Cotton News

Subcommittee Chair Andy Harris (R-MD) expressed apprehension about the potential misuse of Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds to advance political agendas not authorized by Congress. Harris said he is concerned that the CCC “continues to be treated like a slush fund to advance political priorities not directed by Congress.” He also noted that he has read Vilsack’s comments in news articles over the past few weeks “suggesting that you can use CCC funds to help farm safety net programs outside of the regular farm bill process,” adding he is “perplexed as to how USDA would be able to do this, as establishing reference prices and farm programs is done by Congress, the Legislative branch, not the Executive branch.” He said he hoped his colleagues at the House and Senate Ag Committees can complete a farm bill this year, “but if not, that does not give USDA the green light to start raiding the CCC to de facto set up new programs not authorized by Congress.”

Vilsack told Harris he wants “to make sure that you and I have a meeting of our minds on the utilization of CCC as it relates to the farm bill. I never suggested nor did I ever say that we would be using the CCC outside the scope of farm bill discussions and negotiations. What I did say was, in order for us to have a farm bill, it’s going to be necessary for members of the Ag Committee to be creative how they can use the resources within the CCC at their instruction and direction to be able to provide the relief and assistance they’re looking for to bolster our safety net. That’s what I said, that’s what I meant, and I just want to make sure the record is clear about that.”

Ranking Subcommittee member Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) noted that in 2022 when net cash farm income reached a record high at over $200 billion, 13% of commercial farms, 50% of intermediate farms and 63% of resident farms had negative farm income. He that Vilsack’s prepared remarks mentioned several programs that help grow markets for American farmers that receive mandatory funding. Bishop asked: “How can we on the Appropriations Committee support and grow the farm economy on the discretionary side of the budget?” Vilsack quickly answered, “Continued support for local and regional food systems. The reason being that when farmers are operating under the normal food system, they get roughly anywhere from $0.15 to $0.20 of the food dollar. When they sell locally directly to their consumer, they get anywhere from $0.50 to $0.75 of the food dollar. So, to the degree to which you can continue to support local and regional food systems and the programs that are already in USDA, supporting our processing initiative, for example. Continuing to support renewable energy production. Why? Because it’s an opportunity for a new commodity, a new stream of income for producers.” Vilsack added are the transitioning to more renewable sources of energy. “Farmers have the ability to provide excess energy and therefore additional income. And finally, making sure that we continue to support the conversion of agricultural waste into a wide variety of bio-based products, everything from sustainable aviation fuel to bioplastics and everything in between.”

Rep. Bishop said that he is hearing from a lot of peanut and cotton growers from the southeast as well as agribusiness owners and bankers, that farmers are struggling financially. “Much of it is due to the dramatic increase in farm input costs, high interest rates, weak exports. And as you know, the financial situation on the farm impacts many aspects of the rural community. With the farm bill not yet in place for the 2024 crop year, would you support a one-time payment to peanut and cotton producers to help them until we can get the farm bill in place for the ‘25 crop year?” Vilsack said he would work with Bishop’s staff to see what might be possible. “I would say that we are continuing to get resources out under the emergency relief program. There are also additional programs and additional opportunities for additional assistance for your producers, in addition to or in lieu of a single payment,” Vilsack added. Bishop then noted that an aid payment was done “previously for rice producers, I think for the 2022 crop, through an appropriations bill.” Vilsack acknowledged that occurred but noted “we had to give up something in order to be able to finance the $250 million that went to rice producers. I’m not sure what you’re willing to give up or what members of this Committee are willing to give up or what I’m willing to give up.”

