Cotton Seed Distributors (CSD) have celebrated 50 years of service to the Australian cotton industry with a gala dinner at its Shenstone cotton seed processing plant and laboratory near Wee Waa, New South Wales.
Founded in April 1967 by a group of cotton growers in the Namoi valley of north west New South Wales, CSD is Australia’s sole supplier of cotton planting seed and is one of few independently owned and controlled cotton seed companies in the world.
More than 300 guests including past and present growers, staff and industry partners gathered to mark the big occasion.
CSD managing director Peter Graham said the dinner was an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past half-century, and also to look to the future direction of the Australian cotton industry.
“This is our opportunity to thank the founders of CSD, our staff and our customers – the cotton growers. CSD is, and has always been, a member based and grower focussed company,” Mr Graham said.
“In celebrating our 50th year of service to the Australian cotton industry, CSD has been able to thrive and grow both in Australia and internationally, while staying true to the vision and values on which the company was founded.”
The modern Australian cotton industry began with limited irrigated production in south west Queensland in the early 1960s.
Around the same time, a number of American cotton growers were recognising the suitability of the Namoi valley for cotton production, and began growing cotton there, along with a number of local growers.
A group of growers had the vision to invest in the production of cotton for seed, rather than lint, and on the April 5, 1967, Cotton Seed Distributors was formed to manage the production, processing, treatment and distribution of this seed.
Frank Hadley was a Californian cotton grower who immigrated to Wee Waa with his family in 1961, and was the first chair of the CSD Board.
In a video shown at CSD’s gala dinner, Mr Hadley recalled the vision of CSD, and the commitment made to growers in the early years.
Thus from humble beginnings, CSD began a five decades-long road in an industry which has experienced ups and downs with floods, droughts, insects, and pests.
Remarkably, the CSD board has only had four chairs – Frank Hadley (1967-1968, 1990-1997), Richard Williams (1968-1989), John Grellman (1997-2008) and James Kahl (2008-current).
In January 2017, site works commenced on an $85-90 million redevelopment of CSD’s ‘Shenstone’ cotton seed processing plant and laboratory. The new plant is expected to be fully operational for the 2018 processing season.
