Cotton News

Guy Harmon and his father, Scott, unveil the Lubbock County Historical Commission marker for Harmon Farms.

Scott Harmon at the Harmon Farms Lubbock County Historical Commission marker dedication ceremony October 20.

In 1920, land in Lubbock County sold for $62.50 per acre, much to the excitement of a reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. He went on to tell his readers the morning of April 8 that a prospector, originally out of Paris, Texas, bought the T.G. Nolley farm in Idalou.

His name was J.R. Harmon. And his 160-acre purchase founded the origins of Harmon Family Farms, established 1920.

His great-great grandson and fourth generation Harmon farmer, Scott, told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in 2013 that you have to love farming if you’re going to survive.

“You have to have an intense desire for the job to farm,” he said. “If you don’t have your heart in it, you won’t last.”

I think it’s safe to say that Scott and his son, Guy, have their hearts in it, as they unveiled the historical marker from the Lubbock County Historical Commission on Oct. 21, 2023.

Rather than draped in the traditional black velvet, the marker was covered with a 1920 cottonseed sack to commemorate a century of grit and perseverance. A story that Scott says isn’t just about him.

“This marker has the name Harmon on it, but really it’s about all of us,” Scott said at the dedication. “It’s about our region, our economy, our culture. It’s about all that we do and all that we’ve been through to get to this point.

My friend Don Walker says that you can’t get anywhere by looking through the rear view mirror, but you also can’t get anywhere without knowing where you came from.”

The same article from April 8 mentioned several wind storms — the reporter appeared glad that the West Texas environment had not affected land prices.

“Looks like we were all warned about the wind and dirt out here,” Scott quipped after reading an excerpt of the article at the dedication. “That probably kept the competition down for our ancestors to start these farms.”

Texas Family Land Heritage Ceremony

Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller presents the Mires Family Farm 100-year designation to Janet, Francis and Travis Mires of O’Donnell, Texas, at the Family Land Heritage Center October 18.

The Texas Department of Agriculture held their 49th annual Family Land Heritage Ceremony Oct. 18, 2023. Francis Mires and her son, Travis, accepted the 100-year designation for Mires Family Farm, established 1923.

J.W. Mires and sons, Delbert and Dutch, traveled from Fannin County near Bonham, Texas, via railroad car to Slaton. They brought with them 100 chickens, and 5 each of cows, horses, and mules to farm the place in O’Donnell, Texas, that J.W. had purchased from W.W. and Annie Webb for $40 an acre on October 5, 1923.

They lived in a two-room squatters shack for the first year as they worked to clear the land using the mules. At the end of 1924, they had produced a crop, dug a well, built a 4-room house and bought a Ford Model T.

This homestead had a garage, granary, pens for cattle, horses, and pigs, 7 chicken houses, and a bunkhouse for workers and a cellar that still stands today.

Delbert’s son, Harold, married Francis Reeves in 1950. They took over working the farm and Francis still lives there to this day. Her son, Travis, manages the operation with his sons, Landon and Toby.

“Faith, family and farming have been the cornerstones that have allowed this family farm to survive and prosper in good and bad times,” Travis said. “We want to thank our many friends and neighbors who have helped us along the way.”

2023 Cotton Quality Report

This is a weekly summary of the cotton classed at the Lubbock and Lamesa USDA Cotton Division Cotton Classing Offices for the 2023 production season.

Lamesa’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 1,448. The office is currently 4% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Lubbock’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 10,054. The office is 8% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

This week’s quality reports:

Lamesa

Lubbock

Southwest Cotton Needs a Rebound

A drip-irrigated field in Hockley County.

After waiting for almost a year after Congress passed legislation appropriating over $3 billion in funds for the 2022 Emergency Relief Program (ERP) for row crops to supplement weather-related challenges due to disaster to help farmers and ranchers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has now officially released details of the program.

In a statement released by USDA, USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), Administrator Zach Ducheneaux stated, “2022 was another year of weather-related challenges – for some, the third consecutive year or more in a row. The financial impact to a family farm or ranch in one year is significant but the cumulative impact of multiple years can be devastating.”

While we could not agree more that 2022 was one of the most catastrophic crop years on record for the High Plains cotton industry and others, the current USDA administration has ultimately failed production agriculture in the development of this program. They have failed to recognize the perils of the common U.S. agriculture producer that we rely upon to provide the food and fiber to the U.S. and the world.

