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Annual Meeting

Event Schedule

March 31, 2025

Banquet Rooms on Second Floor of the Overton

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Plains Cotton Growers Board of Directors Meeting

Overton Hotel & Conference Center

Horizon A Banquet Room (upstairs)

Meeting Topics:

  • D.C. Update
  • National Cotton Council Update
  • What to Expect at the Annual Meeting on April 1, 2025
  • Other Business

April 1, 2025 – Annual Meeting General Session

Sunset Ballrooms on First Floor of the Overton

7:30 a.m. | Registration and Breakfast

PRE-REGISTER HERE!

Check-in for all attendees will be in the foyer of the Sunset ballrooms on the first floor of the Overton Hotel & Conference Center. If you have not registered online you can register at the desk outside the ballrooms. Registration bags and event agendas will be available in the foyer as well.

A complimentary continental breakfast will be available in the foyer of the Sunset ballrooms from 7:30 a.m. until the program begins at 8:30 a.m.

8:30 a.m. | Call to Order and President's Report

NEW TIME THIS YEAR

The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. PCG President Travis Mires will call the meeting to order and deliver the president’s report.

8:45 a.m. | U.S. Cotton Competitiveness

U.S. Cotton Competitiveness Presented by NCC Chair Joe Nicosia

Joe Nicosia has been a member of the board of directors of the National Cotton Council since 2011, was a segment vice president from 2014 to 2020, and currently also serves on the Executive Committee. He has served on multiple NCC committees including current membership on the NCC Farm Policy Task Force and the Performance and Standards Task Force.

Nicosia is the Global Trading Operations Officer for Louis Dreyfus Company as well as the Head of the Cotton Platform. He is also the Executive Vice President of Louis Dreyfus Company LLC and Chief Executive Officer of Allenberg Cotton Co.

In 1981, Nicosia completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Dartmouth College and immediately embarked on his career as a grain trader at the Louis Dreyfus Company in Minneapolis. The following year, he transferred to Allenberg Cotton Co. and in 1985 assumed responsibility for cotton trading worldwide. He is active in several cotton industry associations and is a past chairman and serves on the board of directors of the American Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA). He is also the long-time chairman of the Futures Committee of ACSA.

9:30 a.m. | Booth Break

There are exhibits from our generous sponsors in the foyer of the Sunset Ballrooms on the first floor of the Overton Hotel & Conference Center. Please visit them during this break. Coffee and water will be available the entire day at the back of the ballrooms where the general session is held.

9:55 a.m. | Consumer Panel

Consumers were selected in Lubbock, Texas, to participate in a panel with PCG discussing the how and why behind their apparel and home goods purchasing decisions.

PCG tried to select consumers who fit different generations and genders.

Monetary incentive was provided, but the panel questions were not discussed beforehand.

10:40 a.m. | CEO Report

PCG CEO Kody Bessent provides an overview of the organization as well as the goals and policy initiatives for 2025.

11:10 a.m. | Meal Invocation

Prayer for the meal will be provided by Hale County producer and PCG Board Member Steve Olson.

11:15 a.m. | Lunch is Served

The lunch will be served in the foyer of the Sunset ballrooms (the hall outside the main meeting rooms used for the general session). There will be two stations with four different lines.

11:45 a.m. | Keynote Address

Paul Mobley is the quintessential portrait photographer. As much a director as a photographer, his ability to forge quick connections with his clients and put them at ease creates the possibility for strikingly intimate images. His years of experience photographing everyone from Amy Schumer to Zac Brown, combined with his contagious enthusiasm and willingness to take risks, allow him to approach each shoot confidently, leading to a fresh, unique portrait of the subject.

He took a break from work one year; however, the work didn’t leave him as he became inspired to photograph farmers across the entire nation. He presents lessons he’s learned from farmers with beautiful captivating photos of the agriculture industry (including a Texas cotton operation).

Whether it’s a celebrity promoting his or her latest project or a 100-year-old farmer celebrating his family’s legacy, Mobley approaches his work the same way—he aims to capture the soul of the subject and present a compelling portrait that is authentic and timeless.

This ability to capture the soul of the subject and forge heartfelt, human connection with every person he meets also happens to be what makes him a brilliant, effective, and inspirational speaker.

12:30 p.m. | Booth Break

There are exhibits from our generous sponsors in the foyer of the Sunset Ballrooms on the first floor of the Overton Hotel & Conference Center. Please visit them during this break. Coffee and water will be available the entire day at the back of the ballrooms where the general session is held.

April 1, 2025 – Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Banquet Rooms on the Second Floor of the Overton

1:00 p.m. | Horizon A Breakout Session #1

How the Local Economy is Impacted by the Agriculture Industry

Speakers: TBD

1:00 p.m. | Horizon C Breakout Session #1

FarmHope Segment 1 — Legal Issues Affecting Agriculture

Speaker: Tiffany Lashmet

2:00 p.m. | Horizon A Breakout Session #2

Young Producer Panel

Moderator: Landon Mires

Panelists:

  • Jeremy Brown
  • Justin Cave
  • Bryce Howard
  • Haden Tharp

2:00 p.m. | Horizon C Breakout Session #2

FarmHope Segment 2 — Mental Health Seminar

Speaker: Miquela Smith

12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Horizon B Breakout Session

StoneX Maketing and Hedging Workshop

Agenda coming soon!

