Working For You
March 2, 2009 Information dissemination and the development and implementation of innovative consumer products are two very important strategies for increasing cotton demand. Cotton Incorporated is recognized around the world for being adept at successfully providing both of these elements to the right points in cotton’s pipeline.
Accomplishing this task takes a proactive and coordinated effort from all divisions within the company – much like it takes to successfully run the various aspects of your farming operation. From planning and record keeping, to forecasting and marketing, the tasks are relatively similar. While you react to changes in weather and markets, we monitor and adjust our programs to capitalize on opportunities within the agricultural and textile, fashion and consumer markets.
While the efforts of all our divisions are important, the results from agricultural research are perhaps most closely followed by cotton growers. Through our Core and State Support-funded, programs we provide both general and region-specific results. We support conferences, workshops and field days where this information is provided and hopefully implemented in a timely fashion.
There is no other research and promotion program like this in the world and it is conducted exclusively for U.S. cotton growers and importers Please use our web site as an easy resource for the latest information about your Cotton Research & Promotion Program: www.cottoninc.com.
Importer Sustainability Conference Planned
Even though the word “sustainability” has become part of our everyday language, questions still linger about how to correctly define it. Some say sustainability is a practice of being environmentally-friendly, while others use it interchangeably with “organic” when talking about cotton. Cotton Incorporated defines sustainable practices as those which seek to achieve three goals – to effect the environment in a positive way, to be economical and profitable, and to enhance the quality of life. To help better educate decision makers in the sourcing world about cotton and the environment, the Cotton Board’s Importer Support Program will hold a “sustainability conference” later this year. The event will include panel discussions and keynote speakers, along with a tour of a cotton farm and gin. This is yet another venue for the Cotton Research & Promotion Program to communicate cotton’s positive story about the environment to those audiences who make fiber-buying decisions.
EFS Gaining Acceptance In China
Increasing the usage level of U.S. cotton in China has taken a large step forward in just the last two years thanks in part to Cotton Incorporated’s efforts to license their proprietary Engineered Fiber Selection (EFS) System to Chinese mills and manufacturers. This suite of computer software has become a textile industry standard across the world for managing High Volume Instrument (HVI) data. Since 2005, three Chinese manufacturing businesses and five Chinese textile mills have become licensees. “Chinese mills are one of U.S. cotton’s major customers and providing them with a means of optimizing the quality and consistency of their cotton helps their businesses and strengthens the business of U.S. cotton,” explains Charles H. Chewning, Jr., Cotton Incorporated’s vice president, EFS Marketing – China. It’s important to remember that for a mill to become a licensed user of EFS software, they must agree to increase their use percentage of U.S. cotton.
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