We have observed continuous efforts by the administration to undermine family farming and ranching operations that are solely dependent upon agriculture for their livelihood in service to our nation, despite recent hardships to feed and clothe the nation. It’s truly unfortunate that the current Administration, after countless meetings and comments from PCG and others, are unwilling to listen to the farming and ranching community when we ask for much needed, meaningful support to help weather the challenging times we have succumbed to from circumstances outside of our control.

The U.S. agriculture economy has experienced unprecedented disaster events such as extreme drought, hurricanes, excessive moisture, wildfires and other related events. There have been recent programs developed under the current administration, such as the ERP program for the 2020 and 2021 crop years, that was very timely and provided helpful assistance that allowed production agriculture to survive.

So, once again, we implore the Administration and USDA to dispense with the political development of farm programs that has become an unprecedented factor; implement a program that is financially helpful to those that regularly feed and clothe our nation and the world; and, simply put, get back to the basics of focusing on the nation’s agriculture economy from which this very country was built.   

Byron Cole serves as deputy director of the Grading Division for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Cotton and Tobacco Program. Today, (October 27, 2023) Cole presented an overview of the 2023 cotton quality classing season.

Roughly 1.5 million bales have been classed in Texas, predominantly by the Corpus Christi office.

Cole showed a comparison of West Texas quality from 2022 to the current season (through October 24). What has been classed in West Texas thus far in 2023 shows an average 21 color grade, 2.5 leaf grade, 4.3 micronaire grade, 30.4 strength grade, 1.1 length grade and 81 uniformity grade.

In the 2022 season, West Texas cotton averaged 31 color, 2.8 leaf, 4.1 micronaire, 30.6 strength, 1.13 length and 80.6 uniformity.

Regarding extraneous matter, West Texas has more bark issues than they do plastic calls. It’s early in the season, but only 26 plastic calls have been made to date.

This week’s quality reports:

Abilene

Lamesa

Lubbock

Cotton Farmers Facing ‘Worst Case Scenario’ As Harvest Begins

Cotton Council International Applauds USDA Funding for a New Export Promotion Program

By Kara Bishop

His name was Ferdinand Valentine Kveton, but everybody called him Fred.

Born in Moravia, Czech Republic, 12-year-old Fred followed his older sister to America in 1908, settling near San Angelo. He would go on to fight in World War I, earning his U.S. citizenship. In 1924, he took his

Fred Kveton. Source: Texas Agricultural Extension Service – “The Extensioner” November 1949.

military service earnings and bought 160 acres of land in Abernathy, Texas.

He farmed that tract of land with his sons John and Henry Kveton till the day he died in 1990.

In the November 1949 issue of “The Extensioner,” a publication by Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Fred was featured for his innovative practices on the farm. The headline read, “A 480-Acre Farm on 160 Acres — The Kvetons of Lubbock County Triple Yields with Irrigation and Mechanization.”

The article sheds light on who Fred was and how he farmed. The author thought highly of him as he states:

“Fred Kveton is a progressive farmer, but he is also a cautious man. He is not one to change from a practice or systems that has worked for him over a period of years until he is convinced that a new system will do better; that it will increase his yields, make more profit, cut down his costs, save labor or is better for his land. You won’t find Fred Kveton plunging into cotton this year or wheat the next or taking a flyer in commercial vegetables. When a farmer does that, Mr. Kveton will tell you he’ll usually find that he’s a ‘year behind the market.’”

John and Henry Kveton with County Agricultural Agent D. W. Sherrill. Source: Texas Agricultural Extension Service – “The Extensioner” November 1949.

Fred passed this approach to his sons — John and Henry took the 160 acres of farmland and turned it into 2,000. They were known as the “gardener farmers,” as keeping the rows clean of weeds was somewhat of an obsession. They never wanted to acquire more land than they could keep up with, nor did they want to live beyond their means.

Lucky for John, he had 23 children to help him hoe those rows.

John and his wife, “Mama Jean,” fell into foster parenting by accident, becoming caregivers for four Vietnamese children in 1975 while also taking care of six biological children. This started a foster parent journey that continued for decades. John put all of his children through college, and you would often hear him saying, “I have spent my life paying for food and education.”

