Dubbo's Susan Madden has one chance in three of taking out the Chris Lehmann Trust Young Achiever of the Year Award at the 10th Australian Cotton Industry Awards presentation in Narrabri on August 7.

Cheering her on is employer Macquarie River Food and Fibre (MRFF) and its more than 500 irrigator members, 90 per cent of them cotton growers.

Winning the Macquarie Cotton Growers' Association Young Achiever Award prompted Ms Madden's nomination for the national accolade.

Respect for MRFF's executive officer and only employee stems in part from her role in lobbying for members as the Murray-Darling Basin Plan emerged.

From her Macquarie Street office she revealed MRFF's determination not to let members become "caught in the tide of the national agenda" given previous reform that returned water to the environment in the Macquarie Valley.

"It has been a challenge to say 'No, we're already there, help support us as an industry and a community to move forward'," Ms Madden said.

At the announcement of Australian Cotton Industry Awards finalists at the 2013 Australian Cotton Trade Show in Moree, Minister for Western NSW Kevin Humphries acknowledged Ms Madden's contribution.

"Susan has been the executive officer of Macquarie River Food and Fibre for the last four years, where she's been involved in water policy and advocacy at local, state and federal levels during a particularly turbulent time," he said.

The nomination paperwork required Ms Madden to set out not only her achievements but also her vision for the future of the Australian cotton industry.

"My personal vision aligns quite well with MRFF's vision which is for a sustainable and profitable irrigation industry going forward and making a contribution to our regional economies and communities," she told the Daily Liberal.

The winner of the young achiever of the year category will collect a travel and education bursary of up to $5000.

If it came her way, Ms Madden would use the money to visit the United States and check out regional water trusts that "facilitate trade between environmental and agricultural interests depending on the seasonal conditions".

Ms Madden grew up on her family's mixed farm in north-west NSW before studying agricultural economics at the University of Sydney, where she wrote an honours thesis on cotton production.

She feels honoured by her selection as a finalist and sees it as confirmation she is "on the right path".

"I guess I have a past and a present in the industry and consider myself to have a future stake in it as well," Ms Madden said.