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) expressed concerns about the challenges faced by small farms, particularly regarding the rising labor costs under the H-2A program. He highlighted the strain that this places on farmers in his district, many of whom are facing financial hardships and potential closure due to unsustainable wage rate increases. Moolenaar proposed the Supporting Farm Operations Act to pause these increases for two years and provide relief to struggling farmers. However, Vilsack emphasized the need for broader systemic reforms, suggesting that freezing wage increases alone may only delay inevitable problems. The discussion became contentious as Moolenaar pressed Vilsack on his actions to support American farmers and address the Department of Labor’s role in imposing escalating labor costs. Vilsack defended the use of data-driven decisions but faced criticism from Moolenaar, who argued that the current approach threatens the viability of American farms. Despite the heated exchange, Vilsack reiterated his commitment to advocating for farmers and farm workers, emphasizing the importance of finding solutions that benefit both parties. However, Moolenaar remained skeptical and urged Vilsack to take more decisive action to address the challenges faced by American farmers.

Highlighting the significant increase in funding for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) emphasized the program’s bipartisan support and its importance in providing nutritious support to mothers, infants, and children. However, he raised concerns about the accuracy of USDA’s projections regarding WIC participation and food costs, particularly considering recent claims about decreased inflation and food prices. Harris questioned the necessity of the proposed funding increase for WIC, citing declining participation rates and conflicting data on food costs. He wants to understand the rationale behind the Biden administration’s budget requests.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Ct.) told Vilsack that she was “intrigued by the new proposal to backstop WIC funding so we do not face nutrition assistance cliffhanger like we just went through.”

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) raised the issue of shrinkflation, citing an example of reduced milk carton size impacting compliance with WIC rules. He asked whether the WIC food package provided flexibility to cover smaller containers. Vilsack indicated that there may be flexibility in certain circumstances and offered to look into the specific issue raised by Newhouse.

Harris stressed the importance of adhering to legislative directives and urged honest discussions on federal subsidies for “unhealthy food in the SNAP program.” He detailed that over the past 20 years, “multiple cities and states have asked USDA for the ability to restrict SNAP purchases of sugary drinks, but each time those requests have been denied. As we work through the FY ’25 process, it’s important that we look for ways to best return SNAP, the largest food assistance program in America, back to its original purpose of advancing the nutrition needs of participants, not providing empty calories, which in fact could be potentially harmful to long-term health.”

Harris noted that he is a strong supporter of establishing a SNAP pilot program that restricts unhealthy food or beverages from being purchased with SNAP benefits. He said he was disappointed the FY 2024 Appropriations bill did not include funding to implement a small voluntary pilot program to see how it might help with health outcomes and prevent chronic disease. He asked Vilsack if USDA has the authority to approve a demonstration project, which would be similar to a pilot, that allows states to restrict certain foods or beverages. Vilsack said, “We’d have the authority to work collaboratively with the state, assuming that the process contained proper evaluation. One of the big problems, Mr. Chairman, has been the lack of evaluation in what has been presented to us by states and cities in terms of the programs that they want to adopt. There’s a tendency to think this is a relatively simple process… But we would have the authority to do it. But we’d want to make sure, if we did it, that there would be a strong evaluation component to it.”

Harris said he was glad to hear that USDA has the authority to approve a pilot program, but told Vilsack that “since your first appointment as Secretary of Ag, the obesity rates among U.S. adults have increased by almost 9%, from 33.8% in 2007, 2008, to 42% of Americans in 2017, 2018. About half of all Americans now have one or more preventable chronic disease, most of them diet related or linked to diet in some cases. So, given this rise in obesity rates, is there any evidence that the SNAP-Ed and the Healthy Incentive programs have been effective in having reduced obesity among SNAP participants?” Vilsack said there is research to indicate that “the availability of SNAP does result in healthier choices being made by SNAP families.”

Harris also said that along similar lines is the Summer EBT program for children is now permanent. “States operating the Summer EBT run the SNAP model. So again, allowing access to sugary beverages, salty snacks, the whole deal, but interestingly, Indian tribal organizations operate the WIC model. So as I understand it, families receiving Summer EBT under the WIC model are purchasing WIC approved foods, which we both I think recognize are generally much more nutritious foods than the wide variety of foods available under SNAP. Do you think that recipients could benefit if states operate a WIC model under the Summer EBT program like tribal organizations do to ensure that we’re providing kids with healthy food during the summer? Just like USDA does for instance, during the school year and the national school lunch and school breakfast programs? Vilsack responded: “I think it’s more complicated than that.” Vilsack added: “There’s a fairness and a consistency issue. If indeed the goal here is for taxpayer dollars to be directly linked to more nutritious decisions, are you going to make that same decision for a farmer emergency relief? A farmer gets emergency check from the government, cashes it, goes to the grocery store. Are you going to restrict him from — why not? Fundamentally, that’s the issue. It’s absolutely the issue.” Harris countered: “Mr. Secretary, the difference is we’re not buying food for the middle-class people. We’re buying food…” Vilsack interrupted saying, “But you are, absolutely you are if you get any federal assistance.”

Rep. Newhouse expressed concerns about the challenges faced by rural communities and family farms, particularly in light of the rate at which farms are disappearing. He highlighted the adverse wage rate as one of the significant costs burdening farmers and emphasized the need for action to rein in labor costs. Vilsack acknowledged the long-standing issue of farm loss and land conversion. Vilsack detailed that “since 1981, the U.S. has lost 544,000 farms. That is the same number of farms that exist today in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, and Oklahoma. We’ve lost 151 million acres of land that was in farming that’s no longer in farming. That’s the land mass of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, and most of Virginia. So, this is not a new issue.” Vilsack attributed this trend to a system focused on productivity rather than income sources, leading to income concentration among a small percentage of farms. Vilsack stressed the importance of creating additional revenue streams for farmers to improve their financial stability. Vilsack urged Congress to pass immigration reform, specifically the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, to address labor challenges in agriculture. He emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation and criticized political obstacles hindering the passage of crucial legislation. Newhouse affirmed efforts to advance the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in both the House and Senate, acknowledging the difficulties in navigating the legislative process.

Rep. Hinson expressed concerns about the safety of the U.S. food supply in the face of potential threats from adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She highlighted the need for better coordination and updated procedures to monitor foreign agricultural land purchases, referencing a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Vilsack acknowledged the progress made in implementing GAO recommendations, including improved coordination with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and efforts to update the Agriculture Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) handbook. He emphasized the challenges posed by the decentralized nature of real estate transactions across the country and the need for ongoing improvements.

Hinson also raised concerns about the heavy reliance on China for critical agricultural inputs such as vitamins B6 and C. Vilsack underscored the importance of reducing reliance on foreign adversaries for key inputs like fertilizer, while acknowledging the delicate balance required in maintaining trade relationships with countries like China, which are significant customers for American agricultural products.

In response to questions about preventing supply chain bottlenecks and incentivizing domestic production, Vilsack suggested leveraging tools like the tax code, rural development programs, and business incentives to encourage investment in domestic production facilities and enhance the business environment for new ventures.

Their discussion highlighted the complex interplay between national security concerns, trade relationships, and domestic production capabilities in ensuring the safety and resilience of the U.S. food supply chain.

Brent Coker is a producer in Lamb County, a PCG producer-director for Springlake-Earth Cotton Growers, and currently serving as the Secretary/Treasurer for Plains Cotton Growers.

Rowland serves as the manager of North Gin in Dimmitt, Texas, in Castro County and grew up on a farming operation in Castro where his father grew cotton, corn and wheat. Under the tutelage of Jim Bradford, the founder of the Windstar Corporation, he assumed the manager position in 2014.

Buddy Allen has experience in agriculture from several vantage points. Allen has been involved in legislative and regulatory matters through his service to the staff of United States Senator Thad Cochran and his partnership in The Macon Edwards Company, a Washington based government affairs firm. He has engaged in agricultural financial services through his participation in the creation and opening of Covenant Bank. Allen is an active stakeholder in a vertically integrated agribusiness encompassing a production farming operation, ground and areal application services, seed and crop protection retail, ginning, an extensive grain storage and shipping operation, and agricultural real estate holdings in Mississippi. Additionally, Allen is a partner in Miss Cal Orchards, a California based almond farm.

