‘Enormous Potential’ Sets The Stage
BY TONY WILLIAMS
TCGA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Optimism is running high in Texas as cotton farmers and ginners prepare for the 2016 season. To help kick off the year on a positive note, The Texas Cotton Ginners Association invites you to join us at our 109th Annual Meeting and Trade Show in Lubbock on April 7-8.
Our theme for the event is #RockCotton Texas Style with the goal of getting everyone involved in the excitement about cotton that is spreading across the state, beginning with this year’s show. We’ve started a new hashtag — #RockCotton — that you can use on Tweets, Facebook, Instagram or other social media to share information about the Annual Meeting and Trade Show or express your passion for cotton in the great state of Texas and beyond.
Our show is the largest gathering of cotton gin equipment manufacturers and other businesses that provide parts or services to the ginning industry. Visitors from all regions of the Cotton Belt and around the world attend the show to learn about the latest developments in cotton ginning and purchase equipment or services they need at their gins.
2016 has enormous potential for the Texas cotton industry. Many farmers indicate that they will plant cotton this year in spite of the price. I am excited about our opportunity to make good yields of high-quality cotton fiber in Texas in 2016, which, I believe, will be attractive to mills, both domestically and abroad.
Industry Remains Resilient
Ginners across Texas faced challenges last year with the arrival of El Niño in the fall, followed by a “Goliath winter storm,” which made harvest and ginning laborious and costly. However, our resilient ginning industry is ready to move forward in preparation for what we hope will be record runs in 2016.
As the show week begins, full-time gin employees can gain additional knowledge and see the latest industry developments by attending the Southwest Ginners School.
The school is conducted at the USDA-ARS South Plains Ginning Laboratory north of Lubbock and is a collaborative effort of the National Cotton Ginners’ Association, USDA-ARS, regional ginner associations and gin equipment manufacturers and industry suppliers.
TCGA also will be hosting its annual golf tournament at Meadowbrook Golf Course on Wednesday, April 6. This event typically draws a large crowd of golfers who enjoy a relaxing day of friendly competition and visiting with friends.
The trade show starts at 9 a.m., on Thursday, April 7, and is held at the Lubbock Civic Center where more than 130 exhibitors will be on hand to inform you about their products or services. The day’s show concludes with a “Taste of Lubbock Party” that is open to all show attendees.
On Friday, show hours are from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. During this time, Plains Cotton Growers Inc. also holds its Annual Meeting. The day concludes with TCGA’s Awards Dinner and Vegas Night Celebration at the Overton Hotel. Tickets for the dinner may be purchased at the show registration booth. Everyone is invited to the Vegas Night Celebration following the dinner, and no ticket is required.
For more information, visit our website at www.tcga.org.
Contact Tony Williams at tony@tcga.org or 512-476-8388.