Cotton news

The Cotton LEADS℠ Program continues to increase awareness of responsible cotton production by keeping partners informed through a series of Partner Meetings. A Partner Meeting was held on April 23 in Lima, Peru, the second event in Latin America this year.

The Cotton LEADS℠ Program hosted a Partner Meeting on April 21 in Mexico City, focused on responsible cotton production and continuous improvement efforts. Ten representatives from 8 Cotton LEADS℠ partner companies and 7 companies interested in joining the program attended the event.

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has announced that Dr Greg Constable, of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia, has been selected as the recipient of the ICAC Cotton Researcher of the Year for 2015. Dr Constable is an eminent leader in the international cotton research community.

The cotton fields of Narrabri in northern NSW Australia played host to an exclusive group of leading Australian fashion industry figures, retailers and designers at a tour held on Tuesday 28 April, 2015. The trip – incorporating a tour of two cotton farms during harvest and a cotton gin during processing – showcased the Australian cotton industry’s innovative and responsible approach to production.

Australia’s cotton growers operate under a robust federal government system that both regulates many of the activities that occur on cotton farms, as well as providing support and information to improve practices. Australia’s Federal Department of the Environment has created a new webpage for growers containing publications, fact sheets, and updated information on how the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act applies to farming.

High Quality Draft Sequence of Upland Cotton Genome Will Advance Fiber, Fuel, and Food Applications An international consortium, led by Professors Tianzhen Zhang from Nanjing Agricultural University and Z. Jeffery Chen of the University of Texas at Austin, has made publicly available a high-quality draft genome sequence of Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).

With cotton picking well underway in the cotton growing regions of Australia, Cotton Australia has issued a reminder to growers about farm hygiene, and the need to implement the well-known Come Clean Go Clean policy of the industry. Harvesting increases the movement of farm staff members, contractors, vehicles and equipment as they move from one region to another.

Alternative and renewable energy sources, including solar for powering cotton production, were hot topics at Australia’s CottonInfo Big Days Out at St George, Queensland and Gunnedah, NSW. The days attracted 60 and 80 participants respectively and visitors were keen to hear from experienced growers, energy researchers, auditors, consultants and system providers.