Organizers Gear Up for Cotton Education Programs
April 15, 2013 Organizers from both the Texas International Cotton School, held in Lubbock, TX, and the International Cotton Institute, held in Memphis, TN, are gearing up for another session of intensive cotton industry education.
Event organizers from the American Cotton Shippers Association are preparing for a May 29 start date for the International Cotton Institute. Held each summer for an eight-week span, the International Cotton Institute hosts students from across the globe and from various sectors of the cotton supply chain.
Students at the ACSA International Cotton Institute stay on campus at the University of Memphis throughout their time at the school. During their stay, they make several trips throughout the Mid-South to see cotton at various stages in its production. The idea is to educate students on a wide array of cotton perspectives – from field to fabric, to manual classing and the use of HVI data, risk management and the basics of price protection.
Often, the classes at the ACSA International Cotton Institute feature students from multiple continents and from a variety of differing trade backgrounds. ACSA member and institute program director Bill Griffin says he welcomes that diversity.
“We’re trying to get everyone speaking the same trade language,” Griffin told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “And that actually eases trade around the world.”
Similarly, the Texas International Cotton School draws students from a wide array of nationalities and trade backgrounds. This year’s session will be the 33rd edition of the Texas International Cotton School, although the mission remains the same. The school is designed to provide students with an integrated understanding of the U.S. cotton industry and how it interacts with the global cotton textile industry.
Registration is still open for the Texas International Cotton School, which is set to take place August 5-16, 2013.
“We typically have a good deal of international students who come to learn about the U.S. industry, and then we’ll have some local representation as well,” says Ray Ragsdale, the president of the Lubbock Cotton Exchange and an organizer with the Texas International Cotton School. “What I would ask you today, is that if you’re marketing your cotton, or your gin is marketing your cotton, or on any step of the way – are those people up to date on what our industry is doing? If not, I would strongly encourage you to look at it for yourself or send someone from your gin, or whoever is marketing your cotton, to come and explore what the Cotton School can offer you,” says Ragsdale.
Students at the Texas International Cotton School attend classes at the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute in Lubbock and typically stay at a quality hotel nearby. Occasionally the class ventures out into the area to study cotton production and cotton research facilities.
The curriculum involves a hands-on look at all stages of cotton production, harvesting, ginning, classing, testing, preparation and processing. Students in the program also train in marketing, futures and indexing for a complete and comprehensive examination of all of cotton’s stops along the supply chain.
Those interested in learning more about the ACSA International Cotton Institute can discover more online at cotton.memphis.edu.
Those interested in finding out more about the Texas International Cotton School are encouraged to visit www.texasintlcottonschool.com.
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