Perry, GA – 2012, is the seventh year of the Georgia Quality Cotton Award program which is co-sponsored by the Georgia Cotton Commission and Bayer CropScience and administered by the University of Georgia Cotton Team. The main purpose for the awards program is to recognize producers and ginners of high quality cotton fiber and to identify general management practices associated with producing high quality fiber for the benefit of other growers.
There are twelve producer awards and they are given in each of three cotton acreage categories, within the four regions of the state: Category 1 = less than 500 acres; Category 2 = 500 to 1000 acres; Category 3 = Over 1000 acres. The producer winners will be the nominees with the highest average Loan Value per pound of lint and will receive a plaque and $500. The Extension and gin for each producer winner will also be recognized.
County Extension Agents will contact gins within the county and encourage participation. Nominations include: (1) all cotton produced by the farm operation including irrigated, non-irrigated, owned and rented; (2) cotton from all gins, if ginned at more than one. The nominating gin, however, must be the gin where majority of the cotton is processed; (3) the County Extension Agent supporting the nomination must be from the county where majority of the cotton is produced. Once the gin identifies nominees, they need to contact the County Agent, who will complete the bottom of the nomination form and submit it; (4) the nomination must include the completed form and Bale Analysis Summary reports from each gin; (5) to be considered, the nomination must have a total Loan Value above Base Grade.
Awards will be presented at 1:30 p.m. during the Georgia Cotton Commission’s Annual Meeting on February 1, 2012, at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center.
Nomination forms and submission instructions are available on the UGA Cotton Page: http://www.ugacotton.com/
The deadline for nominations to be submitted is no later than January 23, 2012.
For more information about the Georgia Quality Cotton Awards, growers please contact your local UGA Cooperative Extension office.