By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC) eyes this year’s farm bill as a way to continue its mission of ensuring producers can remain sustainable now and into the future.
Taylor Sills, executive director of the Georgia Cotton Commission, discussed the farm bill during the commission’s annual meeting on Jan. 25.
“Obviously, we work closely with the National Cotton Council, Southern Cotton Growers and other organizations like that. The American cotton producers of the National Cotton Council have developed a list of priorities and what they’re looking for in the farm bill,” Sills said. “Just generally, we want to try to raise the reference price for seed cotton, the PLC and ARC programs. We want to find a way to allow growers to take STAX as well as PLC. For the ones that aren’t able to take PLC, offer them some additional premiums on STAX to try to raise the loan rate in addition to some other things.
“Cotton production is the backbone of many rural communities in Georgia. These safety net programs aren’t just a safety net for our producers, they’re a safety net for our rural communities, a lot of which have had some really tough times over the past couple of years. That’s what we’re advocating for.
“We’re advocating to help make our communities sustainable.”