Cotton Research and Development Corporation

Today, as family and friends gather in Emerald to celebrate the life of Liz Alexander, we pay tribute to a champion of the cotton industry taken far too soon. Liz was a committed and passionate member of our cotton community. An agricultural development specialist, Liz specialised in finding collaborative and innovative solutions for regional challenges, with a particular focus on natural resource management, regional development and technology. Liz was part of the team that rolled out the cotton industry’s best management practices program BMP in the late 1990s. In the early 2000s, Liz served as Cotton Australia’s Central Highlands Regional Manager, before taking on Directorships with Cotton Australia from 2011 to 2013 and CRDC from 2014-2020. She also served as a director of Plant Health Australia and the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority. Today, we pause to pay our respects, to thank Liz in absentia for her significant contribution, and to pass our condolences on to Liz’s husband and two sons, and wider family and friends. Vale Liz Alexander.

🌾🔬 The Rural Research and Development Corporations' (RDCs), R&D Impact Showcase held at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra on Wednesday, 19 June 2024 was a resounding success! It was a day dedicated to exploring the transformative research, development, and extension initiatives led by our RDCs, driving progress across agriculture, fibre, fisheries, and forestry sectors. The showcase highlighted critical themes such as: • Organic collaboration • Climate-smart sustainable agriculture • Workforce development • Trade and market opportunities It was an inspiring display of partnership and innovation, shaping the future of our industries. Check out and discover the impactful discussions and breakthroughs of the day. 🙌 What a partnership AgriFutures Australia, Australian Eggs, Australian Meat Processor Corporation, Australian Pork Limited, Australian Wool Innovation, Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Dairy Australia, FRDC - Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Forest & Wood Products Australia, Grains Research and Development Corporation, Hort Innovation, LiveCorp - Australian Livestock Export Corporation, Meat & Livestock Australia, Sugar Research Australia Limited and Wine Australia. #Impact #Research #Collaboration #Agriculture #Innovation

🔍 Australian cotton is no stranger to scrutiny from those outside our industry. But with 30 years of independent and publicly available environmental assessments and reporting, arguably the greatest scrutiny comes from within our industry itself. There's no other ag industry in Australia with such a long history of examining its own progress in such an independent, transparent way. After three decades, and with such strategies in place as our PLANET. PEOPLE. PADDOCK. Sustainability Framework, 10-year assessments, five-yearly reports and annual updates, our industry is well ahead of the curve when it comes to commitment and credentials 🌱 📉 But, as ever, there is still work to do. In our latest Spotlight magazine, we outline the just-released Fourth Environmental Assessment and some of its recommendations. Take a look: https://lnkd.in/gy8VNt2a #environment #sustainability #transparency #environmentalreporting

📣 Join our team! 📣 Applications are now open for an Innovation Broker to join our Cotton Research and Development Corporation team. CRDC's Innovation Brokers manage a portfolio of research and development investments to support achievement of our strategic plan, Clever Cotton – from ideation to impact. Reporting to our General Manager Innovation Dr Meredith Conaty as part of the Innovation team, Innovation Brokers identify research priorities, broker partnerships, procure research collaborations and oversee the delivery and performance of our research investments. For more information, call Al Kellaway at Rimfire Resources on 1300 380 701 or visit: https://lnkd.in/gAEz4We. #cotton #research #recruitment #researchjobs #innovation #impact

Article in the latest Cotton Grower magazine. #research #developingpeople #cotton

Are you a #cottongrower and wondered who decides cotton's research, development and extension priorities? The good news is, it’s you! But how? CRDC Executive Director Allan Williams says it’s important that growers know their voices can be heard, and that he and the Innovation team at CRDC are listening. “We really want growers to know that our team is always accessible and we want to hear their issues, wins and emerging scenarios. Our team of Innovation Brokers are all specialists in cotton RD&E, with impressive experience at many levels of the industry, including in the field. “They bring with them a deep understanding of cotton growing in Australia, yet do rely on growers to keep them informed about what’s happening at the coal face.” There are five ways for growers to contribute to setting research priorities: 🤝 Talk directly to a CRDC Innovation Broker 🌱 🎤 Join your local Cotton Grower Association and become the nominee to attend the twice yearly Cotton Australia/CRDC research priority forums (generally held May/June and November in Sydney or Brisbane) ✏ Submit your thoughts/comments/suggestions via our website: https://lnkd.in/dkGSKKxz 🗣 Talk to a CottonInfo Regional Extension Officer (REO) or Cotton Australia Regional Manager ☎ Take part in CRDC’s annual Grower Survey (open now!), the results of which help inform RD&E priority setting. #research #priorities #haveyoursay #innovation #impact #cotton

