Welcome to the May 2, 2025 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.
Innovative Sustainable Fashion Leader Liz Hershfield Named Cotton Council International Executive Director
Fashion industry veteran and sustainability expert Liz Hershfield will lead Cotton Council International (CCI), the export promotion arm of the National Cotton
Council of America (NCC), as the new executive director. Hershfield succeeds Bruce Atherley, who retired at the end of March.
“Strong leadership and innovative strategies are essential to maintaining U.S. cotton’s competitive edge,” NCC President & CEO Gary Adams said. “Liz is well poised to enhance COTTON USA programs by communicating U.S. cotton’s benefits, giving U.S. cotton growers more opportunities to thrive in the complex global market.”
Hershfield’s specialized expertise in sustainability, global sourcing, product development and end-to-end supply chain strategy, alongside extensive experience with U.S. cotton, will advance CCI in leading the world to cotton’s next level through its COTTON USA brand and help drive global U.S cotton initiatives.
“There’s never been a more important time to champion U.S. cotton,” Hershfield said. “U.S. cotton has an incredible story to tell — rooted in quality, innovation and an unwavering commitment to sustainability, underscored by trust earned through reliable COTTON USA partnerships.
“I’m honored to join the talented team at CCI to bolster growth in demand and preference for U.S. cotton across the global textile supply chain.”
Throughout her distinguished career, Hershfield has spearheaded supply chain and sustainability initiatives for globally established brands such as J. Crew, Madewell and Gap Inc. She also founded Green-ish, a consultancy that helps businesses navigate the complexities of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and supply chain management.
Producers will have an opportunity to “meet” Liz Hershfield at the virtual Cotton and Coffee zoom meeting hosted by The Cotton Board on May 20, 2025 – mark your calendars! Click the image above to register for the meeting.
Her contributions to sustainable fashion have earned her widespread recognition, including the prestigious Textile Exchange Ryan Young Climate+ Award for her pioneering regenerative cotton program supporting U.S. cotton farmers. Hershfield was also honored with The Lead’s “The Direct 60” award and named to the Rivet 50 Index for her leadership in the denim industry.
In her new role as CCI Executive Director, Hershfield will leverage her vast experience with U.S. cotton and her proven track record in sustainable fashion and supply chain management to globally elevate “The COTTON USA Difference” of superior U.S. cotton plus unrivaled partnership across the global textile supply chain.
AMS Cotton & Tobacco Program Announces New 2025-2026 Rates
The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Marketing Service Cotton & Tobacco Program is announcing the 2025-2026 rates it will charge for its cotton user-fee services. See the charts below with specific details and effective dates for all cotton services.
To download a PDF version of the table, click the image above.
Texas High Plains Planting Conditions
By Ken Legé, cotton extension specialist for the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock
Attached are the planting conditions forecasts for six locations from Spearman to Lamesa. These forecasts are solely based on DD60 predictions from the 10-d weather forecasts, and does not take into account any rainfall and associated soil moisture conditions of your specific fields. The ‘Panhandle’ file attached shows the planting conditions forecasts for Spearman, Panhandle, and Dumas, while the ‘Southern HP’ file shows the same for Plainview, Lubbock, and Lamesa.
I’ll send updated forecasts out on Monday mornings throughout the planting period.
We have had quite a bit of rainfall in the region over the last week, and most locations have chances of rain in the forecast for the next few days. We still have all of May to get cotton planted for all the west TX region and most of June for the southern areas. In my opinion we need to be patient about planting cotton, as the forecast looks favorable for rain in the short term and we still have lots of opportunities to plant.
To get a more specific forecast for your field(s), you can use the Cotton Planting Forecast Calculator at https://products.climate.ncsu.edu/ag/cotton-planting/ The default location is in North Carolina, but you can simply scroll the map to your location and click ‘submit’ to get a one-day planting conditions report. Realize, however, that the comments generated are not specific to West TX, so interpret with caution. Regardless, this tool is very useful and can be used for any field anywhere in the cotton belt.
To download a PDF version of this chart, click the image above.
To download a PDF version of this chart, click the image above.