Stories: On the Farm
Alice Devlin and Lou Gall - Gwydir Valley, NSW, Australia

Connecting Growers with Research

“The purpose of Australia’s CottonInfo team is to connect growers with research, and to help improve on-farm practices. The regional extension officer role involves adapting research for local growers and consultants, so that they can adopt the findings.

This involves conducting on-farm trials to demonstrate local impacts and outcomes and hosting a range of workshops and field days with growers so they can talk directly to researchers. In this area, we also work really closely with the Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association, helping to ensure the findings of the grower-led trials get out to where they’re needed most: on local farms.”

– Alice Devlin, regional extension officer, CottonInfo

Get to know other growers and researchers

Dr. Tyson Raper
Memphis, TN, USA

Every cotton-growing state in the U.S. has a cotton extension specialist. This research and outreach professional is dedicated to advancing the science of cotton agriculture and translating it into guidance that growers use to increase their productivity and sustainability.

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Dr. Audrey Gamble
Auburn, AL, USA

Dr. Audrey Gamble, associate professor of soil science at Auburn University, works with cotton growers to fine-tune their farm management to build their soil’s health and prepare it for productivity now and many years in the future.

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Johannes Roellgen
Brookstead, Queensland, Australia

Johannes and Scarlett Roellgen are regarded among the best cotton growers in Australia because of their pest management, water use efficiency and on-farm practices.

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Dr. Katie Lewis
Lubbock, TX, USA

Dr. Katie Lewis has dedicated her career to helping cotton growers — including her family — increase their resilience and sustain their farming operations far into the future.

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Ben Witham
Coleambally, New South Wales, Australia

Biodiversity is important for cotton farmers. In Southern NSW, one farmer has connected his paddocks to a reserve and state forest with biodiversity corridors, providing a natural habitat for wildlife to live and travel.

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Jeff Palmer
Wee Waa, New South Wales, Australia

The noise is unbelievable, and its near impossible to find a tree that a whistling duck hasn’t claimed – but it’s a long-standing biodiversity project this cotton farming family are proud of.

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Andrew Burleson
Richfield, NC, USA

Soil conservation benefits both crops and the environment in a myriad of ways. Hear from Andrew Burleson about his experiences adopting sustainable agricultural practices.

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Scott McCalman
Mullaley, New South Wales, Australia

A cover cropping program has resulted in improved soil health, yield and reduced input costs for NSW cotton farmer Scott McCalman.

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Nick Gillingham
Moree, NSW, Australia

Leading the operation is farm manager Nick Gillingham, who oversees “Keytah” at Sundown Pastoral.

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Scott Hogan
Coleambally, New South Wales, Australia

Why are these farmers standing in a huge puddle of water? They’ve irrigated a natural wetland to help save the endangered Southern Bell Frog.

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Ashley Geldard
Miles, Queensland

On the Western Downs in Queensland, Ashley Geldard has converted his previously rainfed farming operation to irrigated thanks to a constant supply of treated wastewater from a nearby coal seam gas plant.

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Tony Quigley
Macquarie Valley, NSW, Australia

The Quigley Family in the Macquarie Valley NSW have been awarded Australian Cotton Grower of the Year for their production that covers all aspects of farming for a sustainable future.

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