Advocating Cotton’s Policy Priorities
December 15, 2023 
Dr. Gary Adams
Prior to and throughout 2023, the National Cotton Council (NCC) focused on policy development for the 2023 farm bill.
Through the NCC’s Farm Policy Task Force, the industry segments came together to develop recommendations for the new bill. The NCC has actively conveyed to Congress and the administration its priorities for a meaningful farm bill with an effective safety net and comprehensive risk management tools. Throughout the year, NCC staff has been educating dozens of new Congressional members about production agriculture’s contributions to the national economy, the need for a strong farm law, and the challenges facing U.S. agriculture.
Our overarching message continues to be that the general structure of the 2018 farm bill has served the industry well. For the producer, the choice of Agriculture Risk (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs and the availability of a full suite of crop insurance products are critical to their economic viability. However, the surge in production costs has reduced the effectiveness of the current safety net. The ag committees need additional budget resources to provide programs that can effectively address the costs and risks faced both on the farm and throughout the supply chain.
Setting Priorities
In April, NCC Chairman Shawn Holladay conveyed the industry’s priorities at a House agriculture subcommittee hearing, and in May, Council Director Patrick Johnson presented those priorities at a hearing of a Senate agriculture subcommittee.
Recently, a group of NCC leadership representatives were in Washington, DC, for meetings on Capitol Hill to advocate for cotton industry priorities. The NCC delegation met with more than 20 Senators and Representatives, including the leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees, to emphasize that the NCC would like to see reforms in the next farm bill that raise the seed cotton reference price; eliminate the current prohibition on joint PLC/STAX (Stacked Income Protection Plan) enrollment; modernize the Marketing Assistance Loan Program; provide greater support for the Pima industry; and restore the Economic Adjustment Assistance for Textile Mills rate to its original value.
Earlier this year, the NCC, along with more than 50 other agricultural associations, sent a letter to administration leaders and to leadership of the House and Senate budget and appropriations committees, urging them to protect crop insurance programs from any cuts during this year’s appropriations process. The letter noted that with ongoing weather events and market disruptions, it is as important as ever to protect the rural safety net.
The NCC offered 16 appropriations requests spanning a wide range of topics, including continued support for the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program; increased funding for cotton classing services, ginning research units and Agriculture Research Service initiatives throughout the Cotton Belt; and sufficient funding to carry out Boll Weevil Eradication Program activities and mitigate the threat of the cotton seed bug.
Growth and Sustainability
As exports are critical to U.S. cotton’s viability, we stand to benefit from USDA’s recent announcement to allocate $1.3 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds to a new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) to help non–profit U.S. trade associations market U.S.-grown agricultural products abroad. RAPP would supplement the USDA’s longstanding Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program. Utilized by Cotton Council International, both programs are critical to expanding global market access for cotton.
The NCC also continues to support the work of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. This sustainability initiative will significantly improve our cotton’s marketability. Our industry has a great opportunity to provide the data and the supply chain transparency that these brands and retailers need. We’re pleased to report that work has begun on the climate-smart pilot project funded by USDA. The Trust Protocol is the lead partner on the $90 million project that will seek to enroll over 1,600 farms into our sustainability initiative.
Visit TrustUSCotton.org to learn more about the program ahead of the next enrollment period, which opens in January.
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