Cotton News

Editor’s Note: We are introducing a short series of articles in the next few issues of Cotton News detailing the Representatives and Senators serving on the House Agriculture Committee, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, the House Ag Appropriations and Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittees.

This issue will feature the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House Agriculture Committee and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry — commonly referred to as the “Four Corners.”

Part 1: The Four Corners

PCG Past President Brent Nelson, Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), PCG Director of Communications Kara Bishop, PCCA President and CEO Kevin Brinkley.

Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), Senate Ag Committee Chair

Background

• Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010
• Fifth-generation Arkansan
• Played football for the University of Arkansas
• Entered private practice as an optometrist with his brother
• Established the low vision program at the Arkansas School for the Blind in Little Rock, Arkansas
• Volunteer optometrist at an area clinic that provides medical services to low-income families
• Successfully raised Polled Herefords with his children

Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), House Ag Committee Chair

PCG CEO Kody Bessent and PCG President Travis Mires attend a fundraiser for House Ag Chairman Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) with Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), at the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas.

Background

• Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008
• PCG wrote a story on Thompson in 2022. Read the story here: https://www.plainscotton.org/faces-of-cotton-glenn-thompson
• Credits former West Texas Rep. Mike Conaway for teaching him about cotton’s importance to the agriculture industry

Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), House Ag Committee Ranking Member

Background

• Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018
• Born and raised in Arkansas – moved to Minnesota in 2005
• Worked as a reporter and in human resources and communications
• Member of the Minnesota party affiliate Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
• Replaced Rep. David Scott (D-GA) as the Ranking Member of the House Ag Committee for the 119th Congress 

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member

Background

• Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2007
• Partner at two Minneapolis law firms before being elected county attorney of Hennepin County
• Member of the Minnesota party affiliate Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

The PCG seed cost calculator is an interactive Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that allows producers to calculate an estimated cost per acre, for both seed and technology, based on published suggested retail prices. The calculator has become a popular tool among producers interested in comparing seed and technology prices as they work to finalize their cotton variety selections.

The 2025 spreadsheet includes updated listings for 115 conventional, Axant Flex, XtendFlex, GlyTol, Bollgard II, Bollgard 3 XtendFlex, Bollgard 3 Thryvon, TwinLink, Enlist and Widestrike varieties, including stacked gene versions of these technologies that are available for sale in West Texas.

Lamesa’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 4,107. The office is currently 89% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Lubbock’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 8,325. The office is 96% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples. (The gin estimate has been revised to 1,960,000.)

Lamesa Report

Lubbock Report

Reminder for Gins:

If gins are submitting samples for the Four Bale Module Averaging pilot program, the submitted modules must be designated with a R and they must be in multiples of 4. (4, 8, 12, 16 up to 48).

Small Grains for Forage Conference

Plains Cotton Advisory Group Meeting

NW Panhandle Crops Conference — Moore County

Fire and Rangeland Management Symposium

Welcome to the January 3, 2025 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.

Corporate Transparency Act Update

American Relief Act of 2025 Economic Assistance Payment Calculators

Quality Reports

Upcoming Events

In Case You Missed It

After some confusing back and forth, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an Order on December 26, 2024 reinstating the injunction preventing the Corporate Transparency Act’s beneficial ownership reporting requirement form going into effect.

As of December 26, 2024, the nationwide injunction preventing the Corporate Transparency Act’s beneficial ownership reporting requirement from being enforced is in effect. There is currently no enforceable deadline for reporting beneficial ownership during the existence of this stay while the litigation proceeds.

The University of Missouri Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute has developed two calculators for the American Relief Act of 2025 Economic Assistance payments.

Disclaimer: Many provisions in the legislative text allow or require the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture in determining certainty of the relevant variables (prices, costs, yields, etc.) used in payment calculations. The final values determined by the Secretary and used in the actual payment calculations could be different from the estimates used here.

Abilene’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 7,472. The office is currently 88.28% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Lamesa’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 3,590. The office is currently 83% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Lubbock’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 12,900. The office is 96% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Abilene Report

Lamesa Report

Lubbock Report

Reminder for Gins:

If gins are submitting samples for the Four Bale Module Averaging pilot program, the submitted modules must be designated with a R and they must be in multiples of 4. (4, 8, 12, 16 up to 48).

