Wallace L. Darneille, a Lubbock, Texas, cooperative marketer, was elected National Cotton Council chairman for 2014. Named during the NCC’s recent annual meeting in Washington, D.C., he succeeds Jimmy Dodson, a Robstown, Texas, cotton producer.
Since 2004, Darneille has been president and chief executive officer of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, a member-owned cooperative with interests in cotton marketing, warehousing, software development/services, denim production in Texas and apparel production in Guatemala. Previously, he was senior vice president of Weil Brothers Cotton Inc., in Montgomery, Ala., where for 30 years he managed a variety of global cotton merchandising operations.
With a long record of service to the NCC and U.S. cotton industry, Darneille served this past year as the NCC’s vice chairman and was the chairman of Cotton Council Inter-national (CCI) in 2011, after serving as its president in 2010. He also served as chairman of the National Council of Textile Organizations in 2009-2010. He was the first American to be named president of the International Cotton Association in Liverpool, England, in 2007.
Darneille has served as president of the Texas Cotton Association, as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, and as a board member of CCI, the American Cotton Shippers Association, the Texas Agricultural Coop Council, Telmark, Denimatrix and The Seam.
Darneille earned his B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1973 and his MBA from Auburn University in 1980. He has received honors and awards from the U.S. State Department, Auburn University, Texas Tech University and a number of civic organizations. He and his wife, Margy, have been very active in many community and church fund-raising activities in both Montgomery and Lubbock. They have four children and five grandchildren and are members of the Episcopal Church.
The NCC’s vice chairman for 2014 is Sledge Taylor, a Como, Miss., ginner.
Clyde Sharp, a Roll, Ariz., producer, was elected as the NCC’s secretary-treasurer. Elected as a NCC vice president was Joe Nicosia, a Cordova, Tenn., merchant.
China’s Policy Affects U.S. Cotton
National Cotton Council economists say cotton’s 2014 outlook will be influenced by China’s policy decisions.
Dr. Gary Adams, the NCC’s vice president of Economics and Policy Analysis, told delegates that China’s announcement of its intention to cease building reserves and offer support through a target price mechanism will shape cotton’s outlook for 2014.
He said that outside China, production exceeded mill use by almost 57 million bales over the 2011-13 period, and exporters found a home for their cotton in China as China imported 56 million bales. In effect, China absorbed extra supplies from the world market, thus supporting world prices.
To date, the Chinese government has announced its intention to end the accumulation of reserves and institute a target price program in the country’s western region. No support mechanism has been announced for the eastern growing regions. It is also assumed that there will be no change in operation of import quotas, but quantities above the required tariff-rate quota are expected to be less than in recent years.
In view of the uncertainty regarding the policy change and speculation that the eventual target price will be below the current reserve purchase price, the NCC projects China’s cotton production to fall to 30.1 million bales, down from 33.0 million in 2013.
For the 2014 marketing year, Adams said the change in cotton policy should alleviate some of the pressure on textile mills in China and provide more competitively priced cotton. As a result, the NCC expects mill use in China to see modest growth to 36.4 million bales, leaving a 6.3 million bale differential with production.
Additional details of the 2014 Cotton Economic Outlook can be found at http://www.cotton.org/econ/reports/annual-outlook.cfm.
Flowers Elected ACP Chairman
Bowen Flowers, a Clarksdale, Miss., cotton producer, was elected as chairman of the Am-erican Cotton Producers (ACP) of the National Cotton Council (NCC) for 2014. Currently a NCC director, Flowers has served on and chaired various ACP and NCC committees and task forces.
Elected as ACP vice chairmen were: Ronald Lee, Bronwood, Ga.; Dan Thelander, Maricopa, Ariz.; and Jon Whatley, Odem, Texas.
Survey Reveals Planting Intentions Of 11.2 Million Acres
U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 11.26 million acres of cotton this spring, up 8.2 percent from 2013, according to the National Cotton Council’s 31st Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey.
