and 
FastStart™ Cotton Pathways Program.
Accelerate your cotton capabilities with our immersive, hands-on learning experience for early-career agronomists to elevate their expertise.
About the program
Each year, Syngenta and CSD open the door to a transformative opportunity through the FastStart™ Cotton Pathways Program. Designed for the next generation of agronomy leaders, this exclusive initiative empowers a small group of early-career agronomists to elevate their expertise with an immersive, hands-on learning experience — featuring the latest innovations, technologies and best-practice insights shaping the future of cotton production.
This in-depth program provides participants exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to CSD's and Syngenta's cutting-edge facilities, offering the opportunity to:
- Explore the latest advancements in breeding and biotechnology
- Discover innovative seed production and quality assurance programs
- Develop pest identification and management skills
- Gain hands-on experience with industry-leading seed treatment technologies and techniques
Extending into the field, participants also visit key cotton industry sites — from the farm to the gin — to gain valuable insights into the complete cotton production chain.
The program is structured as a series of integrated learning experiences at key points throughout the year, aligned with critical stages of the breeding, biotechnology, seed and crop production cycles.
How it works
March — Wee Waa, NSW
- Annual CSD Field Day including VIP access to trials at CSD's farm, ‘Little Mollie’.
- Cotton agronomy masterclass.
- CSIRO update.
May — Wagga Wagga, NSW
- Syngenta Seedcare™ Institute.
- Griffith cotton gin tour.
September — Toowoomba, QLD
- Planter workshop.
- Ground-prep in-field tour.
- Pest management update (weeds and insects) from leading industry experts.
Express your interest for the 2027 cohort.
Applications open in February 2027. The cohort will commence in March 2027 with a maximum of six participants.
To be eligible, applicants must be an early-career agronomist working in the Australian cotton industry and have support to participate from their employer. Sign up to our newsletter to be notified of EOI opening dates.
Past cohort outcomes
Hear what previous Cotton Pathways cohort members say about their experience.
Mel Cleal
The program was excellent — it took everything back to basics, which we need to get right to optimise our growers' potential. I enjoyed meeting fellow young agronomists, and we now have a small network group to lean on. The highlight for me, coming from ag retail, was the quality testing and assurance from CSD — every process is tested, and if it's not up to standard, it won't make it through.
Maddy Bide
The FastStart™ program was a fantastic opportunity to meet young agronomists and learn from leading industry professionals in different fields of cotton production. It was a great experience — thank you!
Maddy Dadd
As an early-career agro, I really enjoyed the strong focus on practical learning — the hands-on components and focus-group discussions with industry experts. Openly discussing real-world challenges deepened my understanding and built my confidence in decision-making. The program gave me a solid foundation and a clearer framework for getting cotton out of the ground, which I apply directly day-to-day.