Calling it a “historic day for us,” leaders from Texas Tech University signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to move its cotton classing facility to a new location on the Texas Tech campus near the Rawls Golf Course. They also participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking.
Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said the facility also will provide educational opportunities for students, while Greg Ibach, USDA under secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, described the new facility as a “showpiece for the cotton industry worldwide.”
The current facility, located at 4316 Ironton Ave., is one of several across the United States that measures and classifies cotton by its specific physical attributes. This enables the cotton to be marketed by producers and gives precise information to consumers regarding the cotton fibers, allowing it to be used in the most optimized way to produce top-quality cotton products.
The current Lubbock cotton classing facility is one of the largest cotton classing offices in the world. And the new state-of-the-art facility and prominent location will benefit the university, the community and the U.S. cotton industry, say university and industry leaders.
U.S. Reps. Jodey Arrington and Mike Conaway also delivered remarks at the event. Arrington represents the 19th district and serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, and Conaway represents the 11th district of Texas and is the ranking member of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture.