Welcome to the May 23, 2025 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.
‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Passed by the House of Representatives
What Does That Mean for Agriculture?
This legislation contains key improvements and enhancements to the farm safety net, similar to what was seen in the House Agriculture Committee’s bipartisan, committee-passed Farm Bill package last year.
The bill now heads to the Senate for deliberation.
Jim Wiesemeyer with ProFarmer put together a breakdown of the entire legislation package that can be read here and here.
Combest, Sell & Associates developed a breakdown of the bill’s impact on the agriculture industry. You can view it below or download the PDF format here.
Bill to Boost U.S. Cotton Demand Introduced
Sen. Cyndy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) introduced legislation developed in cooperations with the National Cotton Council to boost demand for U.S. cotton.
Titled the “Buying American Cotton Act,” this bill would offer a transferrable tax credit to end-stage sellers of products that are made in whole or in part from U.S. cotton.
Under the legislation’s framework, items either fully manufactured in the U.S. or imported into the U.S. would be eligible for the credit, which is scalable depending on the degree of domestic cotton content or cotton processing. In addition, the seller would receive a higher credit for eligible items processed either wholly in the U.S. or in a country with which the U.S. has a free trade agreement.
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) has cosponsored the “Buying American Cotton Act,” along with Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Roger Marshall (R-KS).
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Targets Microplastics in MAHA Report
The highly anticipated report from the “Make America Health Again” commission was released Thursday, May 22.
One of the interesting highlights of the report was a focus on microplastics and their potential implications on children and adolescent health.
Here is one of the statements made in the report concerning microplastics:
“Microplastics: plastic fragments less than 5 millimeters in size used frequently in products such as clothing, medicine, and shower gels.277 One single-site study in 2025 showed that the concentration found in Americans’ brain tissue increased by 50% between 2016 and 2024. Some studies have additionally found that microplastics often carry endocrine-disrupting chemicals that interfere with hormonal development and potentially trigger early puberty — especially in girls — and heighten the risks of obesity, infertility, and hormone-related cancers.”
Many experts have recognized this issue as one that the cotton industry can take advantage of to promote our natural fiber for improving human and environmental health. The New York Times recently published an article emphasizing the need to reduce exposure to microplastics. The Washington Post published a story on microplastics with the digital version of the story showing interactively just how intensely these plastics invade our bodily systems.
While we are encouraged by the MAHA’s acknowledgement of microplastics and the need to reduce exposure, pesticide use has been caught in the crossfire.
Many groups have come together to provide educational resources for MAHA to consider when looking at pesticides. One of them is Modern Ag Alliance. Plains Cotton Growers partnered with Modern Ag Alliance on their latest campaign to protect much-needed chemistry that our producers depend on to feed and clothe the world and enhance environmental sustainability.
“As the certified producer organization for the Texas High Plains cotton industry, we strongly support access to crop protection products, while maintaining consumer safety,” said Kody Bessent, Plains Cotton Growers CEO. “When used according to the product label, glyphosate is a safe and effective tool for growers. “Absent key crop protection tools that are backed by sound science and a long history of EPA expert evaluation, producers of all commodities will struggle to control invasive species of plants and pests. This can create yield shortages and diminish quality of food and fiber, which will have a devastating impact on local, state and national economies and consumer health.”
To read the press release from Modern Ag Alliance, click here.