Cotton Inc. Honored with A.L. Vandergriff Cotton Pioneer Award
February 28, 2022 
Cotton Incorporated President/CEO Berrye Worsham accepted the A.L. Vandergriff Cotton Pioneer Award from Southern Cotton Ginners Association. (Photo: The Cotton Board)
Cotton Incorporated was named recipient of the 2022 A.L. Vandergriff Cotton Pioneer Award by the Southern Cotton Ginners Association (SCGA) for its decades of tireless work on behalf of U.S. cotton producers and importers to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton.
The Cotton Incorporated honor marks the first time the award has been given to an organization.
“Typically, this award is given to an individual, but the breadth of Cotton Incorporated’s work couldn’t be possible without the hundreds of dedicated employees that manage the vast number of research and promotion projects that have provided an advantage for the entire U.S. cotton industry,” said Tim Price, SCGA Executive Director.
Berrye Worsham, President & CEO of Cotton Incorporated, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.
“We accept the Vandergriff Award on behalf of the U.S. cotton growers and importers, whose generosity and forward-thinking continue to make our work possible” said Worsham.
“I am thrilled for Cotton Incorporated to be recognized in this way,” said Cotton Board Chairman Jimmy Webb, a cotton producer from Leary, GA. “From the ag research innovations that have changed the way we all farm, to manufacturing advancements like wrinkle-resistant fabrics and water-resistant cotton, to the creation of the Seal of Cotton trademark and the iconic Fabric of Our Lives advertising campaign, Cotton Incorporated has shaped the modern cotton industry as we know it.”
Cotton Incorporated was created in 1970 after a group of visionary cotton producers joined forces and pooled resources to combat a massive loss of cotton’s market share to synthetic fibers. Their efforts led to the enactment of a federal statute – the Cotton Research and Promotion Act of 1966.
In a referendum, producers voted to institute a per-bale assessment system to fund the program. The Cotton Board collects those assessments and invests them with Cotton Incorporated, the organization that conducts the actual research and promotion activities. During the last 50 years, Cotton Incorporated has worked relentlessly to educate consumers about the benefits of cotton, and to research and improve cotton production practices to help increase cotton producer profitability.
Based on information provided by The Cotton Board
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