• By Stacey Gorman,
Cotton Board Director Of Communications •
Earlier this spring, The Cotton Board hired David Miller as its new Mid-South Regional Communication manager. Miller’s territory includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
The Cotton Board’s RCMs work to ensure the Cotton Research and Promotion Program stakeholders in their respective territories are informed of the program’s activities as conducted by Cotton Incorporated and administered by The Cotton Board. The RCMs visit producers in the field, speak at industry meetings, participate in trade shows and coordinate producer tours of Cotton Incorporated.
To help Mid-South growers get to know their new RCM, we’ve asked David to answer these questions:
Q Tell us about yourself and your work in the cotton industry.
A I grew up in the Mississippi Delta and developed a love for farming, and all things cotton. My uncle, Tucker Miller, is a crop consultant in Mississippi, and he spurred my career in ag by teaching me how to do things like sweep fields and do boll counts. I enjoyed watching him make meaningful recommendations to growers to help them grow healthy and high-yielding crops.
In college, I had the opportunity to do internships with a major ag retailer and a crop protection manufacturer. These internships led me into my first full-time career in ag with Syngenta. I spent three years working on behalf of Syngenta across the state of Louisiana.
Q What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
A I am very excited about working directly with growers. I love being on the farm, and my new position allows me the opportunity to meet growers where they are. I am looking forward to being an advocate for the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. Working for an organization that works on behalf of cotton producers and allows them to be profitable, sustainable and successful is such an honor.
Q What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned about The Cotton Research and Promotion Program in your time with The Cotton Board?
A It’s been extremely eye-opening to see just how much work is being done behind the scenes for America’s cotton producers. I had no idea how much research was being conducted to make sure that cotton producers are profitable and how much promotion was being conducted to make sure their cotton has a place in the market. I’m impressed by the strong leadership within the cotton industry and excited to see what this program continues to accomplish in the future.
Q What makes you passionate about the cotton industry?
A It’s easy to be passionate about this industry. Like many people in the Mid-South, my family wouldn’t be around without cotton. Both of my grandfathers were cotton producers and so were their fathers. Cotton growers and ginners have a deep love for what they do and take a lot of pride in making sure they can continue to produce this important crop.
Cotton is used in so many ways and has such a far-reaching impact in people’s everyday lives. Getting to work in an industry that has such a global reach is extremely motivating.
For more information on David Miller and the work of The Cotton Board’s Regional Communication Managers, please visit cottonboard.org/producers.
To learn more, email Gorman at sgorman@cottonboard.org.