The Kveton kids did not squander this education. Of the original foster children, No. 4 son, Thanh Ho, would appear in a UT Southwestern article in 2011. As a mechanical engineer, he went all over the world designing clean rooms for Intel Corporation. When asked about his success, he said he learned the value of work ethic from his father — who was a great farmer.

No. 1 sister is an oncology nurse, No. 2 sister retired as a captain in the U.S. Navy, No. 3 brother retired as a Master Sergeant from the U.S. Air Force and now works for the Federal Aviation Administration. All very accomplished. Earning those accomplishments through grit learned on the farm.

“Fred Kveton harrowing a row straight as an arrow. Each tiny tree protected from wind and sun. The team sleek and the harness well oiled.” Source: Texas Agricultural Extension Service – “The Extensioner” November 1949.

That doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a hard life. His children still vividly remember him driving a 1973 Ford LTD Station Wagon until the wheels absolutely fell off, because that year “was the last year I made money farming.” It was also the year he first sent three kids to college, including his oldest, Kit. She wanted to farm, but, after the education investment, John told her she was not smart enough to be a farmer and should go to medical school instead. She delivered roughly 4,000 babies before retiring this March.

Every Kveton child worked on the farm. They hoed weeds with sawed off hoe handles and helped with planting and harvest. If they accidentally hoed cotton instead of weeds, Uncle Henry would get his calculator out and show them how much money they had just lost. They worked hard and many of them had a passion for the farm.

No. 10 sister; however, didn’t care as much for the outdoors as the rest of her siblings. She was the last person expected to go into agriculture.

Growing up, they called her “Princess Jane,” but you and I know her as one of the greatest cotton breeders of our time. Stay tuned for the next installment of our Faces of Cotton story series on Jane Kveton Dever.

Proposition 1, the Right to Farm and Ranch Amendment, protects the rights of landowners and lessees to engage in commonly accepted agricultural practices on their own properties. Proposition 1 preserves Texans’ access to safe and affordable food for the future by protecting our producers and our state’s agricultural land.

On November 7, 2023, Texans have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enshrine these protections in the Texas Constitution. Early voting starts October 23 and ends November 3. Mark your calendars, head to the polls and vote yes for Right to Farm!

Trust Protocol Seeks Input on Revised Principle and Criteria and Grower Questionnaire

USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program Pays More Than $1.77 Billion to America’s Producers in Support of Conservation and Climate-Smart Agriculture

Lamesa Classing Office Report – October 20, 2023

Lubbock Classing Office Report – October 20, 2023

As presented by Kerry Siders, Extension Agent – Integrated Pest Management for Cochran, Hockley and Lamb Counties

As we move into harvest season, it may be time to consider and apply harvest aids to your crop to reduce potential losses of lint yield and fiber quality.  Kerry Siders, IPM agent for Cochran, Hockley and Lamb Counties, presented information on harvest aids to the Plains Cotton Advisory Group this morning (October 13), where he emphasized that harvest aids can result in earlier harvest, preservation of fiber quality and fewer seed quality reductions due to field exposure. 

“Weathering losses in the High Plains can result in considerable reduction in dollar value of the crop unless measures are taken to protect yield and quality potential,” he said. “This is especially true for open boll picker-type cotton varieties.” 

Factors that increase the performance of harvest-aid chemicals include:

• Weather
  • Warm
  • Sunny
  • Calm
  • No fronts anticipated four to five days after application 
• Soil
  
  • Low moisture
  • Low nitrogen levels
• Plant
  
  • Active leaves that are uniformly expanded on plants
  • Little or no secondary growth evident on plants
  • Plants with a high percentage of open bolls that have shed some mature leaves

However, there are also factors that can negatively affect the performance of harvest aid chemicals. Along with the polar opposite of the above positive factors, improper calibration of application rates and poor spray coverage can negatively impact the performance of your harvest aids. 

Crop Maturity
Crop maturity determination is also critical for a successful harvest-aid program, Siders added. Premature crop termination has been shown to reduce lint yield, seed quality, micronaire and fiber strength. 

These chemicals generally terminate fiber and plant development rather abruptly, as they are intended to accelerate harvest of a mature crop. Something important to note that Siders emphasized is that harvest-aid chemicals cannot increase the rate of fiber development. 

“Only additional good growing weather including open skies and adequate heat units combined with functional leaves can mature cotton bolls,” he added. 

While you can predict through a percentage of open bolls (some say 40% to 60% open bolls is a good sign to start applying harvest aid chemicals), Siders says this is a subjective approach. 

