For the first time, a dryland farmer has won the prestigious Australian Cotton Grower of the Year Award. Jeff Bidstrup and his wife Marilyn grew their first dryland cotton crop on the Darling Downs of Queensland in 1987. The motivation was the low return from cereal cropping in this fertile, productive cropping region. With a yield of about two bales per acre for the first crop and reasonably low costs, he quickly became a committed cotton grower. But a large part of the attraction of cotton was the increased technical and agronomic challenge associated with the crop. Jeff has always had an inquiring mind which has been both a blessing and a curse over the years. If there is a new product or technique to try, Jeff is always the first one to put uphis hand. If there is a worthwhile new group or organisation in the farming community, Jeff is ready to be a part of it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But the thirst for knowledge is the motivation, not necessarily the end result.
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