Last week, two significant updates emerged that impact agriculture sustainability reporting in Australia: 1. Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) released final sector-specific guidance including for the food and agriculture industries. This framework aims to help these sectors report on nature-related risks and opportunities more effectively. 2. Responsible Investor reported the Australian Accounting Standards Board plans to align more closely with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) for climate and general sustainability disclosures, following investor feedback stressing the need for global consistency. What does this mean for Australian #agriculture industries and companies? The revised Cotton Research and Development Corporation and Cotton Australia sustainability data framework uses ISSB language to quantify impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities across natural, social, and economic capitals. It uses TNFD core and Food & Agriculture sector environmental indicators and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) social and economic indicators. The revised framework is being developed as a proof of concept for other Australian agriculture sustainability frameworks and value chain companies to adapt and apply. Benefits of the Revised Cotton Sustainability Data Framework: ·     Better and easier access to sustainability data Food and fibre customers and investors around the world will have a solid starting point for assessing potential risks and opportunities, and more easily access the industry-scale data they need ·     Streamlined data processes A single set of accurate data for an entire industry eliminates the need for stakeholders to individually source and validate data from numerous farms. This reduces duplication, complexity and confusion, allowing more time and money to be spent getting stuff done and less reporting about it. A Work in Progress: The Australian #cotton industry is halfway through a two-year project to implement this framework. While ambitious and challenging, the potential benefits are substantial. It aims to cut through duplication and confusion, driving significant progress in sustainability reporting - and much more importantly, sustainability action. Read more about this work in progress here: https://lnkd.in/gxbKEXHG

🤯 😳 Carbon accounting can be confusing and cumbersome. Spreadsheets are tricky, and commodity-specific methods of measuring make it tough for mixed-enterprises - like our cotton and grain farms. 🖩 That's why we've teamed up with Agricultural Innovation Australia and our sister Research and Development Corporations to develop the-first-of-its-kind Environmental Accounting Platform (EAP). The EAP enables a carbon footprint to be calculated at a commodity, enterprise and whole-of-business level, providing an accessible and standardised approach to carbon accounting across different commodities. It's now live > www.aiaeap.com #carbon #carbonaccounting #cotton #carbonfootprint Grains Research and Development Corporation | Meat & Livestock Australia | Australian Eggs | Australian Pork Limited | AgriFutures Australia | FRDC - Fisheries Research and Development Corporation | Sugar Research Australia Limited | Australian Meat Processor Corporation

What a day! Yesterday, AgriFutures Australia joined forces with all the RDCs to host the first R&D Impact Showcase in Canberra at the National Gallery of Australia. 🎉 The event highlighted the impact of RDC collaboration and networking to foster future synergies. 🤝 Highlights included: - Adam Fennessy, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, emphasised the importance of RDC collaboration for our industries. 🌾 - Profiles of our Levied and Emerging Industries through Mary Wu, Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF) and Tieneke Trotter, Sesame Program of Research (CQUniversity,) who shared their positive experiences of industry collaboration. 🐔🌱 - Brooke Hermans, RMCG presented the Mapping Workforce report, highlighting a significant insight: "we know how many sheep are in our country however we don't know how many people work within agriculture". 📊 https://bit.ly/4cppuPW - Sarah Nolet, Tenacious Ventures profiled our National Challenges and Opportunities work with the Horizon Scan report, presenting the top 10 emerging issues for our agriculture sector. 🚀 https://bit.ly/4etw4XA We look forward to continuing our collaboration with our RDC partners, Australian Eggs, Australian Meat Processor Corporation, Australian Pork Limited, Australian Wool Innovation, Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Dairy Australia, FRDC - Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Forest & Wood Products Australia, Grains Research and Development Corporation, Hort Innovation, LiveCorp - Australian Livestock Export Corporation, Meat & Livestock Australia, Sugar Research Australia Limited and Wine Australia to create a significant impact within our agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors. 🌿🌊🌳 #R&D #Collaboration #Research #Innovation #Impact

It’s exciting today to be working with and showcasing the work of Australia’s 15 Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs), and to facilitate the Research & Development Impact Showcase in Canberra. The R&D Impact Showcase is allowing us the opportunity to see firsthand the collaborative research, development and extension efforts of our Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) that are shaping our agriculture, fibre, fisheries and forestry sectors.   What you might not know is Australia’s Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) have been key drivers of agricultural innovation since 1989. They enable the Australian government and primary producers to co-invest in research and development (R&D) to enhance the profitability, productivity, competitiveness, and sustainability of the nation’s primary industries, including agriculture, fishing, and forestry. Both industry and government acknowledge the importance of generating and meeting demand for Australian produce to maintain the competitiveness and profitability of these industries, which benefits the entire Australian community. It’s been a real pleasure to help facilitate this conversation and to think about collaboration and impact, with the beautiful backdrop of Gandel Hall at the National Gallery of Australia.