Cotton Talk with Ken Legé – Bailey County

Terry-Yoakum CEU Crops Conference

Plains Cotton Growers Board of Directors Meeting

Profitability Decisions – Lubbock County

Castro County Crops Conference

Welcome to the December 13, 2024 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.

Choose Farmers Over Politics

Quality Reports

In Case You Missed It

By Russell Boening, Texas Farm Bureau President

As a farmer and rancher, I’ve learned to count on the seasons. They don’t wait. The crops don’t hold off until it’s convenient, and the livestock don’t adjust their needs to fit my schedule.

Yet here we are again, caught in a political freeze, waiting on Congress to pass a farm bill while our livelihoods hang in the balance.

Farm and ranch families operate in a unique business with obstacles beyond our control requiring a lot of faith. We have faith the weather will cooperate to let us plant, grow and harvest good crops. We have faith the commodity and livestock markets will stay strong. We have faith that when we experience catastrophic storms destroying our crops or an economic downturn, the next year will be better, and we can continue farming.

As farmers, we’re eternal optimists. The reality, however, is we are in a dire situation as we navigate the most severe downturn in the farm economy since the 1980s.

This is due to skyrocketing inflation, high input prices, low commodity prices, uncontrollable weather, global unrest, and other challenges. Three consecutive years facing hardship makes it difficult to secure financing, stay in business, and frankly, which is also most concerning, maintain mental health.

A December 2024 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report shows a 23% drop in net farm income since 2022. The most recent Census of Agriculture shows America lost 141,733 farms and 20 million acres in a five-year period. We are also experiencing the second consecutive year of a record agricultural trade deficit, which alone should be alarming.

While farmers face the most treacherous time in recent history, Congress has failed to prioritize passing a farm bill with additional investments in the farm safety net.

In a letter dated Sept. 20, 2024, from all 50 state Farm Bureaus and Puerto Rico Farm Bureau to U.S. House and Senate leadership, we clearly stated, “Another extension of the 2018 farm bill is insufficient and unacceptable as outdated farm safety net programs create uncertainty for agricultural producers.” I am extremely disheartened to say it seems our letter was ignored, and Congress is punting on the farm bill a second time, once again failing the American farmer and rancher.

The farm bill isn’t just a piece of legislation. It provides stability for rural communities, funding for conservation programs, research opportunities and ensures access to nutrition for millions of families.

For some, it’s easy to see the farm bill as just another political debate. But for us in agriculture, it’s personal. It’s the difference between keeping the family farm afloat or being forced to sell out. It’s the resources we need to care for the land, to feed our neighbors and to survive the storms—both literal and figurative—that we know will come.

The fact is our nation’s farmers are at the end of their rope, and we are fed up with Congress’s excuses and inaction. But there is opportunity to change the dangerous path we are on as a country when it comes to national food security.

We continue to press for a new farm bill with critically needed investments in the farm safety net. But most importantly, at this juncture, is for Congress to pass the ‘Farmer Assistance and Revenue Mitigation Act of 2024,’ by Congressman Trent Kelly (R-MS), or a similar economic aid package, to provide desperately needed assistance to farmers as we continue waiting on Congress to act on a new farm bill.

If Congress fails to deliver economic assistance to farm families this year, the results for our country will be disastrous. It’s not just farmers who lose when Congress fails to fulfill the needs of agriculture. Our entire economy suffers, and our nation’s secure food supply is jeopardized. The impacts ripple out to every plate in America.

I hope consumers across the country realize what is at stake if Congress fails to act. An unprecedented number of farmers will not survive unless they have some assurance to take to their lenders to secure financing for the upcoming crop year.

Texas Farm Bureau appreciates the true agricultural champions in Texas’ Congressional delegation who have co-sponsored the FARM Act and expressed the need for economic assistance to U.S. House and Senate leadership. The teamwork demonstrated by these leaders and other members of Congress is exactly what farm and ranch families need and deserve as agriculture suffers the consequences of inaction.

Anyone who views delivering economic assistance to farmers as a cost to our nation is severely misguided. This must be regarded as a necessary investment in the future of our food security. Failing to invest in agriculture is a threat to the backbone of our country and the nation’s food and national security.

Let’s choose farmers over politics and pass the FARM Act this year and prioritize passing a new farm bill in the new year. Because the seasons won’t wait, and neither can we.