Allen serves in numerous leadership positions throughout agriculture and conservation spaces. In 2015, he was named a “Champion of Change for Sustainable Agriculture” by President Obama. Allen currently serves on the Agricultural Advisory Board of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

In January of 2019, Allen was named President and CEO of The American Cotton Shippers Association, where he leads their policy development and advocacy on both domestic and international matters.

Allen is a native of Belzoni, Mississippi, an Ole Miss graduate, and is married to the former Allison Allen of Tunica, MS. Together, they have three daughters.

Robert Lacy, Jr. – President & CEO, PYCO Industries, Inc.

Robert grew up in a farming and ranching family in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico.  He graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1982 with a BBA degree.  In 1984-1990, Robert worked at Paymaster Oil Mill in Lubbock, Texas holding positions of scale clerk, transportation, and marketing.  From 1990 until the present time Robert has been with PYCO Industries, Inc. (formerly Plains Cooperative Oil Mill).  His job duties have been marketing, VP Marketing, Senior Vice-President, and currently he is the President and CEO.  Robert has a combined 39 years of experience in the cottonseed processing business and has been active in many industry and community organizations over the years.  He has been married for 41 years to his wife Karyn and has two children and two grandchildren.

Eric is the CEO of Farmers Cooperative Compress in Lubbock, Texas. A Lubbock native, Eric attended Texas Tech University where he earned his Bachelor’s in Agricultural Economics and his Master of Agriculture. He has worked at Farmers Cooperative Compress since 2005 and took on the role as CEO in July of 2020. Eric and his wife Christine have three children, Sarah, Ben, and Hugh, and two international students from China that have become a part of the family, Chen and Eric. Christine is the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Dioceses of Lubbock and Amarillo.  Sarah earned her food science degree from Texas Tech University and now works as a business development manager for HEB’s seafood category.  Their second, Ben, is an Officer in the US Air Force and is currently in pilot training.  Their youngest, Hugh, attends Texas A&M University and is studying Agricultural Economics.

Kevin Brinkley is the president and CEO of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, headquartered in Lubbock, Texas. PCCA is a grower-owned marketing cooperative supplying high-quality, sustainable cotton from Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas to textile mills worldwide.

Originally from Burnet, Texas, Brinkley graduated from Texas Tech University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Agricultural & Applied Economics. He served as an economist for the National Cotton Council until 2000, when he joined The Seam, an online trading and agri-tech company, eventually becoming chairman and CEO. He became CEO of PCCA in 2015.

Since 1989, Brinkley has used his knowledge and experience to promote U.S. cotton and ensure the success of American cotton farmers in global markets. He is Vice Chairman of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. He is an advisor on trade policy to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

This year, PCG will host the U.S. Farm Report at its annual meeting. U.S. Farm Report Host Tyne Morgan comes back to the PCG stage with three renowned, heavy-hitter economists: Jody Campiche, Bart Fischer and Brad Weddelman.

Jody Campiche, National Cotton Council Vice President of Economics and Policy Analysis

Jody Campiche is the vice president of Economics and Policy Analysis for the National Cotton Council. She prepares the economic outlook for global cotton markets and monitors general economic conditions and other commodity markets with attention to their impacts on the cotton economic situation.  Campiche also coordinates and develops analyses of alternative farm and trade policies as they relate to the U.S. and global cotton and textile industries. The Oklahoma native was raised on a farming operation and joined NCC in 2015.

Bart Fischer, co-director of the Texas A&M University Agricultural Food and Policy Center

Bart Fischer serves as the co-director of the Texas A&M University Agricultural Food and Policy Center as well as a senior advisor for federal relations in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Texas A&M AgriLife. Fischer’s applied research focuses on solving real-world policy problems for agricultural producers and on anticipating potential policy changes for Congress to consider. Fischer served the House Agriculture Committee for more than eight years before joining Texas A&M. He is the fifth generation to be raised on the family wheat, cotton and cattle operation in Southwest Oklahoma.