Best method for determining maturity:

• Use a sharp knife to cut into the bolls.
• If the boll is watery or “jelly-like” on the inside, then it is immature and needs more heat units.
• If boll development is such that the knife cannot slice through the lint, then the boll is nearly mature.
• Close inspection of the seed will give further indication of boll maturity. If the seed coat is turning tan and the seed leaves (or cotyledons) are fully developed, the boll is mature.

Harvest Aid Application Timing
The Nodes Above Cracked Boll (NACB) method is another tool Siders discussed to help time harvest aid application. 

When the crop has four or fewer nodes above cracked boll it is ready for a boll opener (ethephon) and a defoliant application.

For more information, read the Texas High Plains Cotton Harvest Aid Guide here.

How Unprecedented Politics Could Impact a New Farm Bill

High Interest Rates, Strong U.S. Dollar Take a Toll on Ag Economy

National Farmers Day: Why Do We Celebrate This Day? 

2023 COTTON USA Orientation Tour Visits West Texas

Textile manufacturing executives representing 15 of the largest cotton consuming countries in the world spent October 5 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the 2023 COTTON USA Orientation Tour.

The companies represented are expected to consume 5 to 7 million bales of cotton this year, which includes 2.9 million bales from the U.S.

PCG board member Jon Jones, producer in Floyd County, discusses the devestation of the earthquake in Turkey on the textile mill industry with Orhan Buyukerzurumlu, board member of a textile manufacturing company in Turkey.

Meeting in Lubbock for the Texas leg of the tour, participants heard from PCG CEO Kody Bessent on Texas cotton production; CCI Chairman and PCCA Export Sales Manager Carlos Garcia on cotton quality and supply in the Southwest region; Texas Cotton Association President Beau Stephenson on Texas cotton service and logistics; and U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit Leader Greg Holt, Ph.D., on plastic contamination and prevention.

Key takeaways from the presentations included the following:

Texas Cotton Production:

• The Texas High Plains produces 50% to 55% of the state’s cotton, 30% to 35% of the nation’s cotton and 3% to 5% of the world’s cotton.
• The state’s acreage is heavily dependent on rainfall, as 65% of Texas cotton acres are dryland and 35% are partially to fully irrigated.
• The 2022 crop and 2023 crop projection have drastic economic consequences to our region, state and nation.
• Producers have an innovative mindset and are always looking for ways to enhance fiber quality, yield and soil health.

Southwest Quality and Supply

• The Southwest region of the U.S. is known for its quality, sustainability, value and reliability.
• The region has made noticeable improvements in staple length since 2000.
• So far in the 2023/2024 classing season, micronaire is averaging 4.3, strength average is 30.5 and uniformity average is 81.1.

Texas Service and Logistics

• There is estimated to be a smaller Texas crop this year with 4.2 million bales produced.
• The supply chain should have plenty of capacity to handle the 2023 crop.
• When infrastructure depends solely on volume, smaller crop years can have negative economic impacts.
• The U.S. is the only country to have uniform and consistent cotton bale dimensions.

Advances in Contamination Prevention

PCG Chairman Brent Nelson and Secretary/Treasurer Brent Coker discuss Texas High Plains cotton production with Joanne Park, assistant manager for Kyungbang Ltd., a textile mill in Korea. This particular mill’s cotton consumption is around 165,000 bales, 30% of which come from the U.S.

• Systems are put in place for pre-harvest, module handling, module feeding and ginning to prevent contamination.
• The Module Wrap Standard was developed to prevent contamination and provides protection to the industry from inferior module wrap products that are beginning to enter the U.S. market. Module wrap performance standards have three requirements: laboratory testing, field testing and color (certain colors are easier to detect contamination than others).
• The module rotating wheel loader work tool rotates and orients modules into proper position for manual or fixed-position wrap cutting, rather than using a regular forklift.
• None of the research discoveries or recommendations from USDA ARS are patented. They are completely available for industry use.
• Following the morning seminar, participants were able to tour a farm to see best agricultural practices implemented by producers.

The Texas leg of the tour concluded with an industry dinner, where producers and participants were able to connect.

“I really see an improvement in Texas cotton quality the last few years,” one delegate said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to see some of these things in person. As end users, we don’t get to see the process, so it’s valuable to see what cotton growers and infrastructure are doing to ensure high quality cotton.”

