Program Increases Demand, Profits
February 25, 2009 Back in the late 1960s, cotton producers recognized the need for a Research and Promotion Program. Since then, Cotton Incorporated has worked successfully to revitalize consumer demand for cotton apparel and also to improve the profitability of cotton production.
Although the lion’s share of our research is, in fact, directed toward those two goals, we sometimes recognize developing scenarios that could be problematic for cotton’s future. When that happens, we create plans to counter those scenarios for the benefit of the entire industry.
One example of this was our effort to stabilize the future of the industry’s cotton breeder segment. Because many of the existing cotton breeders were nearing retirement, we created a “Fellows” program that has not only attracted young scientists into that profession, but has also given them an opportunity to work under the tutelage of senior scientists.
We have recently recognized the same scenario developing within the discipline of Fiber Quality Research and are beginning to develop a similar program for one aspiring scientist in 2008. With increased importance being placed on fiber quality these days, this effort is important for you and your efforts to market your cotton.
Plants on Tour
Over the years, the Cotton Board has been a clearing house for information and services related to cotton. “We’ve had some very unusual requests,” states Brad Robb, Director of Communications. “If our efforts to fill any request helps promote or build consumer interest and/or demand for cotton, we try to be as accommodating as we can.”
Last month, the world-famous Chicago Field Museum contacted the Cotton Board looking for a specific type of photograph of a cotton plant. “They wanted the roots exposed, bolls open and green leaves still on the plant – all against a black soil background,” explains Robb.
After mixing dark mulch into the light colored soil at the Memphis Agri-Center International’s research fields, the shot was captured and the image will accompany images of other plants on a multi-month tour stopping in 10 U.S. cities beginning in February, 2008.
A Renewable Approach
Finding new market opportunities for cotton is one of the most important goals of Cotton Incorporated.
Now, through cooperative research with Mulch & Seed Innovations and USDA, an all-natural cotton fiber hydromulch made from ginning by-product is on the market.
According to Cotton Incorporated’s Director of Cottonseed Research and Marketing Tom Wedegaertner, by-products left from the cotton ginning process create nearly 2.5 million tons of bio-mass each year. “We’ve now found a way to convert a portion of this into a hydromulch that works really well controlling erosion and protecting soil,” he says.
The technology behind the hydromulch takes advantage of cotton’s naturally porous, absorbent and biodegradable characteristics to establish germination and add nutrients to the soil – preparing it for long-term erosion control. More information about the hydromulch products – GeoSkin cotton hydromulch (used for flat terrains), and HydraCX2 cotton hydromulch (used for semi-slopes) – can be found at mulchandseed.com.
Captions:
J. Berrye Worsham III,
Cotton Incorporated
Apply hydromulch
Kater Hake
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