Brad Weddelman, Combest, Sell & Associates Chief Economist

Brad Weddelman provides keen insight and economic analysis on matters of policy for clients and lawmakers as the chief economist for Combest, Sell & Associates in Washington D.C. Additionally, he assists with client casework where he interacts regularly with officials at USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency. A native of Napoleon, Ohio, Weddelman was raised on his family’s wheat, corn and soybean farm.

Following the keynote address, the meeting will continue upstairs with attendees’ choice of breakout sessions. The first session will be from 12:55 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. followed by the second session from 1:50 p.m. 2:30 p.m. Guests also have the option to join the StoneX Cotton Marketing and Hedging Workshop from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Click on the image to view the StoneX workshop agenda.

There are two learning opportunities to choose from in Breakout Session No.1

The Importance of Advocacy and the Legislator’s Role

This panel will feature Texas Senator Charles Perry (District 28), Texas Representative Carl Tepper (District 84) and invited Texas Representative Dustin Burrows (District 83). They will provide insight on the inner workings of the Texas Capitol as well as how their farming constituents and groups can help them serve agriculture’s best interests. The panel moderator will be PCG CEO Kody Bessent.

The Financial Future of Agriculture

This panel will feature AgTexas Farm Credit Services Chief Executive Officer Kayla Robinson, CoBank Regional Ag Easts Lead Relationship Manager Mike Cowley and a representative from Capital Farm Credit. These financial experts will talk interest rates and the future of agricultural financing for farming operations. The panel moderator will be Greg Taylor, partner with D. Williams & Co., Inc. Certified Public Accountants.

There are two learning opportunities to choose from in Breakout Session No. 2.

Handing Down Your Legacy — What You Need to Know About Transitioning Off the Farm

The speaker for this session is Amber Miller. Miller is a partner with Crenshaw, Dupree & Milam, LLP, who specializes in helping clients with agricultural and business law matters. Miller’s focus is primarily property rights and real estate, entity formation and corporate law, contract drafting and negotiations, while also assisting clients with federal regulatory compliance and administrative law matters and commercial litigation.

The Future in Seed/Chemistry Development and Regulation

Panelists include a Syngenta representative, Kenny Melton, BASF, Matt Peeples, Bayer, Cameron Oliver, Corteva, and Tom Brooks, Americot. The panel moderator will be Texas A&M AgriLife Lubbock Center Cotton Extension Specialist Ken Legé.

Farm Program & Policy Committee:

Brent Coker – Lamb County (Alternate: Thomas Kennedy, Lubbock County)

Bryan Patterson – Lubbock County (Alternate: Seth Sowder, Lamb County)

International Trade Policy Committee:

Rex Kennedy, Lubbock County (Alternate: Rhett Mimms, Lubbock County)

Travis Mires, Lynn County (Alternate: Cody Ellison, Gaines County)

Quentin Shieldknight, Hansford County (Alternate: Greg Slough, Hansford County)

Nick Nelson, Castro County (Alternate: Katy Holladay, Dawson County)

Public Relations & International Market Development Committee:

Scott Harmon, Lubbock County (Alternate: Greg Glover, Potter County)

Research & Education Committee:

David Carter, Hockley County (Alternate: Barry Evans, Swisher County)

Packaging and Distribution Committee:

Jon Jones, Floyd County (Alternate: Steve Olson, Hale County)

Brent Nelson, Lamb County (Alternate: Glen Phipps, Dawson County)

Health Safety & Environmental Quality Committee: 

Jeremy Brown, Dawson County (Alternate: Justin Cave, Midland County)

Mark Howard, Dallam County (Alternate: Dee Vaughan, Moore County)

Johnie Reed, Swisher County (Alternate: Steve Verett, Crosby County)

American Cotton Producers Delegates:

Martin Stoerner, Floyd County

Stacy Smith, Lynn County

Cotton Council International Delegates:

Barry Evans, Swisher County

Brent Nelson, Lamb County

This year, PCCA Export Sales Manager Carlos Garcia fulfilled his term as CCI Chair.