The United States is the global leader in cotton exports by value, holding a 33-percent share ($5.7 billion) of the global export market in 2021. U.S. cotton exports expanded to $8.9 billion in 2022 and, while U.S. cotton exports in 2023 are expected to be lower than 2022 levels, USDA’s 10-year projections for U.S. exports indicate growth in the long term. In 2021, the most recent year for which complete global data are available, U.S. exports of cotton totaled nearly 3 million metric tons, 47 percent more volume than the next highest exporter, Brazil. Other major competitors in the global cotton market include Australia, India, and the European Union, with 2021 market shares (in terms of value) ranging from 5% to 15% each, as well as several exporters from Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire. In addition to maintaining the largest share of the aggregate global market, the United States is a key supplier to several top importer markets. For example, in 2021, U.S. cotton accounted, by value, for 39 percent of cotton imports to China, the top cotton importer in the world. Other top destinations for U.S. cotton exports include Vietnam, Turkey, Pakistan, and Mexico. These countries combined with China, accounted for more than 70 percent of U.S. cotton exports in 2021. 

Recent Rain Could Delay Cotton Harvest for Farmers

Cotton Boll Counts the Deciding Factor for Farmers to Harvest or Not This Season

University of Arkansas Agriculture Division Extension Economist Ryan Loy’s Take in Southern Ag Today

As we approach the end of the U.S. government’s (USG) fiscal year, the probability of a government shutdown seems imminent. The USG has until tomorrow (September 30th) to reconcile differences in government spending before they ultimately shut down for an unknown period (Cassella, 2023). The issues arise in Congress where disagreements on government spending based on ideological lines have paralyzed the passing of funding bills needed to keep the government running beyond September 30, 2023. To avoid a government shutdown, Congress has several tools at its disposal, ranging from passing a short-term Continuing Resolution to passing all 12 appropriations bills (e.g., funding allocations for government agencies). Keep in mind that President Biden must also sign whatever Congress passes by the end of day on September 30th (Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 2023). Otherwise, a shutdown is nearly impossible to avoid. Incidentally, the 2018 Farm Bill also expires tomorrow. While we touch on that below, farm bill reauthorization is currently taking a backseat to efforts to fund the government.

What does a shutdown mean for farmers?
Besides a shutdown impacting everything from social security, national parks, and air travel, the agricultural sector may also be heavily affected. Namely, the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Rural Development offices are expected to close (Bickelhaupt, 2023). For a producer who participates in government programs, these agencies likely will not hold sign-ups, accept acreage reports, or issue participation payments during this time. While the length of a government shutdown would ultimately determine the overall impact to the farm sector, folks expecting payments for participation and/or wanting to enroll in a new program will likely feel the impacts shortly after the shutdown. 

What about farm bill expiration?
Importantly, the prospect of a government shutdown and the expiration of the farm bill are two separate issues – they just happen to be occurring at the same time.  However, the difficulty incurred in avoiding a government shutdown further highlights the challenges Congress faces in reauthorizing the farm bill. For producers, the impact of an expiring farm bill would likely not be felt until early 2024, because the current programs like Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) run through the end of this calendar year (Zimmerman, 2023). If farm bill expiration were to stretch into the New Year, USDA would need to pay out commodity price supports as laid out in the 1938 and 1949 Farm Bills; meaning, the USDA would be forced to purchase commodities such as milk, wheat, and cotton, at “parity prices” that are on par (in terms of purchasing power) with levels in the early 1900s (e.g., $50.70/hundredweight for milk based on May 2023 data). These price supports could mean that the U.S. government would “outbid” commercial markets and ultimately raise the price of retail commodities (Congressional Research Service, 2023). With respect to farm bill expiration alone, government programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and crop insurance would likely not feel the same impacts. SNAP is an appropriated entitlement, and Congress likely would continue funding SNAP via the appropriations process (although we discussed above how that process has unfolded this year) and thus could continue most programs. Crop insurance is permanently authorized and funded by the Federal Crop Insurance Act that does not expire with the 2018 Farm Bill (Congressional Research Service, 2023).   

See references here.

Originally published in the TCGA newsletter “The Ginnery.” Written By Aaron Nelsen.