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Meet Our Speakers

We are excited to present our speakers for the 2025 Annual Meeting.

Paul Mobley

Professional Photographer

Paul Mobley is the quintessential portrait photographer. As much a director as a photographer, his ability to forge quick connections with his clients and put them at ease creates the possibility for strikingly intimate images. His years of experience photographing everyone from Amy Schumer to Zac Brown, combined with his contagious enthusiasm and willingness to take risks, allow him to approach each shoot confidently, leading to a fresh, unique portrait of the subject.

He took a break from work one year; however, the work didn't leave him as he became inspired to photograph farmers across the entire nation. He presents lessons he's learned from farmers with beautiful captivating photos of the agriculture industry (including a Texas cotton operation).

Whether it’s a celebrity promoting his or her latest project or a 100-year-old farmer celebrating his family’s legacy, Mobley approaches his work the same way—he aims to capture the soul of the subject and present a compelling portrait that is authentic and timeless.

This ability to capture the soul of the subject and forge heartfelt, human connection with every person he meets also happens to be what makes him a brilliant, effective, and inspirational speaker.

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Joe Nicosia

Cotton Merchant

Joe Nicosia is currently serving as Chairman of the National Cotton Council. He previously served as the NCC’s vice chairman. Nicosia has been a member of the board of directors of the National Cotton Council since 2011, was a segment vice president from 2014 to 2020, and currently also serves on the Executive Committee. He has served on multiple NCC committees including current membership on the NCC Farm Policy Task Force and the Performance and Standards Task Force.

Nicosia is the Global Trading Operations Officer for Louis Dreyfus Company as well as the Head of the Cotton Platform. He also is Executive Vice President of Louis Dreyfus Company LLC and Chief Executive Officer of Allenberg Cotton Co.

Nicosia graduated from Dartmouth College in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and the same year joined Louis Dreyfus Company as a grain trader in Minneapolis. In 1982 he transferred to Allenberg Cotton Co. and in 1985 assumed responsibility for cotton trading worldwide. Nicosia is active in several cotton industry associations and is a past Chairman and serves on the board of directors of the American Cotton Shippers Association (“ACSA”). He is also the long-time chairman of the Futures Committee of ACSA.

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Travis Mires

PCG President

Travis Mires serves as the Plains Cotton Growers President. He farms dryland cotton in Lynn County with his son Landon and runs a cattle operation with his son Toby.

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Kody Bessent

PCG CEO

Kody Bessent, a native of Acuff, Texas, currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. (PCG), a regional certified cotton producer organization covering 42 counties in the High Plains of Texas. The PCG territory annually plants an average of 3.75 million acres of cotton representing approximately 65% of Texas cotton production and 35% of the nation’s production. Bessent, in conjunction with PCG’s Board of Directors, oversees the organization’s legislative agenda on state and federal matters. He also supervises a staff of five professionals in carrying out the mission of proactive representation of the region’s cotton producers on policy initiatives, cotton research and market development at a local, state, and national level. Bessent also administers and works to enhance the PCG Political Action Committee, which was established in 2015.

He attended West Texas A&M University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education and a master’s degree in agriculture emphasizing in business and economics. Bessent has a background in production agriculture and his family continues to produce cotton, wheat, and grain sorghum on their family farming operation in Acuff, Texas.

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Tiffany Lashmet

Professor and Extension Specialist for Agricultural Law

Tiffany Dowell Lashmet is an associate professor and extension specialist in agricultural law. She focuses her work on legal issues affecting Texas agricultural producers and landowners. She authors the award-winning Texas Agriculture Law Blog and hosts the award-winning Ag Law in the Field Podcast. She serves the State Bar of Texas John Huffaker Agricultural Law Course Planning Committee and previously sat on the Board of Directors for the American Agricultural Law Association. In 2019, Tiffany received the Excellence in Agricultural Law Award for Academia from the American Agricultural Law Association, and in 2016, she was named the State Specialist of the Year for Texas Agriculture by the Texas County Agricultural Agents Association. Tiffany grew up on a family farm and ranch in Eastern New Mexico, received her Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness summa cum laude at Oklahoma State University, and her law degree summa cum laude at the University of New Mexico. Prior to joining Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Tiffany worked for four years at a law firm in Albuquerque practicing civil litigation. She is licensed to practice law in New Mexico and Texas.

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Miquela Smith

Extension Program Specialist – Health

Miquela Smith has served as a health specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 2018. Miquela’s work focuses on chronic disease prevention, mental health, and disaster resiliency and recovery. She supports Family & Community Health Extension Agents throughout the state and is certified to instruct youth and adult Mental Health First Aid courses. Miquela currently serves as a Co-Principal Investigator for a grant awarded by the Texas Department of State Health Services to address the needs of communities who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and associated comorbidities.

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Sponsors

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