innovation Broker, CRDC |
11.55 - 12.05pm | – Panel Discussion – “How will these issues play out at farm level?” – Brooke Summers |
12.05 - 12.15pm | – “Are You Bogged Mate” – Mary O’Brien |
12.15 - 1.45pm | |
1.45 - 3.00pm | On The Farm Session – Session Chair – Liz Stott |
1.45 - 2.05pm | – Panel Session – Attracting/Retaining Staff Nicole McDonald, Chantal Masters, Daniel Kahl and Steve McVeigh |
2.05 - 2.25pm | – Automated Irrigation – Prof Joe Foley (USQ) & Andrew Greste |
2.25 - 2.45pm | – Diseases in the Field – Dr Linda Smith, Principal Plant Pathologist, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries & Amanda Thomas, Regional Extension Officer, CottonInfo. |
2.45 - 3.00pm | – Industrial Relations – Top Questions I am asked – Wayne Schwalbach, Employment Mediation Services, Tamworth |
3.00 - 3.45pm | |
3.45 - 5.00pm | Research Pipeline Session – Session Chair – TBA |
3.45 - 4.15pm | – Spraydrift and Innovation – Susan Maas, CRDC, Tom Holcombe, Swarmbot, Alicia Garden, Goanna Ag & LX Design |
4.15 - 4.45pm | – Brazil through Scientist eyes – lessons for the north – Dr Warwick Stiller, Dr Paul Grundy, Andrew Parkes and Bruce Connolly |
4.45 - 5.00pm | – Richard Williams Commercial Research priorities / current focus – Dr Mike Bange, CSD |
5.00pm | Session Close |
6.30pm |
TIME | SESSION |
---|---|
8.30 - 9.00am | Registration – tea and coffee on arrival |
8.55am | Trade Hall Open |
9.00 - 9.45am | New Products and Technologies Session Session Chair – David Dowling, The Australian Cottongrower Magazine |
9.00 - 9.07am | – Cotton Disease Testing using DNA – Rob Long, Crown Analytical |
9.07 - 9.14am | – N-Drip Connect™ - a Decision Support System designed to effectively manage and optimise irrigation, nitrogen levels, and overall plant health – Udi David Stern, N-Drip |
9.14 - 9.21am | – Crop health, variable rate application & autonomous technologies – Anthony Dolijanin, ElevationAI |
9.21 - 9.28am | – Unlocking the Benefits of a Renewable Energy Future – Felicity Wall, Enervest |
9.28 - 9.35am | – The Power of Peptides - Verticillium Wilt management – Nick Watts, Innovate Ag |
9.35 - 9.45am | – The XtendFlex® Cotton System – weed control and stewardship – Matt Hayes, Bayer – Bayer |
9.45 - 10.15am | – Getting the Most out of your Cotton Ginning – Ben Suttor & Rene van der Sluijs – Australian Cotton Ginners Association |
10.15 - 11.00am | |
11.00 - 1.00pm | Closing Session Session Chair – Adam Kay – CEO, Cotton Australia |
11.00 - 11.10pm | – “Our Industry – Our Future” – Jess Strauch / Jamie Deshon |
11.10 - 11.40pm | – “What’s on Australia’s Agricultural Horizon” – Tony Mahar – CEO, National Farmers Federation |
11.40 - 12.00pm | – “Australia’s first Textile Recovery Technology: Why we need to give a Sheet” – Graham Ross – Founder, BlockTexx |
12.00 - 12.55pm | – “Coming Home Safe” –Shane Webcke |
12.55 - 1.00pm | Closing Remarks – Adam Kay – CEO, Cotton Australia |
1.00 - 2.00pm | |
2.00 - 4.00pm | Master Cotton Picker Class – Ross Munro – A great opportunity for an interactive discussion on getting the most out of your picker. Ideal for owners, contractors and their operators. |
Namoi Cotton will sponsor a welcome drinks reception at The Rock, a fabulous entertainment venue in Ruthven Street. The cost of the welcome reception is $25 and any funds left over will go to the nominated Cotton Collective charity, Are You Bogged Mate?.
The Collective will start off on Tuesday, August 1 with a cotton tour focusing on Agtech in Toowoomba and the Darling Downs which is now a major area for cotton research and extension and a centre for manufacture and distribution of innovative agricultural technology.
The tour will start at Toowoomba Tafe college to look at vertical farming using Grow Pods and the John Deere training and the engineering and apprentice workshop. Speaker Mark Germishuy will cover risk management, data science and artificial intelligence, applied particularly to agribusinesses.
The TAFE hospitality students will provide the catering for lunch.
In the afternoon, the tour will move to the University of Southern Queensland which is a vital hub for innovative cotton research and a global leader in ag technology. Topics covered will include:
On the Wednesday night, the industry will gather at the Empire Theatre Complex for the 2023 Australian Cotton Industry Awards. This is the event of the year for the cotton industry and will almost certainly be a sellout, so make sure you get your tickets early. The heritage listed art deco Empire Theatre was built in 1911 and is worth a visit by itself.