CottonInfo: Crop to Top

In this episode we sit down with CottonInfo’s Technical Lead for Climate, Carbon & Energy Jon Welsh from Ag Econ, and his Technical Lead support & Ag Econ colleague Johanna Hansson to talk about recent research that’s explored the economic and environmental impacts of soil carbon management in dryland cotton cropping systems. You can access the DCRA case studies here:  AgEcon/DCRA Carbon C...

Stacey Vogel is CottonInfo's Technical Lead for Natural Resource Management and has made a career out of supporting growers in a number of different areas including biodiversity, and waterway and soil management.  In the latest 'Tech & Tell' episode, learn about how Stacey got into the NRM space and cotton, and hear more about a new series of CottonInfo fact sheets on biodiversi...

We brought you '10 Questions with the Team' to introduce and re-introduce our Regional Extension Officers ... now it's time for 'Tech & Tell' with our CottonInfo Technical Leads. In this episode we get to know our Technical Lead for Fibre Quality - René van der Sluijs - a bit better, learning about his international upbringing, early career in textiles and his transiti...

In this episode we sit down with CottonInfo Tech Lead for Weed Management, Eric Koetz, to talk key herbicide considerations, management options for irrigated and dryland operations, XtendFlex options, and the impact of recent wet conditions on weed management decisions. RESOURCES: 2025 Australian Cotton Production Manual | CottonInfo 2024-25 Cotton Pest Management Guide | CottonInfo BIOSECURITY/ST...

It's the podcast within a podcast! '10 questions with the team' introduces the full CottonInfo team - from Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP Managers. In this episode, meet our new REO in Central Queensland, Tami Buranda. Tami joins the team with a strong background in research and science, an obvious passion for the cotton industry and a fantastic energy for...

It's the podcast within a podcast! '10 questions with the team' introduces the full CottonInfo team - from Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP Managers. In this episode, come and have a chat with Annabel Twine, our REO on the Darling Downs. She was nearly lost to the vet and horticulture industries - but landed in cotton - falling in love with the dynamic and pr...

It's the podcast within a podcast! '10 questions with the team' introduces the full CottonInfo team - from Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP Managers. In this episode, find out a bit more about Andrew McKay. He's done a lot, seen a lot, and enjoys his cotton community and his job a lot! An REO with CottonInfo since 2018, Andrew shares his thoughts on the...

Nicole Scott is employed by Cotton Australia as the myBMP Customer Service Manager and is also part of the CottonInfo team. Nicole's career background is incredibly impressive and varied and she's now been with the myBMP program for more than a decade. Learn more about why Nicole loves her gig and why the connection between myBMP and cotton research, development and extension is a critic...

It's the podcast within a podcast! '10 questions with the team' introduces the full CottonInfo team - from Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP Managers. In this episode, find out a bit more about Bob Ford - a familiar face and name in the Namoi - who is now one of CottonInfo's Regional Extension Officers for the Namoi Valley, as well as contributing one day...

It's the podcast within a podcast! '10 questions with the team' introduces the full CottonInfo team - from Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP Managers. In this episode, meet Rochelle Field - CottonInfo's new REO in the Macquarie Valley. After originally aspiring to be a vet, Rochelle fell in love with the cotton industry after a summer working as a bug che...

It's the podcast within a podcast! '10 questions with the team' introduces the full CottonInfo team - from Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP Managers. In this episode, get to know the new CottonInfo REO in the Gwydir - Greg Bramley. After growing up on a mixed farm in the Murray Valley, Greg's had a diverse career, from starting as a rural accountant to w...

It's the podcast within a podcast! '10 questions with the team' introduces the full CottonInfo team - from Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP Managers. In this episode, get to know one of our new REOs in the Namoi - who also happens to be our CottonInfo Soil Health Tech Lead - Blake Palmer. Blake has multi-generational roots in the Namoi and despite his initial...