Upland cotton intentions are 11.04 million acres, up 8.1 percent from 2013, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 225,000 acres represent an 11.8 percent increase.
Dr. Gary Adams, the NCC’s vice president of economics and policy analysis, says that, “Planted acreage is just one of the factors that will determine supplies of cotton and cottonseed. Ultimately, weather, insect pressures, and agronomic conditions play a significant role in determining crop size.”
He said that with expected abandonment for the United States at roughly 15 percent, Cotton Belt harvested area totals 9.59 million acres. Weighting individual state yields by 2014 area generates a U.S. average yield per harvested acre of 819 pounds. Applying each state’s yield to its 2014 projected harvested acres generates a cotton crop of 16.37 million bales, with 15.72 million bales of upland and 657,000 bales of ELS.
If realized, that would be an increase of 3.2 million bales from the current USDA estimate of the 2013 crop.
The NCC questionnaire, mailed in mid-December 2013 to producers across the 17-state Cotton Belt, asked producers for the number of acres devoted to cotton and other crops in 2013 and the acres planned for the coming season.
Survey responses were collected through mid-January.
More details can be found at http://www.cotton.org/econ/reports/annual-outlook.cfm.
Lea Elected CCI President
Jordan Lea was elected the 2014 president of Cotton Council International (CCI). CCI is the NCC’s ex-port promotions arm and carries out programs in more than 50 countries globally under the COTTON USA trademark.
Lea, a merchant with Eastern Trading Company in Greenville, S.C., who moves up from CCI first vice president, succeeds John A. Burch, a Bakersfield, Calif., cooperative official who is now CCI board chairman.
Lea graduated from North Carolina State University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and from the Memphis Cotton Exchange Cotton School in 1991. He was the merchant member of the NCC’s 2000 leadership class. He is a past chairman of the American Cotton Shippers Association. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of the NCC and International Cotton Association.
Alford To Lead NCGA
The Memphis-based National Cotton Ginners Association (NCGA) elected its 2014 officers during its annual meeting last month. The new president is Dwayne Alford of Yuma, Ariz., who moves up from NCGA first vice president. He is the manager of Yuco Gin in Yuma. He has served on and chaired numerous NCGA committees. He is a NCC director, member of multiple NCC committees and a director of Cotton Council International, the National Cotton Council’s export promotions arm.
In addition, Lee Tiller, an Odem, Texas, ginner, was named the 2013 Horace Hayden National Cotton Ginner of the Year. To be announced later is the recipient of NCGA’s Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes individuals who have had a career of distinguished service to the U.S. ginning industry.
Sen. Chambliss Wins Baker Award
Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) is the recipient of the prestigious 2013 Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award.
The award, named for the late California industry leader and past NCC Pres-ident Harry S. Baker, is presented annually to a deserving individual who has provided extraordinary service, leadership and dedication to the U.S. cotton industry.
Senator Chambliss was first elected to Congress to represent Georgia’s 8th Congressional District in 1994. In 1996, he became a member of the famous Gang-of-4 and blocked adoption of Freedom to Farm by the House Agriculture Committee. He went on to serve as the ranking member of the Agriculture Committee during the 110th and 111th Congresses.
Elected to the Senate in 2002, Chambliss became chairman of its Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee in 2004, becoming the only senator since 1947 to chair a full standing Senate committee after serving for just two years. In 2008, he was elected to a second term in the Senate and currently serves as a member of the following committees: Armed Services; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Rules; and Special Committee on Aging. He also is vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Throughout Chambliss’ legislative career, he has been recognized numerous times by the public and private sectors for his work on agriculture, defense, budget and national security issues.
“He has demonstrated a depth of knowledge about production agriculture, conservation, nutrition and research programs as evidenced by his work on the 1996, 2002, 2008 and 2014 farm bills,” says NCC chairman Jimmy Dodson. “He has been an effective advocate for Georgia and for cotton.”
Additional coverage of the NCC Annual Meeting can be found at www.cottonfarming.com.