Abilene’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 7,338. The office is currently 56.57% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Lamesa’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 5,855. The office is currently 61% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Lubbock’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 32,200. The office is 70% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Abilene Report

Lamesa Report

Lubbock Report

Reminder for Gins:

If gins are submitting samples for the Four Bale Module Averaging pilot program, the submitted modules must be designated with a R and they must be in multiples of 4. (4, 8, 12, 16 up to 48).

Welcome to the November 22, 2024 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.

Texas High Plains Crop Conditions Report

Quality Reports

In Case You Missed It

Water logged field in Hansford County.

Too Late for This Year Could Be Silver Lining for 2025

A widespread rain began steadily pouring down Sunday (November 17) night and didn’t quit until the next morning. The best part? It didn’t come with high wind speeds or hail.

Seagraves saw the most precipitation that night, coming in at 3.87 inches, according to the West Texas Mesonet, while Lubbock reported 2.32 inches and Dimmitt reported 1.8.

Due to the active precipitation and high humidity levels, harvest has been a stop-and-go activity this year. We estimate 60% of the crop in our service area has been stripped, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture report (issued Monday November 18) states 72% of the Texas crop has been harvested. Some counties in our region are estimating 85% harvested while some are closer to 35%. There is more cotton still in the field north of Amarillo than normal at this time in past years.

We have heard from several producers that they are still waiting for the freeze to kick in and dry everything out. While Lubbock experienced its first official freeze on November 20 (the fourth latest freeze in recorded history), according to KLBK Chief Meteorologist Jacob Riley, it wasn’t cold enough for long enough to help desiccate the plants left in the field.

“We winterized our sprayer and put it up for the season, and now we’re getting it back out again,” said Walt Hagood, producer in Hockley County.

It has been reported that several gins have shut down after running out of cotton. Producers are reporting that they’re harvesting later due to the conditions. Even gins that have modules on the yard are having trouble getting the modules to the feeder from the lot due to muddy and wet conditions.

While even the Lubbock classing office had to shut down some this week after running out of cotton to class, they remain steady at their current estimate of 1.9 million bales of production from their service region.

Farmers Cooperative Compress states they have 50% of their anticipated crop in the warehouse and expect somewhere between 1.1 million and 1.2 million bales — slightly higher than the 800,000 bales they had last year.

The rain record for November (assuming it doesn’t rain more) for 2024 is second to 2004. “I remember the 2004 crop year,” said Steve Verett, producer in Crosby County. “It was a good year. I remember that 2004 was a wet time to harvest as well, but it was the first 4-million-bale crop that the PCG region made. And then we did 5 million bales in 2005. That makes me hopeful for this upcoming crop season.”

The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that the drought across the South Plains has been eradicated. Roughly 40% to 50% of the region remains under level D0 (abnormally dry conditions). “So much has changed over the last three weeks,” Riley said.

This crop year has been hard, as has the two before it. However, we look to the future as the moisture gives us hope for 2025.

Abilene’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 6,335. The office is currently 34.34% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Lamesa’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 5,924. The office is currently 33% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Lubbock’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 24,100. The office is 41% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Abilene Report

Lamesa Report

Lubbock Report

Reminder for Gins:

If gins are submitting samples for the Four Bale Module Averaging pilot program, the submitted modules must be designated with a R and they must be in multiples of 4. (4, 8, 12, 16 up to 48).

Welcome to the October 25, 2024 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.

Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS) Files the “Farmer Assistance and Revenue Mitigation Act of 2024”

Carol Kelly Named New Texas High Plains Cotton Breeder

Quality Reports

In Case You Missed It

Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS) has introduced the Farmer Assistance and Revenue Mitigation Act of 2024 (The FARM Act) which would provide emergency assistance to producers of eligible commodities for which the expected revenue in crop year 2024 is below the projected per-acre cost of production. Acres planted or prevented from being planted in 2024 to the following crops would be eligible for assistance: barley, corn, cotton, dry peas, grain sorghum, lentils, large chickpeas, oats, peanuts, rice, small chickpeas, soybeans, other oilseeds, and wheat. FARM Act payments are calculated as follows:

FARM Act Payment = (Projected Cost – Projected Returns) x Eligible Acres x 60% where:

• Projected Cost is the per-acre cost published by USDA’s Economic Research Service for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, sorghum, oats, and barley and otherwise as determined by the Secretary in a similar manner.
• Projected Returns for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, sorghum, oats, and barley are determined by multiplying the projected 2024 marketing year average price published in the WASDE by the 10-year national average yield for the eligible commodity and otherwise as determined by the Secretary.
• Eligible Acres consist of 100% of the acres planted to an eligible commodity plus 50% of the acres prevented from being planted to an eligible commodity in crop year 2024, as reported to FSA by the producer.