PCCA Export Sales Manager Carlos Garcia accepting his plague of service from CCI for serving as their Chair and President.

“We greatly appreciate Carlos’ outstanding leadership and contributions to the U.S. cotton industry while serving as both president and chairman of CCI for both 2022 and 2023,” said Steve Dyer, incoming CCI Chair and cotton merchant from Tennessee. “Mr. Garcia served with vitality, dedication, vision and endurance in the Cotton USA program around the world.”

In 2023, CCI hosted 30 Cotton USA events in 20 countries, according to CCI Executive Director Bruce Atherley. In his report, Atherley expressed concerns about Brazil’s competitive advantages over the U.S. as they’ve increased their promotional efforts copying some of CCI’s structure.

“The two things we have that Brazil does not is our supply chain transparency and trust protocol program,” he added. “It’s these two things that will separate us from Brazil if we continue to enroll producers and brands/retailers into the protocol program.”

The deadline to upload 2023 bales into the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol program is March 1, 2024.

The deadline to enroll your 2024 crop into the protocol program is midnight on March 30, 2024.

It was a packed agenda with a packed house at the American Cotton Producers Meeting in Orlando.

Political Perspectives on the 2024 Farm Bill

The program began with Anne MacMillan, a political strategist and contracted lobbyist for National Cotton Council.

Key takeaways from her report:

• House is likely to flip back to blue.
• Senate is likely to flip red with 23 democrat seats up for grabs compared to just 11 republican seats. Republicans only need to net two seats to take the majority. “So the standoffs we’re seeing politically probably won’t change, they’ll just be rearranged.”
• The Farm Bill is stuck. “I mean that with no disrespect to any of the Congressional staff members that are present, but it doesn’t seem that efforts are moving forward in regard to the Farm Bill.”
• She also echoed everyone else’s sentiments that have discussed the Farm Bill this year (or politics in general): “In the 25 years, I’ve been doing this — I started with the 2002 Farm Bill — this is the strangest it’s been on Capitol Hill regarding farm policy. My job is to fix problems in Washington, and I can’t fix this one.”
• However, she remains hopeful. “I’ve known all these people forever, and I know the desire for action is there. I believe they will figure it out.”

2024 Farm Bill Priorities from ACP/PCG

1. ARC/PLC
   • Increase the statutory seed cotton reference price in this program to better reflect current costs of production.
2. Crop Insurance
   • Expand the availability of the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) by removing the prohibition of PLC enrollment and the purchase of STAX coverage.
   • Urge the accelerated development of federally assisted insurance or other risk management programs such as but not limited to grants, cost-share programs, low interest loans or other related program for cotton ginning, warehousing, merchandising, textile manufacturing and crushing operations to mitigate the risk of losses associated with reduced processing volume attributable to a significant decline in crop production.
3. Cotton Loan Program
   • Enhance the Upland cotton marketing loan program by raising the level of the loan rate and modernizing the loan repayment provisions.
   • Improve the safety net for Pima cotton producers by increasing the level of the loan rate and establishing marketing loan repayment provisions similar to Upland cotton.

Read the full advocacy paper.

Texas Cotton Producers Chair Chris Hirt conducts the meeting while PCG CEO Kody Bessent takes the minutes.

There were uplifting reports around the room bright and early Saturday morning at the Texas Cotton Producers business session.

“This will be the best planting start we’ve had in four years,” said Jon Gwynn, South Texas producer.

“This will be the best planting start we’ve had in longer than that,” Matt Huie, South Texas producer added to Gwynn’s comment.

While producers were talking about receiving some moisture and stabilized intended planting acres, NCC field representative Rick King commented, “It’s been a while since we’ve heard this!”

Infrastructure Assistance Efforts Continue

The quest for infrastructure assistance started as early as December 2022, when PCG instigated an effort to include disaster assistance for cotton infrastructure the federal 2022 omnibus spending package. Unfortunately, while a valiant effort was made, the initial federal attempt succumbed to political adversity and was left out of the final legislation.

