THE Toscan family have been awarded the prestigious Monsanto Cotton Grower of
the Year Award for 2017.
Tony, Joyce, Matt and Daisy Toscan, who farm at Darlington Point as the Cavaso Family Partnership, were awarded the title at the annual Australian Cotton Industry Awards dinner held in Griffith on Wednesday.
With seven years experience, the Toscan family might be relative
newcomers to cotton farming, but their 12 bales a hectare yield proves their
rapidly growing expertise.
The family use siphon and bankless irrigation on a cotton and wheat rotation, employing minimum till and controlled traffic approaches. They are dedicated to streamlining their operation by reducing the number of crop varieties and employing integrated pest management, encouraging beneficial insects and protecting bees.
The family are focussed on environmental improvements to their 4200 hectare property, have implemented biosecurity best practice and have attained MyBMP certification.
Matt Toscan said he and his family were honoured to receive the
award and were looking forward to hosting the annual Monsanto Cotton Grower of
the Year field day at their property.
“What I love about the cotton
farming community is that it is very open-minded about knowledge sharing,
technology and new ideas,” Mr Toscan said.
“My family only began planting cotton seven years ago and
other growers were really generous with their time and experience. It
helped us grow. We are looking forward to being able to do the same thing for
the next group of up and coming farmers.”
Monsanto Australia’s Tony May congratulated the family.
“We’d like to congratulate the Toscan family as well as the other finalists and entrants. These people are a real reflection of our vibrant and diverse industry. This awards program is important to us; it recognises the excellence and dedication of Australia’s cotton farmers,” Mr May said.