Existing provisions relative to attribution of payments, actively engaged in farming, and other regulations apply. With respect to payment limitations, persons or entities that derive less than 75% of their income from farming, ranching, or forestry are subject to an overall limitation of $175,000 per person or entity. Persons or entities that derive 75% or more of their income from farming, ranching, or forestry are subject to an overall limitation of $350,000 in assistance per person or entity.

The table below provides an estimate of the per-acre payments under the FARM Act. This analysis from the Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center uses estimates from the October 2024 WASDE for the marketing year average price along with harvested acre yields from NASS. These are merely estimates and are subject to change, however, proposals are starting to take shape, and the levels of support being discussed would provide a meaningful amount of assistance to help offset losses in 2024 which is much needed.

Click the image above to download the chart in PDF format.

We will provide more information as it becomes finalized — this legislation has been filed, but not voted on or passed yet. Our leadership have been working diligently in tandem with the National Cotton Council and other organizations on this much needed assistance and we greatly appreciate the underlying champions for serving as original co-sponsors of this pivotal legislation for production agriculture.

The original co-sponsors are as follows:

August Pfluger (R-TX),
Henry Cuellar (D-TX),
Jake Ellzey (R-TX),
John Carter (R-TX),
Lance Gooden (R-TX),
Marc Veasey (D-TX),
Michael McCaul (R-TX),
Monica De La Cruz (R-TX),
Nathaniel Moran (R-TX),
Pat Fallon (R-TX),
Pete Sessions (R-TX),
Randy Weber (R-TX).
Ronny Jackson (R-TX),
Tony Gonzales (R-TX),
Troy Nehls (R-TX),
Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX),
Austin Scott (R-GA),
Barry Moore (R-AL),
Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN),
Clay Higgins (R-LA),
Dale Strong (R-AL),
David Kustoff (R-TN),
David Rouzer (R-NC),
Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA),
Frank Lucas (R-OK),
Gary Palmer (R-AL),
Greg Murphy (R-NC),
Jerry Carl (R-AL),
John Rose (R-TN),
Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ),
Julia Letlow (R-LA),
Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA),
Michael Guest (R-MS),
Mike Collins (R-GA),
Mike Ezell (R-MS),
Mike Rogers (R-AL),
Rick Crawford (R-AR),
Sanford Bishop (D-GA),

Lamesa’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 1,655. The office is currently 2% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Lubbock’s average daily number of cotton samples received this week is 17,300. The office is 7.6% complete in the classing of their season estimate of samples.

Abilene Report

Lamesa Report

Lubbock Report

Welcome to the October 11, 2024 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.

Hale County RACE Trial Presentation

How to Market Cotton Product to a Digital World

Upcoming Events

In Case You Missed It

By Kara Bishop

You’re 22 years old in 2021. Everything is available through your smart phone. You’re never going to pick something up when it can be delivered. Groceries, takeout, medicine, doctor appointments, clothes — all available through the phone.  Your friends are people you have never met but follow on social media. Your counselors and advisers are “influencers” with millions of followers online. Your favorite trendy items are recommended to you by these friends on social media and thanks to the digital space, you can order it straight from your social media account. You subscribe to clothing retailers online who will “style” you by sending you things you might like to try on and send back if you don’t like them. You’ve never heard of cable, opting instead to subscribe to a ton of streaming services for all your favorite shows. You work from home, grocery shop from home, visit the doctor at home, workout at home, eat at home, talk to friends at home.

But now it’s 2024. You want to get out and experience the world again. You’re tired of isolation and want to have real tangible experiences with real people again. Turns out, it’s bad for mental health and overall well-being to be stuck in the house that long. Plus, you want to wear cute outfits again and go to coffee or out to eat before going to a concert.

