By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Cotton Commission Board of Directors has approved $725,875 in research for the 2027 crop year. The approval was made during the March board meeting.
The money will finance 17 projects conducted by University of Georgia researchers and Extension specialists. Taylor Sills, executive director of the Georgia Cotton Commission, discussed the research and its importance on the state’s cotton crop.
“Our board met and we allocated a little over $725,000 for research in 2027. I believe it’s 17 separate projects and a lot of these are collaborative efforts between members of the cotton team and other researchers at the University of Georgia,” Sills said. “As I’ve talked a lot about during meeting season this year, we’ve seen a big change in the tone and tenor of these projects. We have several projects that are beyond what is already on the books for 2026 that are directly related to cotton jassid. Some of these projects are short term. Some are long term.”
Research Review
All projects were vetted by both the commission board of directors and state support committee, made up of Georgia cotton producers, and the commission’s research review committee, which is comprised of researchers, crop consultants and local UGA Extension Agriculture/Natural Resource agents.
“We are very grateful, first of all to the producers for their support. We have a research advisory committee that scores and provides feedback for these projects as we move into the year. We’re especially grateful for these members of the cotton team and other research scientists at the University of Georgia in Athens, Griffin and Tifton who are conducting these projects on behalf of our Georgia cotton producers,” Sills said.
The Georgia Cotton Commission is a producer-funded organization located in Perry. The commission began its work 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, call (478) 988-4235 or go to the www.georgiacottoncommission.org website.
Source: Georgia Cotton Commission