Leadership is built from the ground up. That’s why the Cotton LEADSSM program is driven by Australian and U.S. producers, scientists and other professionals dedicated to sustainable cotton production. Get to know the growers and researchers who, season after season, are investigating and implementing solutions that improve cotton’s environmental footprint.
Emma is an agronomist, researcher and Young Farming Champion, working in Australia's southern valleys cotton growing region.
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Dr. Alice Payne is Senior Lecturer in Fashion in the School of Design, Queensland University of Technology. Her research centers on environmental and social sustainability concerns throughout textile and apparel industry supply chains.
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Award-winning researcher with 30 years' experience in applied entomological research and development of integrated pest management (IPM) tools for use in cotton and other broadacre crops.
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A cotton grower with a strong focus on integrated pest management (IPM), Amanda is also Cotton Region Extension Officer in the Macquarie Valley. In this role she works towards ground-truthing the latest research to benefits growers in our industry.
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Dr. Paxton Payton is a plant physiologist who studies the impact of stressors such as drought and temperature on plant growth. He also works to develop crop management tools, which allow growers to maximize their yields with limited inputs.
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Regional Extension teams work closely to translate research findings into information growers can readily use.
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The Taylors paint a picture of stewardship strengthened by precision ag technologies, which allow them to cut down on water, fertilizer and plant protection products.
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Resourceful and willing to challenge conventions, the Watsons demonstrate just how progressive Australia’s cotton industry has become.
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This farming family uses precision ag technology to increase water and input efficiency. They also changed tactics for pest management – and haven’t sprayed for boll weevils in years.
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Researcher Katie Broughton is studying the effects of elevated temperatures and CO2 levels on cotton crops. Her research, a first for the global cotton industry, aims to help us keep management strategies ahead of climate change.
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Researcher Dan Carmichael is a champion for water conservation. He discusses a few of the technologies he works with in the southern high plains of Texas in the world’s largest “cotton patch.”
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When it came to the farm, Fleur Anderson learned early in life to focus on the future and not to fear bold commitments. She outlines the sustainable production practices her family now uses to live by those principles.
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