You’re still addicted to your phone and heavily influenced by it. However, you’re trying to break some bad habits and create better ones. You want to put the phone down some and just live in the moment. Maybe go visit your mom instead of FaceTiming her. Maybe run at the park instead of the YouTube workout you have loaded on your T.V. Maybe you want to feel something rather than numbing your mind with a screen.

Congratulations, you just became the cotton industry’s target customer.

Cotton Shoppin’

Cotton Incorporated’s campaign “The Fabric of Now” made a splash in Dallas, Texas, the last weekend in September. Partnering with the global billion-dollar online retailer, REVOLVE, they showed customers how versatile, unique and high-quality cotton clothing is. PCG was invited to attend and see the experience first-hand as well as Cotton Incorporated and The Cotton Board leadership.

The REVOLVE contract is a six-month partnership that has been consistently paying off for cotton the last six years. In the beginning, REVOLVE offered 2,100 different cotton styles. Today that number is well over 18,000.

Since REVOLVE is an online retailer, they host pop-up shops periodically so customers can try on the clothes and see them in a brick-and-mortar setting. “It allows them to see our product, but also helps us get to know our customer base,” a REVOLVE employee told me at the event.

REVOLVE’s target audience are the 18 to 24 and 25-34 age ranges. While they have primarily targeted female audiences, they have broken into the male market with the REVOLVEMan brand. They are also the pioneers of the influencer marketing strategy. For years, they’ve worked with the “Stars” of social media. These relationships allow them to market to millions of customers without any of the heavy lifting.

You’ve Been Influenced

Influencer marketing is a social media marketing approach that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers. Influencers are generally those with a large social media presence. The REVOLVE influencers in the Dallas area were invited to an exclusive event at the pop-up shop the day before it opened to tease the event to their audiences and drum up excitement for the weekend shopping extravaganza.

Some of these influencers included the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders who posted their cotton shop experiences to their millions of followers.

Influencers are successful at building large audiences because of the authentic online experiences they offer. They allow strangers into their worlds to the point where these followers feel like real friends. If an influencer thinks her followers will love something, she recommends it. And the followers will buy the tar out of it. I’ve seen influencers recommend something and it’s sold out within minutes. Small business owners have had their lives changed by a huge influencer recommending their product.

Typically, when contracting influencers to promote a product for a company, there is payment for the posts on social media as well as commissions for sales. However, the investment is returned many times over most of the time.

It’s About the Amenities

The pop-up shop featured free iced coffee lattes to shoppers as well as free permanent jewelry, both popular with the younger crowd. The more amenities you can offer, the better the experience is — experience is key for REVOLVE’s target demographic. It’s no longer about wearing clothes in a utilitarian way. It’s about wearing clothes for the experience offered by the outfit — how does this clothing make me feel when I wear it?

Throughout the temporary store, there was brand messaging consistent with Cotton Incorporated’s “Fabric of Now” Campaign. Signage educated customers on the versatility, comfort and adventurous spirit of cotton clothing. There were little decorations that were meant to communicate mindfulness, presence, relaxation and living in the moment. The pop-up shop showed customers that there is a cotton outfit for every occasion.

Matt Farmer, Vice Chair of The Cotton Board purchases cotton sweatshirts from The Cotton Shop.

Each clothing item had a tag with the seal of cotton as well as a QR code. If the temporary shop was out of your size, you could easily scan the code and buy it directly from the online cotton shop.

Everything behind Cotton Incorporated’s newest campaign is designed with intention. The contract with REVOLVE stipulates that every item in the cotton shop must hold a minimum of 90% cotton for all denim products and 60% cotton for all other items.

Most of what I saw in the store was in the 80% to 100% cotton range and, surprisingly, most of the customers coming into the shop were already wearing predominantly cotton pieces as well.

The expectations for this event were exceeded in my opinion and it was nice to see so many people from different backgrounds sharing a commonality in their love for cotton products.

Stay tuned for part two of this series. Next stop: Aeropostale.

Welcome to the September 27, 2024 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.

Farm Bill in the News

Punkin Center Gin Turns 100

Upcoming Events

In Case You Missed It

Story Originally Published in the Lamesa Press Reporter

It was a more detailed search in the records before Al Crisp realized his cotton gin, the second oldest in the state and the oldest in West Texas, was turning 100.

