February - March 2025 Vol 46 No 1

Tour of growers reveals major benefits of myBMP certification

In the second week of 2025 the Cotton Australia (CA) communications team planned and executed a tour of growers in the Southern Valleys and the Macquarie. The visits followed similar tours of other growers’ areas in the last six months of 2024.

The objective was to engage directly with our most important stakeholders, our growers, assisted by our regional managers, to identify the experiences within the myBMP and Better Cotton certification journey and to take the pulse of farmers to ensure views, attitudes and opinions are recognised and telegraphed to the entire CA team.

That process of ongoing engagement is crucial to CA as we seek to increase the value to our levy payers through our advocacy, policy work, government and departmental influencing efforts, trust strategies and education initiatives, to name a few.

The myBMP interviews were all captured on camera with audio-visual packages produced and distributed on the CA social media channels so that all growers can share the experiences of their colleagues and possibly learn from those to make their own path to myBMP certification more effective.

One of the most common findings from those interviews was the very real improvements each and every farming business made through the adoption of templates, policy ideas, technology, innovation and global initiatives that are part of both the myBMP and Better Cotton platforms, which deliberately reflect and reinforce one another.

Liz and Dallas Stott from Leeton in the Southern Valleys, were among the first to achieve myBMP certification in 2025 and they applauded the program for the very real improvements the process led them to implement.

Liz said the templates, guidelines and advice from their CA Regional Manager Tom Mannes resulted in them implementing technology solutions that they didn’t know existed prior to starting myBMP. One example is the safety systems that ensure each visitor and machinery operator uses an app to check policies, procedures and safety instructions – the adoption has improved the safety of their family business, and they are very grateful.

Jock and Trini Coupland from Condoblin said they discovered ‘What’s App’ when their daughter joined the effort to finalise their myBMP certification. Using the templates and guides they decided that Whats App was the best way to hold their regular meetings. In addition, they now know exactly what each family and staff member is doing and where they are, making it easy to check in, offer assistance and ensure everyone makes it home safely each day.

Like Jock and Trini, Nick and Felicity Maynard from Hay achieved myBMP certification with the help of their daughter, fresh from Uni with time to help and a passion for sustainability. Eliza Maynard made it her priority to get farm certification, understanding the benefits that certification would bring. With full support from her parents Eliza tracked the requirements, devised the solutions and implemented the procedures and infrastructure to get it done.

Tim Gainsford from Narromine added a different perspective to his path to certification, acknowledging that it’s not always easy for family operators to achieve the outcomes they seek because of the time required. Tim admitted that with young children, an active farming program and business development initiatives, it wasn’t easy to find the time – yet Tim appreciated the experience and is now proudly myBMP certified.

While the premiums achieved through the myBMP Better Cotton partnership can vary, the lasting benefits of continual improvements associated with the myBMP program continue infinitum on each farm, and contribute to the success of the operation.

Most myBMP certified operations mention one key area that is common to all – safety – which is important to every single grower, their families and their workforce. And while certification is a great achievement, often the initiatives undertaken as part of the process, mean the business is also legally compliant as much of the program sets standards that are mandated in law through state and federal governments.

With cotton being a global commodity and markets responding to changing environmental and sustainability consumer demands, myBMP and Better Cotton add another layer of insurance as future needs are anticipated and social licence enhanced.

The willingness of our growers to share their experiences, talk to each other and help their neighbours improve the quality and sustainability outcomes of each crop, and in turn the Australian cotton industry, mean you can benefit from the learnings of other.

Many myBMP stories have been captured and published so we can all reflect on individual journeys. I encourage you to visit our Facebook page, our website and LinkedIn channels to see how your fellow growers have achieved certification, thereby helping you do the same.

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