If you were on the Gold Coast in early August, you might’ve caught a glimpse of the biggest names in the global cotton industry attending the 2024 Australian Cotton Conference.
With Sketch Corp’s Alex and Helen in attendance, the conference offered three full days of keynotes, speaker sessions, workshops and essential caffeine refuels, and was a hugely impressive event that united the best people, businesses and brands from the industry. Without further ado, here’s the Sketch Corp team’s day-by-day breakdown of the sessions we attended…
Day one
Keynote speaker – The fighter pilot mindset, Daniel “Fuzz” Walker
Ever wondered what it takes to be a fighter pilot? Strong guts, a calm mind and the ability to withstand so much g-force it makes most people pass out are three essential qualities, according to US fighter pilot Daniel Walker. Now living in Australia, Walker shared an abundance of transferable skills learned during his time in the cockpit, including his insights into a “Flawless execution methodology” – a process in which the best way to move through any project is to plan, brief, execute and debrief. To hear more on the subject, watch this video of Daniel in action.
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Keynote speaker – How digital transformation will change work and business forever, Adam Spencer
ABC radio veteran, comedian, author and all-round mathlete took us on a journey through the latest AI – what’s possible now and what’s right around the corner. Covering how significant the leap has been from GPT3 to GPT4, he walked attendees through the ways they can use AI to enhance their cotton business and improve productivity across the board. Speaking about the rise of instant AI-driven translation tools that analyse existing language patterns to perform translations, he even touted a time in which AI will be able to apply the same methodology to animal communication patterns – meaning we might all be able to chat with our pets sooner than we think.
Session – Gear up for future farming
In this session, we heard from James Pursehouse and Rob Eveleigh – both growers sharing their experiences using autonomous machinery. Their chief takeaway? It’s convenient, demands accurate mapping and doesn’t get hungover or mind working at 3am. Another key point – the quality of the data in influences the outcome. We then heard from John Deere’s Ben Kelly, on what the company’s doing to innovate in Australia and globally – including teaming up with SpaceX to enhance connectivity for farmers across the US. We then addressed innovative ways to tackle weeds, hearing from Tim Neale at DataFarming and Michael Walsh at Charles Sturt University. Whilst Tim’s company using military-grade satellite imagery to reduce herbicide use by identifying exactly where it’s needed, Michael discussed innovative and experimental US weed control technologies that could eventually be beneficial to the Australian industry.
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Day two
Session – Going for gold – future farming tech
This session took in six speakers from various sectors, all of whom are utilising AI to strengthen the Australian cotton industry. We heard from CSIRO’s Vivien Rolland on “digital twins” – a digital version of your farm that can be accessed from anywhere and provide invaluable and up-to-date information on soil health, weather conditions and more that can inform decision-making. Olivia Bange from The Crop Capsules Company wowed us with their sustainable approach to pest management – proactively dispatching wasps inside capsules to stop parasitism in its tracks. Finally, Goanna Ag’s Jay Jalota wowed us with Tom GPT – a futuristic virtual agronomist who can advise on everything from irrigation timings to weather conditions, and even chase you up if you’re running behind…
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Session – Perspectives on the global market
In this session we heard from experts at Rabobank, SFO Commodities and Louis Dreyfus Company – all of whom brought a global perspective to the financial and logistical challenges facing the Australian cotton industry, as well as the threat of the growing Brazilian cotton industry. With more players in the game, Australia needs to be aggressively marketing its ethical and sustainable positioning, and the cotton industry in Australia needs to focus on marketing and adopt new digital channels to maintain its place in the global market. Addressing the issue of polyester’s global rise, LDC’s Joe Nicosia said “Cotton is losing the war against man-made fibre… humans now eat the equivalent of a credit card worth of plastic a week. That’s 50 plastic bags a year.”
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Session – Behind the swing tag – what’s driving brands
After a lunch break that hosted a fashion show from Cotton Australia and ACSA, we continued the fashion theme with an afternoon session focused on what’s influencing fashion brands in terms of the cotton they buy. Hearing from experts at Textile Exchange, Cotton Australia, Aldi and the Australian Fashion Council, we were introduced to recently introduced global standards for sustainability and traceability throughout the global fashion industry.
Day three
Session – Mapping the future of Australian cotton
On the final day of the conference, we walked through the Strategic Roadmap for Australian Cotton. This was developed in consultation with the industry and beyond, and the first steps are now being taken to implement its recommendations. We heard from Emma Gittoes at The Woolmark Company, who spoke on how the EU plans to crack down on greenwashing, and how the natural fibres industry can make their voices heard amidst this shift. Rick Lambrell of the Beyond Sustainable Retail Group addressed human rights in the global supply chain and what this means for Australian ag, and Allan Williams of the Cotton Research and Development Company unpacked issues surrounding myBMP and sustainably certified cotton.
And that’s a wrap! As the sun sets on what was an awesome three days, we head back to the office with many learnings and insights, as well as the clear message that marketing “Why Australian Cotton” at a global scale has never been more important. It’s been an honour to learn from some of the biggest names in global cotton, and we’re excited to help drive the Australian cotton industry to even greater heights.
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