As the Texas 88th Legislative Session convened, PCG and others spent the duration of the session working to develop a one-time block grant that cotton infrastructure could qualify for to help keep them in business following one of the most catastrophic years in cotton production history. PCG lead the effort with the support of more than 170 agricultural organizations and cotton infrastructure segments advocating for the Texas legislature to pass much needed assistance.

While the Texas legislature was unable to muster the political means to include the request in the end, PCG has not given up, and we continue to look for legislative vehicles both at the federal and state level to develop disaster assistance in the near-term for cotton infrastructure. As part of a long-term solution for infrastructure, PCG, along with other Texas groups, have been looking into a research study on harvest incentives.

During the TCP session, South Texas Cotton and Grain Association Executive Director Jeff Nunley, presented the idea of funding this study — conducted by the Texas A&M University Agricultural Food and Policy Center — to explore options for harvest incentives for producers. South Texas producer Jon Whatley made the motion seconded by Rolling Plains producer Richard Goana.

NCC Chair and Dawson County Producer Shawn Holladay conducted the closing session of the National Cotton Council annual meeting. In the session, it was announced that the Committee for the Advancement of Cotton (PAC) raised more than $130,000 during the three-day meeting for it’s political advocacy efforts.

NCC Chair Shawn Holladay, Dawson County producer presides over the NCC General Session February 18.

Planting Intentions Survey

NCC Vice President of Economics and Policy Analysis Jody Campiche reported a U.S. planting estimate of 9.8 million acres for all cotton (ELS and Upland), down 3.7% compared to 2023. The survey was conducted in December and is a reflection of the time period when the surveys were completed throughout the U.S.

“Planted acreage is just one of the factors that will determine supplies of cotton and cottonseed,” Campiche added. “Ultimately, weather and agronomic conditions are among the factors that play a significant role in determining crop size.”

Planting intentions by region for Upland cotton are as follows:

• Southeast (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia) intend to plant just over 2 million acres, which is down 4.8% from last year.
• Mid-South (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee) intend to plant just shy of 1.6 million acres, which is down 2.4% from last year.
• Southwest (Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas) intend to plant roughly 5.7 million acres, which is 5.2% less than last year.
• West (Arizona, California and New Mexico) is estimated at 147,000 acres, which is up from last year by 21.5%.

The 2024 estimated ELS acreage increased by more than 37% compared to last year at 202,000 acres.

Click image to view full NCC Economic Outlook Executive Summary.

Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award

PCCA Executive Director Kevin Brinkley accepts the Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service award on behalf of former PCCA Chairman Eddie Smith.

Former PCCA Chairman Eddie Smith was honored with the Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award February 18. PCCA Executive Director Kevin Brinkley accepted the award on his behalf.

“In life and industry challenges will come and go, but we must never stop pushing forward,” Brinkley said, reading from remarks Smith gave him.

Brinkley went on to say he was grateful to the industry for bestowing this well-deserved honor on Smith. “Whether you know Eddie or not,” Brinkley added, “your life has been positively impacted by him and his quiet leadership of this industry for several decades.”

Oscar Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award

Former Plains Cotton Growers CEO and Crosby County Producer Steve Verett received the Oscar Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award this year from the National Cotton Council.

Former PCG CEO Steve Verett, Crosby County producer, accepts the Oscar Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I want to thank the NCC staff and leadership for this award, as well as Patricia and my family,” Verett said when accepting the award. “I also want to thank my PCG family. It’s through their support that I was able to do anything.

“I came to my first NCC annual meeting in 1982 at 29 years old. I was mesmerized by all segments of the cotton industry coming together. It wasn’t always easy, but they were able to work out policy that could represent and benefit the whole industry. It was the envy of the commodity world — how the cotton industry could come together. When I came on as PCG CEO, my mission became fostering and enhancing volunteer leadership. Staff is critical, but the heart and soul and driving factor should always be the volunteer leadership. And the cotton council has always exhibited that.”