BY TOMMY HORTON
EDITOR
What was it like to attend the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans a few weeks ago? Well, as expected, it was a different format. The attendance was about what officials anticipated – around 1,500. The weather was brutally cold, so that didn’t lend itself to much walking up and down Canal Street or into the French Quarter. However, all things considered, it was an informative event that had plenty of valuable information for producers and other ag representatives.
Sometimes it’s hard to make changes in life – especially as it pertains to this conference that many of us have been a part of since the 1980s. We become accustomed to a routine, and it can be a shock to our system when the agenda and program suddenly are different. Yes, it was different not to see the trade show at the Beltwide. True, crowds visiting the exhibits had decreased over the last several years, but it was always a way to gain access to companies connected to the cotton industry. I missed being able to walk the aisles and reconnect with those folks.
Because of no Trade Show, it was a bit hard to find people this year. In the old days, you could usually congregate at a company’s booth and wind up finding anybody you needed to chase down at the Beltwide. But maybe I’m dating myself when I make that kind of statement. In the old days, we didn’t have cell phones. Today, we can find anybody in a crowded hotel by sending text messages and email from our smartphones.
I do have good memories of the Production Conference where we always received a detailed overview of all the important issues confronting cotton producers. OK, enough of my reminiscing about the old days. The fact of the matter is that the Consultants Conference provided just as much timely information as any Production Conference I’ve attended in previous years. The information was still there for anyone who attended. You could also find anything you needed at the Economics Conference, Insect Conference, Ginning Conference, Cotton Weed Science Conference, Cotton Agronomy and Physiology Conference and many others.
I do have good memories of the Production Conference where we always received a detailed overview of all the important issues confronting cotton producers. OK, enough of my reminiscing about the old days. The fact of the matter is that the Consultants Conference provided just as much timely information as any Production Conference I’ve attended in previous years. The information was still there for anyone who attended. You could also find anything you needed at the Economics Conference, Insect Conference, Ginning Conference, Cotton Weed Science Conference, Cotton Agronomy and Physiology Conference and many others.
And I haven’t even mentioned the Technical Conferences that occupied the schedule on the last two days of the BWCC. That part of the Beltwide hasn’t changed at all, and the programs offered were first-rate.
So, in looking back, I’m glad the Beltwide is still around and gives producers and the ag media a chance to gather valuable information that we can use in the coming year. It is the perfect kickoff for the crop year. Here’s hoping we have an even bigger crowd in January of 2015 when we meet again in San Antonio.