The Californian Family Pivotal to Shaping Australia’s Cotton Industry with James Kahl

Humans of Agriculture

Over 60 years ago, an American farmer would be reading the American Farm Bureau magazine. Unbeknown to him at the time, it was a moment that would prove pivotal in the development of Australia’s cotton industry, and Australian agriculture would never look the same again…

Growing up in Wee Waa, the Kahl family were at the centre of the development of Australia's Cotton Industry. James’ journey has also taken him from revolutionising an underwater scallop grading process in Tasmania and Japan, to becoming Chair of the Cotton Seed Distributors and in more recent years reaching carbon neutrality in his business… James’ wealth of life experiences is as vast as the landscape in which he farms.

As familiar in a paddock as he is in a boardroom advocating for Australian Cotton and Agriculture, now aged in his 70’s and with his three sons at the helm of the farming business, James enjoys an active but different role in the business.

This is James Kahl’s story.

In this episode we talk about:

Migration to Australia, Australian Cotton, Innovation in Aquaculture, Being Chair of Cotton Seed Distributors, Developing the Cotton Seed Industry, Water rights advocacy, Carbon Neutral Certification, Syngenta Growth Awards, CSIRO, Succession, Family Farming and more!

Podcast partnership appreciation: Oli recently caught up with James Kahl after he was a Sustainability Award recipient at the 2023 Syngenta Growth Awards in Sydney. This is the first podcast episode in a partnership with Syngenta Australia featuring recipients of the Syngenta 2023 Growth Awards.

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