The Californian Family Pivotal to Shaping Australia’s Cotton Industry with James Kahl
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…
Paul Kahl, father of James Kahl, journeyed from their Californian farm to regional Australia. Following the two-week overseas visit, Paul called his wife with news— they had purchased a farm in Wee Waa, New South Wales (NSW).
And with that, the Kahl’s, alongside business partner Frank Hadley and his family, moved from the United States in pursuit of a new farming journey. This venture would play a key role in the evolution of the Australian Cotton Industry, a legacy continued by James Kahl and his family to this day.
“I'm well aware, I've had a really blessed life. I just had such wonderful opportunities. And it all started with innovation and a sustainable business.”
“And that came from dad, of course… But it came from landing in Australia as a 10 year old with parents and their [business] partners that were going to build an industry which became regularly in the top five exporting agriculture industries in Australia.”
Following the Kahl’s relocation, 30 to 40 other immigrant families would also make the move to the Wee Waa region, driven by their aspirations in farming. James remembers that some locals initially held the belief that these endeavours might not succeed...
“You had to be innovative. And you also had to be positive, because it would have been really easy to just go, ‘This is all too damn hard, we're going home’. But that was never in the back of Dads head. And that's the way I grew up.”
James Kahl pictured at his family home in Wee Waa NSW.
After schooling, James headed to the University of New England to study with the goal to run a profitable business in a rural community. Not completely satisfied with the course initially, James and a fellow student took it upon themselves to approach the Dean with a proposition to mix and match subjects to shape a degree applicable to his career aspirations.
“We made an appointment with the Dean to talk to him about this issue and we put in front of him a piece of paper with 32 units… We were there for three hours. And in the end we said, ‘We just want an education on how to run a small business in a rural environment in Australia’.”
With that list of units, James had inadvertently created a whole new degree now known as Applied Economics Degree.
Upon completing that degree, James returned to the family farm where he worked alongside his parents.
“We've had a rollercoaster ride. Some good times, Some not so good times. But even in the not so good times, it doesn't stop you being positive… That might soften the next bad time.”
Images supplied by the Kahl family.
James set the bar high on their own family operation, but also felt incredibly strongly about the success of the entire industry,
“We're supplying the best germ plasm in the world to all the leading cotton producing countries.”
The ambition, drive and optimism held James in good stead to take on leadership positions and become a prominent figure in change-making conversations.
“I didn't have aspirations of being an industry leader until I became one. And that opportunity came about when I was asked to consider taking on a directorship of Cotton Seed Distributors…
I stayed there for 19 years. And that period of time was overlapping with other things I was doing. And it was crazy, a lot of fun…I just love what I do.”
Determined to remain as progressive as ever, the Kahl’s family operation became Carbon Neutral in 2023,
“We just keep looking on how to improve what we're doing, be beyond where we were five years ago… A few years ago we had one of the farms become accredited as carbon positive… Last year, we had our whole farming operation across all eight farm management systems declared carbon neutral.”
In order to achieve success, James talks about the importance of people, and those involved in agriculture that have a passion and enthusiasm for what they do,
“I think at the core of it all is they are human beings.
And I think when it comes to agriculture, people genuinely care about what it is that they are doing.”
As the Kahl’s evolve into the next generation leading the business, James’ remains as passionate, committed and supportive as ever.
There’s so much more to James Kahl’s story, listen to his full episode on your favourite podcast app, or in the link below.
James Kahl is a 2023 Syngenta Growth Award recipient, in the category of Sustainability. “The goal of the growth awards is to recognise growers and advisers who are making a difference to the Industry through leadership, best practice and innovation”.
James' story is one of several we are sharing in partnership with Syngenta Australia, where we are featuring the stories of the 2023 Growth Award recipients. You can learn more about the Syngenta Growth Awards and the 2023 recipients HERE.