National Cotton Council (NCC) Chairman Ronnie Lee thanked the leadership of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and the U.S. negotiating team for their support of U.S. farmers at the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 11th Ministerial Conference held this week in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lee, a Georgia cotton producer, said, “We appreciate Ambassador Lighthizer and his team of negotiators from USTR …
Elevating Efficiency Is 2018 Beltwide Cotton Conferences’ Goal
The 2018 Beltwide Cotton Conferences (BWCC), set for January 3-5 at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas, will provide insight on current research and emerging technology – to help attendees improve production, processing and marketing efficiency. The BWCC, coordinated by the National Cotton Council (NCC), annually brings together university and USDA researchers, Extension personnel/agents, consultants, and industry sales/support personnel. …
NCC Update on Continuing Resolution
Reece Langley, Vice President of Washington Operations for the National Cotton Council, has an update concerning the continuing resolution that was put together to get us through the first part of December. Langley said the House and Senate will need to come to some agreement on all 12 of the funding bills, including agriculture, by December 8th when the current …
NCC: Bring Cotton Back Into Title I Commodity Policy
The National Cotton Council believes it is imperative that cotton is included in the next farm bill’s Title I programs so cotton producers can access the same complement of risk management tools available to other crops. That was the key message of Nick McMichen, a Centre, Ala., cotton producer, at today’s Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee hearing, “Commodities, Credit, …
Southwest Cotton Producers to Learn from Georgia Operations
Eleven cotton producers from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas will see cotton operations in Georgia on July 30-August 4 as part of the National Cotton Council’s 2017 Producer Information Exchange (P.I.E.) program. Sponsored by Bayer via a grant to The Cotton Foundation, the P.I.E. program is now in its 29th year of helping its U.S. cotton producer participants improve yields and …
NCC Encouraged by Cottonseed Policy Inclusion
The FY18 Agriculture Appropriations bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee includes a number of key provisions from the industry’s cottonseed proposal to help provide economic relief to cotton producers until a new farm bill is in place. A summary of the bill’s cottonseed provisions is in a Committee news release. National Cotton Council Chairman Ronnie Lee, a Georgia …
Congress Calls on Administration for Economic Assistance for Cotton Producers
A large, bipartisan block of 135 Senators and Representatives sent letters to President Trump strongly urging the Administration’s support, through USDA, to operate the Cotton Ginning Cost Share Program effective for the 2016 crop year and on an ongoing basis. The Senate letter noted, “In the past decade, the U.S. cotton industry has endured a World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge, …
Hearing on Farm Bill Continues
The U.S. House Agriculture Committee will hold another farm bill hearing Wednesday morning, as Committee Chairman Mike Conaway announced the hearing, titled The Next Farm Bill: The Future of International Food Aid and Agricultural Development. Chairman Conaway said the committee has long planned to continue reviewing international food aid programs as it works toward developing the next farm bill. Now …
FY18 Federal Budget Very Concerning
The National Cotton Council says the Trump Administration’s fiscal year 2018 budget proposal includes a number of extremely concerning program reductions and eliminations that, if implemented, would severely compromise policies that are critical to America’s cotton farming families. The NCC emphasized that U.S. cotton producers already are struggling with difficult economic conditions and the lack of access to the same …
NCC: Maintaining NAFTA Benefits is Crucial
The National Cotton Council says the United States must remain a participant in a vibrant North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because it has been and can continue to be a very positive trading platform for U.S. agriculture, including cotton and textiles. NCC Chairman Ronnie Lee said the NAFTA trading partners of Canada and Mexico are significant markets for United …