At its April 11th Board Meeting, the Georgia Cotton Commission Board of Directors approved $697,802 in research for the 2019 crop year, an increase from the $665,196 approved for 2018. This money will go 
to fund 21 research projects that will be conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia and the University of West Georgia. These projects range from funding for the UGA Cotton Team, to precision ag research and the marking and treatment of root-knot nematode resistant genes in cotton, and many more. The goal of this producer-funded research is to help cotton producer’s bottom lines by conducting research that can either raise yields, promote efficiency, or open new markets.
All projects are vetted by both the Commission Board of Directors, made up of cotton producers from across the state, and the Commission’s research review committee, which is made up of researchers, crop consultants, and County UGA Ag Extension agents.
“Our Board is committed to making strategic investments in research that will benefit our growers and through them the cotton industry here in Georgia. Our UGA Cotton Team is one of the best, if not the best, teams working for farmers in the country. Georgia’s farmers are producing the most efficient, highest quality crop that we have ever made and it is thanks to the research done by our scientists,” said GCC Chairman Bart Davis, a Colquitt County cotton producer.
The Georgia Cotton Commission is a producer-funded organization located in Perry, Georgia. The Commission began in 1965. Georgia cotton producers pay an assessment enabling the Commission to invest in programs of research, promotion, and education on behalf of all cotton producers of Georgia. For more information about the Georgia Cotton Commission please call 478-988-4235 or on the web at www.georgiacottoncommission.org.
By Taylor R. Sills, Georgia Cotton Commission