Welcome to the April 25, 2025 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.
Earth Day Should be Every Day
It’s Time to Get Serious About Pushing the Natural Fiber Message
By Kara Bishop
There are many contributing factors to cotton’s lackluster demand of late, but I don’t think anyone can argue with the fact that aimless promotion is one of them. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put cotton at the forefront with the sustainability and environmentally friendly movement.
It’s time to seize it.
What’s crazy to me is the wealth of information and research we have on cotton’s biodegradability, sustainable nature and traceable infrastructure. Our promotion problems are not due to a lack of information. It’s just not readily available to consumers.
Last year on the Friday before Earth Day, I said we need to start screaming from the rooftops and maybe I should have been more specific.
We don’t need a special commemorative day to share this information. We don’t have to wait for Earth Day to come around the following year to push material. With the demand crisis we’ve been facing the last several years we need to be screaming every day. At this point, we cannot afford silence.
Are We in the Room?
Joe Nicosia, the 2024 National Cotton Council Chair, made some good points at PCG’s annual meeting at the beginning of this month concerning this issue.
I will sum it up in one sentence: “When opportunity knocks, we need to open the door.”
When a celebrity tells their story of cotton, we need to be there ready to capitalize on the momentum they generate.
When a high-level influencer posts a video about attending a denim and diamonds charity event, we need to be in the comments reinforcing the cotton story.
When a scientist begins a national discussion on the danger of microplastics, we need to be “in the room” sharing our sustainability message.
When someone begins to talk about overconsumption, where are we? Our product is meant for intentional purchasing that outlasts other apparel. It’s easily recyclable rather than being dumped in a landfill to outlive us and our children. Do the people viewing and interacting with this particular content creator know that?
When a member of the President’s cabinet issues a movement to make us healthy again, we need to let him know how our product can play a role in human health.
If the wool industry can combat synthetic fibers and overconsumption, why can’t we? The title of their campaign is “Wear Wool, Not Waste” — sheer genius.
And the information needs to be easily accessible for all consumers. This means formatted for different platforms: traditional websites, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, X and traditional marketing channels like TV and radio. Too often, when I go to look for cotton resources that will support cotton’s sustainability efforts, I can’t find them. I rarely find them on any digital platforms other than traditional websites (or digging through years of old Facebook videos). And I have to click through multiple sites and web pages. That’s just not acceptable anymore.
Building Bridges with Like-Minded Communities
We tend to resist connection with environmentalists and affiliated companies and organizations. We’ve often been at odds with one another, but now I think it’s time to realize that we have a very special commonality with this group. And it’s time to share the same space.
One thing that environmentalist groups do exceptionally well is tell the story. We have all these facts and numbers but often struggle to relay them in a way that inspires action.
Production agriculture and environmentalists won’t agree on everything, and we don’t have to. We just have to form beneficial partnerships that further both planet wellbeing and cotton demand.
Environmentalists are fully convinced that if we don’t make changes to save our planet now, then we won’t have a future. Are we as cotton producers convinced that if we don’t make changes now, there won’t be cotton production in the future? Because without demand, that’s where we’re headed.
It’s time to start brainstorming innovative ways to advance cotton’s agenda. It’s time to broaden our horizons and partner with other communities who have commonalities with our industry regardless of whether we are in total agreement.
Earth day should be every day. And cotton can no longer afford to stay on the sidelines and watch everyone out promote us.
I’m going to share the resources I have found so far, and I challenge all of us to find ways to make this information more available and digitally accessible for consumers. We’re spending money and effort to create powerful research and data, so it’s a shame to me that it’s so hard to find across all platforms. And I would love to embed the videos directly into this web page, so that you can easily watch them, but right now, that’s not an option.
Here’s a list of current cotton resources you can share with others:
Cotton Fiber Fragments Break Down in Water
Cotton Recycling and Sustainability
The Case for Cotton: A Natural Alternative to Synthetics
Microfibers in Water: Why Cotton is Better
Cotton to Compost: Transform Waste Management in the Textile Industry
This article isn’t meant to criticize anyone. It’s meant to inspire all of us to do better. We no longer have the luxury of time on our side.
When announcing Vaden’s nomination in late December, Trump stated: “I am pleased to nominate Stephen Alexander Vaden to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, where he will work with our Great United States Secretary of Agriculture Nominee, Brooke Rollins,” Trump said in his announcement. “In my First Term, Stephen was the General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture, and a Member of the Board of the Commodity Credit Corporation, where he won two cases before the United States Supreme Court, relocated and reorganized the Agencies that comprise the Department to better serve Rural America, and engaged in substantial regulatory reform. Stephen joined the USDA on Day One of my First Term, and left in December 2020 after I nominated him, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him, to continue to serve the American People as an Article III Judge on the Court of International Trade. Judge Stephen Vaden resides in Union City, Tennessee, where he helps manage his family farm. Congratulations Stephen!”
Administration.
managing the day-to-day operations of EXIM and advancing strategic initiatives such as the program on “China and Transformational Exports”, opening new markets for American Liquified Natural Gas, securing America’s supply of Critical Minerals & Rare Earths, and protecting allies in the race to deploy 5G globally. He also led EXIM’s involvement in the execution of the ground-breaking Abraham Accords. Mr. Lindberg earned the Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes distinctive accomplishment and leadership that significantly benefit EXIM and the nation.
And, if the results of this survey are realized, planted acreage will definitely decline.
Southeast respondents indicate a 19.3% decline in cotton acreage to 1.9 million acres. According to the survey responses from Southeast growers, the expected decline in cotton acres is due to an increase in corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, and peanuts.
Mid-South growers intend to plant 1.8 million acres, a decline of 8.2% from the previous year. Survey responses suggest an increase in corn, peanuts, and other crops. Growers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri also expect to plant fewer soybeans, while Tennessee growers indicated an increase in soybean acreage.
In the West, upland cotton acreage is expected to decline by 12.3%.
Growers in the Southwest intend to plant 14.5% less cotton. Kansas growers expect to plant 12.5% more cotton at the expense of wheat and soybeans. Oklahoma producers expect to reduce cotton acreage by 5% and plant more corn, sorghum and other crops. Texas acreage is expected to decline by 15.8%. South Texas growers expect to plant more sorghum and other crops. In the Blacklands, growers intend to plant more corn, wheat and sorghum. West Texas growers reported an increase in wheat, sorghum, corn, peanuts, and other crops. Texas growers also expect to plant 18.2% less ELS cotton.
