The Quarterly Board Meeting of Plains Cotton Growers was held April 6 where two members were honored.
At the annual meeting last year, both Greg Taylor, partner with D. Williams & Co., and Steve Olson, PCG Board Member and Hale County producer spent the day in Austin testifying on behalf of the Texas cotton industry for what is now known as House Bill 43.
To recognize the effort and sacrifice of these two men, PCG presented them with the legislative documentation that has made state assistance for infrastructure and producers possible.
'What these two men did for the industry that day was incredible, and I still remember listening to their testimony at the post-event reception at last year's annual meeting,' said PCG CEO Kody Bessent. 'We thank them for their service and dedication to not only our organization but the entire Texas cotton industry.'
To recognize the effort and sacrifice of these two men, PCG presented them with the legislative documentation that has made state assistance for infrastructure and producers possible.
'What these two men did for the industry that day was incredible and I still remember listening to their testimony at the post-event reception at last year's annual meeting,' said PCG CEO Kody Bessent. 'We thank them for their service and dedication to not only our organization but the entire Texas cotton industry.'
PCG also held a forum on April 10 where cotton industry leaders participated in a panel discussion at this week’s Plains Cotton Growers’ annual meeting and discussed hot topics such as microplastics and Buying American Cotton Act.
Amid profitability concerns and global competition, what does the future of cotton look like? What can change the trajectory of this natural fiber?
These were questions cotton leaders addressed during a panel discussion this week at the Plains Cotton Growers’ annual meeting in Lubbock, Texas. Panel participants included National Cotton Council President and CEO Gary Adams, PCG CEO Kody Bessent and American Cotton Shippers Association President and CEO Buddy Allen.
The group discussed topics that are creating momentum amid low demand, drought and high input costs. One of those was the recent announcement regarding the danger of microplastics.
On April 2, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and EPAAdministrator Lee Zeldin acknowledged microplastics as one of the most urgent and growing public health challenges facing Americans. This is research the cotton industry has been touting for years.
“But now, the U.S. government has endorsed this, and to quote Secretary Kennedy, ‘It’s time to quit talking about any of the research and come up with an action plan,” Allen told the crowd. Synthetic fibers, specifically polyester, are cotton’s biggest competitors.
“We know that synthetic textiles are the largest point source contributor to all microplastics,” Allen noted. “Thirty-five percent of all microplastics come from synthetic textiles, so it’ll be undeniable to connect the dots.”
Adams reminded the crowd this is research Cotton Incorporated has discussed for more than a decade and emphasized the importance of the industry leveraging these facts.
“We’ve got the ‘Plant Not Plastic’ campaign, and people need to remember what you wear matters, not just for the environment,” he said.
Bessent noted society’s increasing health consciousness. “The time is now for people to have a better understanding on the health and safety of what cotton will do for you versus man-made synthetics. That’s been our challenge for a long time.”
The panel also discussed the impact passage of the Buying American Cotton Act will have on domestic demand. Allen described the proposed bill, which will create a tax credit for brands and retailers who use U.S.grown cotton in products, as the “medicine that will cure the disease.”
“But the real cure is taking back market share of total fiber consumption,” Allen said. “One percent of total fiber consumption in the world is 5 million bales of cotton. So, if you start to change consumer behavior a small amount, there’s an exponential impact.”
Bessent noted how difficult it is to gain back market share once it’s lost. “This is a way to bring that domestic supply back online and have a level playing field,” he added.
Adams is optimistic the bill will pass, but the question remains when that will happen.
“It’s been an industry effort to build political support, and it has wide appeal regardless of political ideology,” he said. “We’re seeing co-sponsors come from all corners of Washington to sign onto the agreement, but what’s Washington going to do in terms of finding a vehicle this year to try to attach it to? To me, that’s the question mark.”
Allen noted the competitive advantage the U.S. has in leveraging its domestic consumption compared with other cottonproducing countries, such as Brazil.
“It’s so powerful when we leverage the U.S. consumer with production economics. We’re consuming 1.25 to 1.4 times what we produce here in the United States,” he said. “Our biggest competitors like Brazil are just consuming a fraction of what they produce. In fact, Brazil consumes less than 10% of what they’re producing and Australia less than a third.
“So we have an opportunity to leverage the commerce in America, our existing consumption, to strengthen producers in rural America, bring more supply [and] utilize our infrastructure where there’s structural demand to consume it at a value proposition that excites the people in this room.”
The panel also celebrated the recent slight recovery in cotton prices, along with the likely increased Southwest cotton acreage.
“The December contract has hit 76 cents briefly,” Adams said, but uncertainty remains. “If you look at the drought monitor, a lot of the Cotton Belt is in drought, including Texas. So, there’s question marks about what our crop will be.”
He also noted supply uncertainty regarding China’s cotton acreage, and the effect escalating fertilizer prices will have.
Despite these challenges, optimism remains in Texas and the broader Southwest as growers plan to plant more cotton. Bessent told Farm Press he expects the PCG’s 42-county area to plant 100,000 more acres this year compared to 2025. Overall, the state is projected to plant 5.6 million to 5.9 million acres.
But the million-dollar question is whether growers will receive the much-needed rainfall.
“We have limited irrigation, but we have a lot of newer, greater technology that helps to absorb some of the dryland conditions, the drought-hearty conditions,” Bessent said.
Despite the industry’s hurdles, ranging from high input costs to drought to low demand, industry leaders are cautiously optimistic. U.S. cotton reclaiming its former strength isn’t impossible. For example, Adams noted the impact a slight change in fabric blends would make on demand.
“It’s not like we’re going to remove polyester,” he said. “That’s too large. But think about what shifting that blend would be, a few percentage points, and we were back to where we were needing 125 million bales on a global basis, as opposed to 118 to 119, that’s a huge difference just to be able to try to reclaim it. We’ve been there before; we’ve been at 124 million bales, so we’re not talking about climbing an insurmountable mountain here.”