First Bale of Cotton for 2019 Delivered in South Texas

For the second consecutive year, Wesley Vanderpool delivered the official certified first bale of cotton in the United States to Chris Breedlove at Willacy Co-op in Sebastian, TX on Friday, June 21, 2019.

The seed cotton – grown from FiberMax 1944GLB2 variety – weighed in at 1,920 pounds and was grown and picked in Hidalgo County about 3.5 miles west of La Joya, TX.

Vanderpool will receive a reward of $3,000 from the Harlingen Cotton Committee.

Once ginned, the bale of cotton will be delivered to the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce to be auctioned at the town’s annual First Bale Auction and Scholarship Fundraiser on September 12. The Harlingen Cotton Committee has verified that the nation’s first bale of cotton has come from the Rio Grande Valley for the past 66 years.