The 2025 Bayer Cotton Growers of the year, Merrilong Agricultural Company, represented at the awards last night by brothers Hugh and Jock Brownhill, have credited the knowledge of their parents and grandparents, and the importance of teamwork for their award recognition.
The 2025 cotton industry awards were announced at the Awards Dinner during the Cotton Collective, held in Toowoomba.
As fourth generation farmers, Hugh and Jock Brownhill are part of a farming legacy that began when their grandparents moved into the NSW Liverpool Plains area to begin a farming enterprise in 1959.
Today, Hugh and his brother Jock, along with cousins Oscar and Archie Brownhill are Directors of Merrilong with 1,200 hectares of dryland cotton and 320 hectares under irrigation.
Hugh said his father and uncle taught him everything he knows about cotton and that focus on family and teamwork drive their ongoing success. “We have a strong team, and they are the heartbeat of our organisation. Our work colleagues are like family to us, and we communicate with them regularly to make sure we are on the same page, so that we achieve our shared goals.”
Hugh said the region is well-suited to growing dryland cotton. “The climate in this region is suited to majority dryland cotton because we have reliable rainfall and good soils. If we keep preserving our soil and looking after what we have with management tools, crop choice and rotation, we expect to have better yields every year, with less inputs.”
The family employs an external advisory board to help make farming and business decisions which they describe as a game-changer, allowing them to focus on what’s happening on farm. Hugh said they are not motivated by awards but view their nomination as a privilege in an industry that promotes its product to the rest of the world.
The recipients of the AgriRisk High Achiever Award are Tyson and Rosie Armitage from Cecil Plains on the Darling Downs, who manage the day-to-day operations of the Wamara Farming Trust, in close collaboration with parents Stuart and Maxine Armitage.
Tyson, who has grown up surrounded by cotton, is proud of the improvements they have made over the years particularly with their Insect Pest Management (IPM) efforts which have resulted in spraying for pests in cotton only once in 3 years. “We have also worked hard on water use efficiency and we have saved up to one megalitre per hectare by planting later in the season with yields just as good, if not better.”
The Armitage’s praise their long-time agronomists Matthew Holding and Liz Lobsey who have maintained a data bank of information detailing 20 years of nutrient inputs and crop removal rates. “In doing so we aim to apply only what the crops need, avoiding overapplication. While soil tests are used, leaf tests are preferred for reliable in-season tracking and any adjustments with in-crop needs are addressed with nutrient applications as required.”
The recipient of the CRDC Chris Lehmann Young Cotton Achiever of the Year Award is Grace Griffiths, a cotton grower, agronomist and Geographical Information System (GIS) specialist with Digital Ag Technologies in Goondiwindi.
Grace began her cotton journey at 16 by leading her family farm’s myBMP certification and later founded 101 Ag Pathways to promote careers in agriculture. Grace is a community leader, CGA events president, and was named Goondiwindi’s Young Citizen of the Year in 2024. Grace has a particular interest in simplifying carbon discussions for growers, the topic she focused on in her Future Cotton Leaders project.
The recipient of the Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year Award is Dr Murray Sharman, Principal Plant Pathologist (Virology) at Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland). Dr Sharman oversees national virology diagnostics and research and plays a crucial role in biosecurity preparedness for viruses that may affect the cotton industry.
Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay congratulated all award recipients, and every nominee, as extremely deserving given their high level of commitment to the industry.
“We are seeing due recognition in these awards of the next generation of cotton growers. Both our Bayer Grower of the Year and AgriRisk High Achiever have incredible knowledge passed down from their parents, who are well-respected and awarded growers who still play a role on their farms. By doing so they continue to provide the benefits of decades of growing cotton, and the collaboration and learning that goes with it.”
The prestigious Incitec Pivot Fertilisers Service to the Cotton Industry Award was also announced at the dinner. This year that honour went to Andrew Watson, the 2008 Cotton Grower of the Year. Mr Kay said Andrew is highly regarded by all in the Australian cotton industry for his tireless efforts at improving the reputation of cotton in this country.
“He has been a leader in IPM strategies and biodiversity efforts, following in his parents’ footsteps in their regeneration of native grasses and trees on his property including a stretch along the Namoi River. Andrew has also been at the forefront of water-use efficiency strategies which have been adopted over the years by many fellow growers. He thoroughly deserves this Award, and I know everyone who knows anything about cotton will join me in congratulating Andrew and his family.”
Image: Hugh and Jock Brownhill
