Print This Page2009 Australian Cotton Industry Awards
2009 Monsanto Grower of the Year Winner: Andrew Pursehouse
The 2009 Australian Cotton Industry Awards, held on Wednesday 12th of August at the crossing theatre in Narrabri, showcased and rewarded the significant achievements made by the cotton industry’s growers, researchers, young achievers, and other key individuals.
Despite the ongoing drought conditions in several regions, the overall mood of the Awards was positive, and dinner provided ample opportunity for growers, industry supporters, researchers to mingle throughout the night.
We have been proud to sponsor the awards for the last 4 years, it is an occasion for people to come together to acknowledge the positive contribution that all Awards nominees have made to the cotton industry and the communities in which they live.
This year’s deserving winner of the 2009 Monsanto Cotton Grower of the Year Award, was Andrew Pursehouse.
The quality of participation in this event reflects the depth of skills, innovation and knowledge within the Australian cotton industry and demonstrates its vibrancy and pre-eminence within Australian agriculture.
The finalists that were in the running to win the 2009 Monsanto Grower of the Year were Gary Coulton, John Norman and Andrew Pursehouse, you can read about them below.
Gary Coulton: Narrabri, NSW
Gary Coulton manages the Narrabri Community Education Trust’s “Federation Farm” – an agricultural enterprise owned by the Narrabri Shire Council that has been producing cotton since 2000. The farming business grows a wide range of crops including cotton, wheat, chickpeas, sorghum, corn, soybeans, faba beans and mung beans. The aim of the enterprise is to achieve maximum profits from the water available, ensure the operation is sustainable, and to identify opportunities to increase productivity by evaluating new technologies on the farm.
Cotton is generally grown in rotation with winter crops, followed by a summer fallow period. Rotations and fallow weed control allows Gary to achieve a good disease break and reduce the overall cost of producing crops. The fallow periods without weeds allow significant amounts of water to be stored in the profile to supplement the irrigation water. By incorporating legumes into the rotation strategy and using the nutrients in the waste water applied to the crops, Gary has been able to reduce the farm’s reliance on nitrogen fertiliser.
The farm uses waste water for irrigation and has been using zero and minimum tillage to grow crops since its establishment. The farm is also fully BMP certified, and Gary has been able to implement a variety of on-farm changes as a result.
As the farm is run by the community for the schools, many local businesses contribute to the farm by providing goods and services for a reduced cost. The farm has also been a venue for several industry trials run by the CSIRO, CSD, NSW DPI and other industry organisations.
John Norman: Toobeah, Qld
John Norman heads the Norman Farming enterprise, whose mission it is to be in the top twenty per cent of the industry. John’s general approach to cotton growing is to maximise production given seasonal circumstances, water availability and environmental factors. John’s objective is to establish every crop on rain moisture and take steps to enhance the field’s ability to capture the moisture, both in crop and fallow. This entails preparing two metre beds and utilising stubble cover crops during the fallow period, rotating crops to improve soil structure and organic matter, and using minimum tillage to create the best environment for planting a crop on rain moisture.
John and his team use industry established pest, weed and disease management strategies and practices, and predominantly use Bollgard II cotton which has a reduced environmental footprint. John also participates in CSD’s large scale replicated variety trials to provide him with information on the best varieties for his farming operation, and experiments with alternative irrigation systems like bankless channels to determine their value and efficiency.
Norman Farming is currently fully accredited for all modules in the BMP program, and has implemented many useful on farm practices to increase farm safety and streamline the operation. John feels that the BMP program promotes the cotton industry as environmentally aware and a safe industry to work in.
John invests a large amount of time to the cotton community through his positions as Chairman of the Macintyre River Basin Water Users Association, a member of the management board of the Border Rivers Food and Fibre, and a board member of the Callandoon Water Supply Board. John and his staff organise and attend local field days, are involved in local CGA activities, and most recently John hosted this year’s Macintyre Valley Cotton Growers’ Association Field Day on his farm.
John has invested his entire working life to growing cotton and has helped his family increase the farm’s production area from 250 hectares to over 3000 hectares. John chose cotton farming over all other possible investments as he believes in the industry and its potential.
Andrew Pursehouse:
Breeza, NSW
Andrew Pursehouse considers cotton the most exciting and profitable crop to grow on his property Breeza Station, and he believes that the “high risk and high reward” crop is well worth the challenge. Andrew rotates cotton with grain crops, and a typical summer sequence on the irrigation land is two thirds cotton and one third corn. To maximise crop quality, Andrew maintains a high attention to detail to ensure quality issues are addressed, and uses an intensive agronomic service on Breeza Station that provides regular checks and records of each field and collates paddock histories.
Due to a reduction in groundwater allocations, Andrew has implemented a range of water use efficiency practices on Breeza Station including laser levelling on irrigation and dryland crop areas, long fallowing, and implementing no-till and controlled traffic practices. He has also undertaken various soil improvement measures, and fenced off riparian and native vegetation areas.
Andrew is proud to be part of an industry that is implementing best management practices, and has worked with the team at Breeza Station to achieve BMP accreditation. By being aware of BMP procedures and requirements, Andrew has implemented a variety of changes on the farm including pest management and farm safety measures.
Andrew is actively involved in the cotton community as President of the Breeza Progress Association, a member of the Upper Namoi Cotton Growers’ Association and was President of the Upper Namoi Water Users’ Association. He has been involved in the NSW groundwater reallocation process and is committed to the ongoing success of the irrigation industry. Andrew has also participated in Cotton Seed Distributors’ dryland variety trials and is a contributor with researchers from the Myall Vale Research Station.
Andrew believes that Australian cotton is some of the highest quality cotton in the world, and through research, investment and the work of committed growers, the industry will continue to improve in the years to come.
