2024-25 NCC Emerging Leaders Program Class
Twelve U.S. cotton industry members are participating in the National Cotton Council’s Emerging Leaders Program for 2024-25.
Participants include: PRODUCERS – Clint Dunn, Itta Bena, Mississippi; Lambert Marshall, Scott, Arkansas; Greg Riccomini, Bakersfield, California; Todd Rovey, Buckeye, Arizona; Greg Sikes, Brooklet, Georgia; and Jack Whatley, Odem, Texas. GINNERS – Nathan Goldman, Casa Grande, Arizona; Daniel Luehrs, Odem, Texas. MERCHANTS – Brett Edgy, Savannah, Georgia; Jacinta Condon, Greenville, South Carolina. WAREHOUSER – Chris Moore, Southaven, Mississippi and MARKETING COOPERATIVE – Zach Flowers, Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Now in its ninth year, the NCC’s Emerging Leaders Program is supported by a grant to The Cotton Foundation from Bayer.
NCC Chairman Joe Nicosia, a Cordova, Tennessee, merchant, said, “We are grateful for Bayer’s ongoing support of the Emerging Leaders Program. U.S. cotton needs dedicated leaders who are committed to helping our industry maintain a competitive edge in the global marketplace.
“This initiative is helping to identify men and women who have demonstrated the potential for taking on this important challenge and then encouraging and equipping them for this important task.”
Plains Cotton Growers: AIPs Are Issuing ’23 STAX Payments
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency published final 2023 county yields for Upland cotton on July 3 and approved insurance providers (AIPs)have begun sending out final indemnity payments to Upland cotton producers who purchased 2023 crop year Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) policy endorsements.
For most of Texas, drought and below- average yields were the common theme in 2023, and producers who purchased STAX — as a supplement to their regular multi-peril crop insurance — will see indemnity payments triggered in almost every Texas county where those policies are available.
Looking specifically at STAX in PCG’s service area, every county in the region triggered indemnities on both irrigated and non-irrigated cotton. It is no surprise that each of the 41 STAX-eligible counties triggered the maximum possible payment rate under the 2023-crop policy for non-irrigated.
Irrigated was a slightly different story as STAX losses varied across the PCG area. While a majority (32 out of 41) of PCG’s counties triggered the maximum possible STAX payment on irrigated acres, the final irrigated yield per planted acre reported by RMA in nine counties (Armstrong, Crosby, Floyd, Garza, Hale, Hockley, Lubbock, Lynn and Motley) resulted in less than maximum payment rates for irrigated cotton.
STAX payment rates in the rest of Texas followed a similar pattern with indemnities triggered on at least one practice in all but three counties statewide. Those three counties (Culberson, El Paso and Hudspeth) are all located in the Trans-Pecos region where STAX is available only for irrigated cotton.
Seven other Texas counties triggered STAX payments on only one practice. Five of those counties (Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Starr, Willacy and Zapata) are in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and triggered STAX payments on irrigated acres only. The other two counties (Victoria County in South Texas and Caldwell County in the Blacklands region) triggered STAX payments only on non-irrigated acres.
Beryl Brings Tornadoes, Record Rainfall To Arkansas
Image courtesy Jerri Dew
Beryl, which existed as everything from an Atlantic hurricane to a tropical depression, brought high winds and rainfall to large swaths of Arkansas this week, but left the vast majority of the state’s row crops intact.
Hurricane Beryl caused significant damage in the Caribbean as a Category 5 hurricane during the first several days of July. It continued west and north, making landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane. As the storm system moved inland, it was downgraded to a tropical depression.
The National Weather Service in Little Rock reported record rainfall amounts, including:
■ Batesville: 4.51 inches beating the previous record of 2.42 inches set in 2021.
■ Harrison: 2.33 inches beating the previous record of 1.72 inches set in 1905.
■ North Little Rock: 2.87 inches beating the previous record of 0.90 inches set in 2014.
■ Little Rock: 2.56 inches beating the previous record of 1.74 inches set in 1956.
Other areas of the state saw even higher amounts of rainfall, including 8 inches in Grant County, 5.36 inches in Heber Springs, 6.6 inches in Conway County and 7.31 inches in Ferndale.
The weather system also spawned numerous tornadoes in areas of Arkansas and northern Louisiana, along with large numbers of attendant warnings (NWS Shreveport issued 67 tornado warnings, averaging about 8 per hour).
While many areas of the state suffered damage to structures, reports of row crop damage throughout the state appear minor.
Matthew Davis, Jackson County Extension staff chair, said that while the White River rose significantly in his area as compared to previous levels, damage appeared to be limited to “blown levees and slow drainage on some fields.”
Committees Advance USDA Funding Legislation
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to approve a bill to provide $27.05 billion in FY25 topline funding for the activities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
The House Appropriations Committee voted 29-26 to advance its own version of an FY25 USDA-FDA funding bill, which provides $25.87 billion in topline spending.
Final appropriations legislation, which may reach the floors of the House and Senate in the coming weeks, is expected to provide $15.5 million in FY25 for cotton pest eradication efforts and to direct the National Agriculture Statistical Services to reinstate the Cotton Objective Yield Survey and all County Estimates for Crops and Livestock.
Resource Base Expansion Fuels LSU AgCenter’s Success
Matt Lee, vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, delivered a live organizational update from the LSU AgCenter Burden Museum and Gardens, showcasing significant achievements and outlining plans for the AgCenter and the College of Agriculture.
Lee reported a significant increase in grant funding secured by faculty, with total new grant awards for the fiscal year reaching $40 million, a 29% increase from previous years. Additionally, research expenditures, a key metric of research activity, rose by 15% for the second consecutive year, indicating a substantial growth in research efforts and financial support.
Fundraising commitments through the LSU Foundation, 4-H Foundation and FFA Foundation surpassed $6.4 million in new philanthropic contributions, marking a 42% increase from the previous year. Lee attributes this growth to the strong support of donors and industry partners across the state who recognize the value of the programs and resources offered by the LSU AgCenter.
This year’s legislative session was successful, securing $6 million in one-time funds for campus equipment and instrumentation, along with approximately $85 million in ongoing authorizations for capital improvements. A key focus this year has been relationship-building with new representatives and senators, which has been instrumental in achieving these legislative successes.