Cotton industry achievers were honoured when more than 350 people gathered to celebrate the recipients of the 2013 Australian Cotton Industry Awards at The Crossing Theatre last night.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Awards, which recognise excellence and achievement in Australia’s cotton industry throughout the supply chain, from growers and ginners to product suppliers, consultants, agronomists and researchers.
“All of the finalists in this year’s program have contributed enormously to Australia’s cotton industry, which made the task of judging this year’s Awards only more difficult,” Cotton Australia CEO, Mr Kay Adam said.
“The Australian Cotton Industry Awards celebrate not just the great work and personal commitment of these fine individuals, but also the commitment of everyone throughout the cotton supply chain.”
The winners were Grower of the Year - John and Ros Cameron (Bongeen, Qld) High Achiever of the Year - Glen and Julieanne Rogan (St George) Chris Lehman Trust Young Achiever of the Year - Sophie Gulliver (Toowoomba) CSD Researcher of the Year-Janelle Montgomery (Moree) Service to Industry Award - Greg Kauter (Cotton Australia, NSW.)
Former Narrabri agronomist, Greg Kauter was the winner of the Service to Industry award.
His association with the Australian cotton industry spans 30 years, during which time he has played a major and influential role in many aspects of the industry including agronomy, extension, training, policy, research and stewardship. When the Australian Cotton Growers’ association (ACGRA) merged with Cotton Australia in 2008, Greg moved to Sydney in a new role as Cotton Australia’s Research Direction and Stewardship Manager, a position he holds today.
A trust honouring the memory of the late Chris Lehmann, a mentor to many in the cotton industry over many years, supports the cotton industry Young Achiever awards.
Mr Lehmann was passionate about encouraging and supporting young people in the cotton industry and in agriculture generally. “He would have been so proud to be here to see this award made tonight,” said Mr Lehmann’s wife, Debbie Lehmann.
Mrs Lehmann presented the Young Achiever award to technical specialist Sophie Gulliver, a young scientist with a passion for insects, agriculture and innovation.
Sophie joined Toowoomba based AgBiTech in 2011 as its Technical Specialist.
Former Narrabri resident, Rhiannon Smith, now a Research Fellow at UNE, was a finalist in the Young Achiever awards.
Rhiannon is funded by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) to study the value of native vegetation on cotton farms in providing ecosystem services that could attract payments in future markets.
Her research includes more than 100 farms stretching from Emerald to Hay.
Narrabri’s Graham Charles was a finalist in the Researcher of the Year awards category.
Graham Charles, based at the ACRI, has been a committed cotton weeds researcher for over 25 years working to assist growers in identifying, quantifying and managing weeds on their farms.
Through his extensive research into herbicide resistance and herbicide damage he has become an international expert in this field.