He was just off by two years in his calculations. When he first. began researching the age of Punkin Center Gin, he thought it started ginning cotton in 1926. He wanted to be prepared for the big day and thought he had more than enough time to do it.

It was through additional investigation before he realized he was a few months off from the actual June 11, 1924 birth date.

“I just anted to know the history of the place,” Crisp said. “I knew I had prepared for 1926. That turned out to be wrong.”

West Portland Gin in South Texas may be the oldest in the state with a birth date in 1922, but that hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, Crisp said.

He searched through the courthouse records in the basement under his business’ former name, Community Gin, but could not find it. That search didn’t go anywhere. His investigation turned around when someone told him to take the property’s block and section numbers and search within the abstract company for more details. That search led him to find his gin’s past when it was called Farmer’s Gin.

Though he missed the actual birthday, he is holding off the celebrations until after this season’s cotton ginning is over. Then it’ll be a big dinner.

“This is our 100th year ginning cotton,” Crisp said. “We’re going to base it on the cotton season.”

He already has plans installed to commemorate the anniversary. KCBD Lubbock television station is coming out in two weeks to report about the big anniversary. He’s contacted the “Texas Country Reporter,” a weekly syndicated television program that airs in 22 Texas media markets, but hasn’t heard word from them yet. The ag museum in Lubbock is also aware of the centennial birthday.

Not everyone would delve so deeply into a business’ actual age. But Crisp, who purchased the facility 25 years ago, is an amateur genealogist and historian who can trace his family history in Nacogdoches in the years 1836-1845 before Texas became a state. His family’s history as Texans and serving in the Confederate military during the Civil War allowed him to join the Sons of the Republic of Texas and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. His family has been a part of Texas for almost 200 years.

Ross and A.C. McDonald built the gin with two gullet gin plants at the Punkin Center Gin’s current location on CR H in Welch. The gins had the capacity to produce six bales of cotton each hour.

A gullet gin, made from wood, has long been replaced by more modernized steel equipment. The gins at Punkin Center Gin operate in a similar fashion with sharp combs separating the cotton from the seeds, but now they are run by computers and touch panels.

Mechanical cotton ginning has been in existence since the first machine was invented in 1793. There was a time when it took human labor to brush out the seeds from the lint. The first cotton gin did the same process, but with minimal human labor.

A century ago, Punkin Gin’s original owners named the two gins Farmers Gin #1 and #2.

Since its beginning, the gin has fallen into several hands through the century.

E.K. Allen bought half of the gin business from the McDonalds in 1951. Six years later, Pete Brewer bought Allen’s interest.

It wasn’t until Charlie Bruton purchased the two plants in 1965 that the gin got its current Punkin Center Gins, Inc. name. Ralph Mires went into partnership with Bruton at 20-percent working interest while working as the gins’ manager. When Bruton died in 1970, Mires bought the gins from his widow.

How the business got its name is unverifiable. it seems a community softball team showed up for a tournament but not a name. They called themselves Punkin Center. They may have gotten it from Poka Lambro, a local telephone provider that’s still in operation, who named a section of their operations with the 806-489 phone number, called the Punkin Center exchange.

“That came form some of the older people who were here,” Crisp said. “That’s what they told me. it was named after a softball team.”

Crisp purchased the business from Mires in 1999. His wife, Kasha, runs the office part of the business. Some of the employees are the grandsons of previous workers.

“It’s not just a living. It’s a legacy,” Crisp said.

The company employees three workers. When the ginning season starts, the company hires roughly 25 workers.

Crisp worries about the future of cotton ginning. There was a time when Dawson County had 12 cotton gins. That number has dwindled to only five.

“The gins in the state of Texas are in trouble,” Crisp said. “Gins are not covered by the ag insurance (that protects farmers with failed crops). If a crop is missed, we’re not covered by the government. We don’t get anything.”

Dawson County enjoyed a bumper crop three years ago. The two previous crops failed. Crisp predicts another bad season this year.

“There’s nothing to sustain business,” Crisp said.

Gin owners have to plan for the future by saving funds to carry them through the tough years.

“Right now, it’s getting hard where we have to live on a crop every three years,” Crisp said.

Punkin Center Gin averages about 40,000 bales of cotton every year. Crisp expects the gin will produce 12,000 bales this season.

The gin has undergone numerous automations. It was the first west of the Mississippi to have jet dryers, all automatic strapping , fiber optics and the round bale unwrapper called a “spider.”