The last of our 2023 safety seminars were completed on September 21 with the last meeting taking place in Lubbock.  Our final seminar produced a large crowd of around 140 participants in our general sessions.  Two general sessions are conducted at each seminar.  We deliver an English session in the morning and the Spanish session is conducted in the afternoon.  We conduct a manager session as well in the afternoon.  There are plenty of moving parts at each meeting.  We are fortunate to partner with Texas Cotton Ginners’ Trust to provide this training for cotton gins.  TCGT sponsors the meetings each year. They provide the meals, the seminar manuals and the manpower.  Nearly all training is provided by TCGT staff.  The TCGT loss control team is the right group to deliver the message.  They are in cotton gins every day.  They are familiar with what is happening inside the gin and always assisting ginners in developing a plan to keep workers safe.  We are proud to partner with TCGT to provide this training for cotton gins each year.

Over the years, TCGT has worked with gin employees to create testimonials to help deliver the safety message.  New testimonials have been produced over the last couple of years by TCGT.  Accidents and the injuries that result from them can be very emotional subject matter for gin employees.    Having these employees speak in front of a camera can be challenging as well.  Talking about accidents is not easy and you can sense that when you watch the testimonials.  We certainly appreciate all the work that is done to put these testimonials together.  Close relationships between the TCGT loss control team and the gin employees make the testimonials possible.  There is a level of trust that has been established between the loss control team and gin personnel.  Nobody likes talking about making a mistake; that is hard to do.  However, if others can learn from past incidences and possibly prevent someone from repeating the same type of mistake, the people involved in the accident become willing to talk about them.  They do it for the greater good.  The ginning community is a tight-knit family.  They look out for one another.  There are 168 hours in a week.  During a typical ginning season, these employees spend 84 hours of their week working at the gin.  Essentially, they are spending half of their life with their fellow gin members while they process a cotton crop.  You can probably equate a gin team to a sports team.  Each year, the gin team looks a little different.  Injuries can make or break a season for a sports team.  It is no different for a cotton gin.  Employees need to look out for one another.  It all starts with training.  If gin employees are not trained to work safely, you are going to be fortunate not to have an accident.  That is not to say a gin employee cannot be hurt even with training, but by providing proper training, you are reducing the risk of accidents.  It simply equates to loss control.  Training is the key.  That is what the safety seminars are all about.

Let’s recognize the people responsible for making the seminars happen each year.  Texas Cotton Ginners’ Trust (TCGT) is the sole sponsor of the seminars as mentioned earlier in the article.  The goal is to keep our workplaces safe for our employees as they are the lifeblood of the industry.

The TCGT loss control team consists of James Shepard, Luis Garcia, Wally Davis, Jerry Multer and David Urbina.  These team members develop the training material each year and present the material as well.  For many years now, employees from member gins have assisted in our Spanish presentations and these team members are invaluable as we strive to exchange information with as many gin workers as possible.  These team members have really taken ownership in safety and are greatly assisting the effort to make all Texas gins a safer workplace.  This kind of work can be extremely rewarding when you see gin employees buy into the message being delivered.  One seminar will not do that, but it certainly helps.  Consistent and proper training is the key.  Let’s recognize members of the TCGT loss control team and ginners from member organizations who assisted with the Spanish presentations:

• Weslaco – Luis Garcia(TCGT) and David Urbina (TCGT)
• Corpus Christi – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Hector Cruz (Edcot Co-op Gin)
• El Campo – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Jesus Cruz (Edcot Co-op Gin)
• Waco – Luis Garcia (TCGT), Marcial Saenz (Central Rolling Plains Co-op) and Albert Leyva (Citizens Shallowater Co-op Gin)
• Sweetwater – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Marcial Saenz (Central Rolling Plains Co-op)
• Lubbock (August 2) – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Leandro Ramirez (Associated Cotton Growers)
• Canyon – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Leandro Ramirez (Associated Cotton Growers)
• Childress – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Leandro Ramirez (Associated Cotton Growers)
• Lubbock (September 21) – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Johnny Najera (Meadow Farmers Co-op Gin)

The men helping Luis and David are ginners by trade, not professional speakers.  Their willingness to speak about safety to large groups of their peers is commendable and very much appreciated.  We continue to learn the training goes both ways as we all learn from each other.  The instructors bring the safety message to the classroom, but all participants benefit from the discussion and interaction that takes place during each session.  Successful safety programs begin with good communication and a good attitude.  Make safety a priority and be sure your employees are engaged in creating a safe workplace for everyone.  Be sure you have someone leading your safety effort.  TCGT has programs available to help train the person who is providing your training.  TCGT members should be taking advantage of that service.