It's the podcast within a podcast! '10 questions with the team' introduces the full CottonInfo team - from Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP Managers. In this episode, get to know our Program Manager, Janelle Montgomery. Starting out in ag economics, Janelle's heart has always been in the field. After a stint with NAB and ABARES, she headed back to univer...

It’s the podcast within a podcast! In the '10 questions with the team' mini-series we meet the full CottonInfo team - from Regional Extension Officers, Technical Leads & myBMP managers - and even our own Program Manager. In this first mini-series episode with sit down for a chat with one of CottonInfo’s original members who has been with the program from the very beginning - Southern...

In this episode we sit down for an update on René’s recent overseas visit to present to the National Cotton Council of America, his learnings on what RD&E priorities American and Australian cotton growers share, as well as his message to industry ahead of the pick and post-harvest processes for the 25/26 season.

Welcome to Season 4 of CottonInfo’s ‘Crop to Top’ podcast! We’re back with our first podcast for 2025 and it’s a cracker of a conversation. As late season disease sampling gets underway, we extend a conversation had a recent Area Wide Management meeting with Dr Karen Kirkby from NSW DPI and Warwick Stiller from CSIRO about verticillium and fusarium, plus the considerations growers should make now...

The WAND system first went live in the Summer of 2022 - now two years on we catch up with Goanna Ag’s CEO Jay Jalota for an update on uptake of the system that’s using CRDC & GRDC backed science to help growers detect and predict hazardous inversions to help reduce spray drift. Listen to this 10-minute overview of why WAND is a smart choice this summer. More information: Empowering growers wit...

CottonInfo is very pleased to announce its new Technical Lead for Disease - our very own Sharna Holman. Sharna has led industry in the Tech Lead role for Biosecurity and the addition of the Disease portfolio makes perfect sense. Sharna joins the podcast to talk about the role and what she's looking forward to working on with growers in the disease space, including assisting growers with a new...

In this episode we're talking IPM – or Integrated Pest Management – and taking a walk down memory lane when things were not as bright for the industry as they are currently. This discussion will form part on an ongoing, broader discussion about reduction in insecticide use, R&D taking a broader focus on IPM and alternate pest control measures, and our industry’s sustainability goals. Mega...

We take a deep dive into one of the Australian cotton industry’s high priority exotic pests - Cotton Leaf Curl Virus - with Qld DPI Plant Pathologist, Murray Sharman, and hear from CQ consultant Damien Erbacher who has seen the impact of the virus overseas firsthand.

With Version 4 of the Biosecurity Plan for the Australian Cotton Industry recently released, the CottonInfo team is on a mission to get a better understanding of pests that have been identified as Cotton Industry High Priority Pests; the ones we know are already doing damage in other parts of the world and have the potential to impact our crop should it arrive on our doorstep. The first pest we&ap...

CottonInfo REO for Southern NSW Kieran O’Keeffe & CottonInfo Tech Lead for Climate & Energy Jon Welsh offer a wrap-up of their recent climate workshops in Coleambally & Griffith.

With planting and/or planting prep underway in all cotton growing valleys, the industry may be wondering what returns could be expected from the 2024-25 cotton crop. Ag Econ has run a few gross margin (GM) projections of their own, considering the current and forecast prices of three key drivers of the cotton gross margin: cotton lint, diesel and fertiliser prices. In this podcast we chat to Ag Ec...

As season 24/25 gets underway, now is the time to make sure every new hire in your farming business is given the best support to succeed and thrive in the cotton industry. Hear from Dr Nicole McDonald on the new induction guide focused on non-technical skills, backed by industry research and on-farm experiences. You can access The Australian Cotton Enterprise Non-Technical Guide for New Entrants v...

CRDC Senior Innovation Broker Susan Maas drops by the 'Crop to Top' podcast studio to talk about how things are changing when it comes to the challenges of biosecurity and how research can & is helping the cotton industry to understand, & prepare for, the potential risks. Susan also talks about which of the high priority pests identified in the review of the cotton industry'...