The National Cotton Council-coordinated 2024 Beltwide Cotton Conferences (BWCC) will help industry members make informed decisions aimed at improving productivity, sustainability and profitability.
Who is the event’s audience?
The BWCC, coordinated by the National Cotton Council, brings together university and USDA researchers, regulatory agencies, extension personnel/agents, industry sales/support personnel, consultants and producers to exchange information about new products and production/processing systems that can be tailored to individual farming operations to maximize productivity. Three days of individual reports, panel discussions, and seminars provide attendees with information they need to help make key cotton production/marketing-related decisions. A diverse program, along with the opportunity to network with peers from across the Cotton Belt, make this conference unique.
Cotton producers, independent crop consultants and students who register before December 18 for the 2024 BWCC on January 3-5 at the Omni Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas, can take advantage of reduced registration fees of $80. After that date, the rate will increase to $100. Those planning to attend are encouraged to register by clicking on the registration tab at the BWCC home page, www.cotton.org/beltwide/. That home page also includes links to housing reservations (cutoff for BWCC room rate is December 15), the final program and other useful information.
What’s the programming focus?
The BWCC’s Cotton Consultants Conference will run from the afternoon of January 3 through the morning of January 4. Topics being considered include panel discussions on ThryvOn™ cotton and “See and Spray” technology as well as reports on advancing seed technology and on new varieties and precision agriculture technologies. Also featured will be presentations on the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol®, agricultural aviation challenges, and regulatory updates, including the Endangered Species Act’s impact on pesticide availability.
The BWCC’s 11 cotton technical conferences will provide findings from current research and updates on emerging technology and programs aimed at elevating U.S. cotton production and processing efficiency. Those sessions will meet concurrently beginning the morning of January 4 and concluding by noon on January 5.
For example, the Cotton Sustainability Conference will cover best management practices; industry, brand and retail sustainability goals; market opportunities/downstream perspectives; and new sustainability programs, including the Trust Protocol. The Cotton Agronomy, Physiology and Soil Conference will provide a forum for a discussion of the life processes of cotton plants and interactions among plant and soil variables that affect crop performance and profitability. The Cotton Economics and Marketing Conference includes a session that will explore the market outlook as well as developments in policy and trade.
Subsequent sessions, including poster displays, from researchers in industry, government and academia strive to improve understanding of economic and policy-related factors affecting cotton production and downstream industries.
Those with a vested interest in a viable U.S. cotton industry are urged to attend this world-class forum.