Crisp has been involved in the cotton industry since he began working at 14 with the Smith Gin in Odem. He’s the only one in his family who never had to pick cotton by hand.

After graduating from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville with an agricultural mechanization degree, he headed to West Texas where he landed a job with the Texas Cotton Ginners Association. He then worked for the O’Donnell Co-op as plant manager for three years before purchasing Punkin Center Gin. He was only 25 when he bought the business.

“This is my hobby. This is what I love to do,” Crisp said. “If I hit the lottery and won all the money in the world, I’d still be in cotton ginning. I just love to gin.”

Welcome to the September 20, 2024 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.

USDA-RMA Cotton Monitoring Program Update

Upcoming Events

In Case You Missed It

While many in our PCG service region have recently had questions regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Program (USDA-RMA), we wanted to provide a statement of clarification to the program. Initially, the re-implementation of the cotton monitoring program was to monitor and review early season losses. Plains Cotton Growers fully supports the cotton monitoring program as we believe the program helps preserve the integrity of the crop insurance program that our region depends upon.

In meeting recently with USDA-RMA, they disclosed that a notice was provided to Approved Insurance Providers (AIP’s) stating that the initial portion of review is now closed and that daily report submissions will not be required at this time.

However, the policies in which reappraisals were conducted are still open as RMA are awaiting final transmission of the policy files and claim documents. RMA is now moving on to a more targeted review of the crop and AIP’s will be notified of policies where they request a pre-harvest inspection and claim review of producers based on their data mining and field work.

Welcome to the September 13, 2024 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.

Serious Business — Farmers Sound the Alarm with Congress on Farm Bill, Disaster-Economic Assistance

In Case You Missed It

Cotton industry with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

This week Plains Cotton Growers participated in 31 meetings and fundraisers in two days on Capitol Hill. It was a fast and furious fly-in as all commodity groups and associated industry swarmed Congress to advocate for farm policy.

Cotton Industry with Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Ranking Member Sen. John Boozman (R-AR).

“This was a well-designed and strategically calculated effort by many national, state and regional groups,” said PCG CEO Kody Bessent. “It was also unique — we don’t typically see a cotton producer, wheat producer, sorghum producer, peanut producer etc. and a lending institution all walk into the same meeting, but that’s what happened this week. We all worked together to paint the picture of farm country’s suffering.”

Members of Congress had been hearing from their constituency during the August recess and the timing of this fly-in couldn’t be better as it was fresh on their minds and they were ready to work. There were several encouraging experiences that the PCG delegation witnessed.

“I was encouraged by Sen. Cruz listening to us and immediately instructing his staff to communicate our issues and put pressure on the Senate to work on a farm bill,” said Travis Mires, PCG President. “I feel more optimistic about things than I did before we went.”

“We walked into every meeting a little differently this year than in the past,” said Brent Coker, PCG Vice President. “There wasn’t any small talk — we got down to business. This

PCG President Travis Mires visits with Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA).

week was productive, and I feel Congress began to really understand just how badly farmers are hurting.”

“I was encouraged by all the collaboration that PCG had with the other commodity groups and organizations,” said PCG Chairman Martin Stoerner. “We had one collective voice, and I felt that was powerful.”

While the group was in D.C., a memo was issued by House Ag Committee Ranking Member David Scott to his democrat delegation. He stated, “We all know that Congress needs pressure to act. That is why Chairman Thompson, Chair Stabenow, Ranking Member Boozman and I agree we are better off without another extension at this point. The farm groups are also asking Congress to continue to work on passing a full farm bill this year and are not supporting any extension at this time.”

Congress may have a limited number of days left in session to get a farm bill and disaster-economic assistance package accomplished by the end of the calendar year, but the pressure is real, and they understand the urgency and importance of getting it done. There are ongoing efforts for a continuing resolution to keep the government running at the end of this month, and we’re optimistic that Congress will function and work for the people as is their charge.

Cotton Industry with Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS).

That being said, we cannot let up on our own communication efforts. We must let them know continuously what agriculture needs. We are all ambassadors of our industry, so continue to engage with your U.S. Congressman and Senators in every way possible. Your call provides real-time information that helps them as legislators and helps drive federal policy for the betterment of our industry and nation.