Nominations have opened for the 2019 Australian Cotton Industry Awards, which recognise excellence and high achievement throughout the cotton supply chain.
The Awards are an annual event and recognise the hard work of the industry's high achievers.
Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay says the Awards highlight the industry's strength.
"The Australian Cotton Industry Awards celebrate our industry's achievements and acknowledge the tremendous commitment, hard work and innovation of people throughout the cotton supply chain," Mr Kay says.
"The Awards provide a great opportunity for us all to learn from our industry's leaders, both in good times and bad. With the ongoing drought, I know many of us are keen to see how others in the industry have responded to the challenging conditions."
"The cotton industry has continued to prove itself to be an adaptable and resilient sector. Through the Awards program we can learn how growers, product suppliers, agronomists and others have adapted, innovated and improved what they do. Learning that knowledge is beneficial for us all."
"I encourage everyone in our industry to go online and nominate those they believe deserve recognition."
Chairman of the Australian Cotton Industry Awards Taskforce Geoff McIntyre says the Awards are a highlight of the year for the industry.
"The Awards night is a terrific opportunity to come together and celebrate excellence, reconnect with friends from across the industry and share knowledge and innovative ideas," he says.
"That sharing of knowledge will see all of us come out of this drought stronger and even more resilient than before."
The categories for the 2019 Australian Cotton Industry Awards are:
- Bayer Grower of the Year
- AgriRisk High Achiever of the Year
- ADAMA Chris Lehmann Trust Young Cotton Achiever of the Year
- Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year
- IPF Service to Industry Award
The 2019 Australian Cotton Industry Awards will be held in Griffith, NSW on July 24th 2019, in conjunction with the Australian Cotton Collective.
Adam Kay says the support of the Awards program's sponsors has been invaluable.
"We are grateful for the ongoing support and sponsorship of the Awards from ADAMA, AgriRisk, Bayer, Cotton Australia, Cotton Seed Distributors, Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (IPF)," Mr Kay says.
"This event is a great way for the industry to celebrate its successes and learn for the future, and our sponsors play such a big role in making that a reality."
Individuals and teams can nominate others, or themselves, for the 2019 Australian Cotton Industry Awards through the online nomination form at http://www.australiancottonawards.com. Nominations close at 5pm on March 31st 2019.
The 2018 Australian Cotton Industry Awards recipients were:
- Bayer Grower of the Year: Grower of the Year: Brett Corish, Corish Management Pty Ltd, 'Mundine'. Goondiwindi, QLD
- AgriRisk High Achiever of the Year: Bernie Bierhoff, Farm Manager at Avondale Ag, Rowena, NSW
- ADAMA Chris Lehmann Trust Young Cotton Achiever of the Year: William Back, Auscott Ltd, Narrabri, NSW
- Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year: Dr Joseph Foley, Dr Malcolm Gillies and Dr Alison McCarthy, University of Southern QLD, Toowoomba, QLD
- IPF Service to Industry Award: David Montgomery, Moree, NSW
The 2018 Grower of the Year Field Day will be held in the Macintyre Valley on March 20th, 2019.
Note: biographies of the 2018 Grower of the Year Award recipients follow. High-resolution images are available upon request.
Cotton Australia is the peak representative body for Australia's cotton growing industry.
