The Summer 2023-24 edition of Spotlight has a focus on Clever Cotton, collaboration and the circular economy.
We take a deep dive into circularity, which is one of CRDC’s new investment areas under Clever Cotton. In particular, we look at the end-of-life management of cotton garments and fabrics and how returning them to the soil in cotton fields may be a solution to Australia’s textile waste problem. We hope you enjoy our story on cottongrower Sam Coulton, who hosts the CRDC-supported circularity trials returning cotton fibre to the soil. Sam is a true champion of cotton and agriculture, his community and his town. This project supports concurrent research to establish the viability of processing textile waste in regional areas and takes a closer look at the soil science behind composting cotton. It’s an exciting field of work with huge potential benefits for Australian cotton.
In this edition, we also discuss some of the many ways CRDC is working with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) on cross-industry issues. It’s certainly not a new partnership – we’ve been working together on important research projects for our grain and cotton growers for decades – but we’re working more closely than ever to address common issues and invest in shared facilities and projects.
We also feature some new faces, as we welcome CRDC’s new Board of Directors, who along with our Chair Richard Haire and returning board member and cottongrower Ross Burnett, are working with us to achieve our ambitious targets. We also welcome Janelle Montgomery to the role of CottonInfo Program Lead. Janelle is stepping into the leading role from her most recent position as CottonInfo Regional Extension Officer. While she will certainly be missed in the Gwydir and Mungindi regions, Janelle is looking forward to working with growers across all regions as she works to keep CottonInfo a trusted source of information.
All this, and more, in Spotlight.