We had 563 participants attend a general session.  This does not include manager session attendees.  There is a tremendous amount of time and resources invested in these meetings each year.  We very much appreciate everyone who took time out of their busy schedule to attend.

Remember, if you are a member of Texas Cotton Ginners’ Trust, attending a seminar is one of the requirements to receive the safety credit they are offering on your 2023/24 premium.  Hopefully, the nine sessions plus the district meeting sessions gave ample opportunity for everyone to attend.  We did reduce the number of seminars by two this year.  We had one less meeting in Lubbock and combined the Pampa and Tulia meetings into one meeting in Canyon.  The feedback seemed good.  If you have an opinion on that you would like to share, please contact Aaron Nelsen.

Attendance certificates will be mailed in the next couple of weeks along with a printout for your records showing all employees who attended a general session.  If you have corrections that need to be made, contact the TCGA office and we will be glad to assist you.  Please note that certificates will be printed for only those who signed in for the general session.  Certificates are not printed for the manager session participants.  Weslaco, Corpus Christi, El Campo and Waco certificates were mailed earlier in the summer.

Remember to visit the safety section of the TCGA website at www.tcga.org.  There are tools available to help you with your safety program on the website.  Remember, the NCGA safety videos are available there.  If you prefer thumb drives or DVD’s, we can have those available as well!

Be safe and look out for one another and let us know if we can help.

Hurricane Idalia Caused More Damage to Agriculture Than Initially Thought

Tips for Young Farmers Taking Over the Family Farm

Plains Cotton Growers and Southern Southeastern Cotton Growers meet with the staff for Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA)

Plains Cotton Growers was busy this week, advocating for the Texas High Plains and state and national cotton industry interests in Washington D.C.

PCG CEO Kody Bessent brought the PCG officers — Brent Nelson, Martin Stoerner, Travis Mires and Brent Coker — to visit with Congressional members on the importance of averting a government shutdown, improving the farm safety net and passing a strong farm bill that will benefit producers and industry for the next five years.

Opinions from Congress on whether the government will shut down was a mixed bag. Some Senators and Representatives stated they didn’t feel it would get to that point, while others were emphatic that it would. PCG officers emphasized the implications for the cotton industry should that happen, speaking for producers, but also for the merchant segment as we near the harvest season.

Each officer had speaking points they discussed with members. Nelson spoke to the market loan rate and the need to raise the rate to accommodate for the rise in production costs. Stoerner emphasized the need to increase reference prices to address the same thing.

PCG Secretary/Treasurer Brent Coker, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and PCG Chairman Brent Nelson.

Mires stressed the importance of crop insurance for producers, saying, “We’d hate to lose any ground when it comes to crop insurance, and it would be great if we could strengthen it even more.”

Coker specifically addressed the need for a producer to have the ability to enroll in both the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) and the Price Loss Coverage  (PLC) program to further mitigate producer risk. “Adding this option to increase our access to risk management tools would greatly help us spread out our risk, while also accommodating the needs of the landowners from whom we lease the land,” he added.

Our officers took time off from their operations and busy family lives to advocate for agriculture, which doesn’t go unnoticed by government officials.

“It’s so important that we hear from you,” said Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS) addressing PCG producers. “We can’t help you if we don’t know what your challenges are. Only you can give us the experience perspective.”

This was Coker’s first fly-in with the team. “It was eye-opening to see how involved the process is; how important communication and education is for these Representatives and Senators, but also the staffers,” he said. “It was a great experience and I was humbled to play a small part in the advocacy this week.”

Regenerative Agriculture Field Day

BASF Field Day

Tailgate with Capital Farm Credit — TTU vs. Oregon

West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute Annual Meeting

Regenerative Agriculture Field Day

BASF Field Day

P.I.E. Producers Tour South Texas, Realize Water Woes

Heat Remains the Story of the Plains

Plains Cotton Advisory Group Meeting

West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute Annual Meeting

Regenerative Agriculture Field Day

BASF Field Day

Idalia Hit Florida, Georgia Agriculture

USDA Makes $65 Million Available for Conservation Innovation Grants

National Cotton Council Responds to WOTUS Rule

High Plains IPM Podcast