Trust Protocol Grower Enrollment Open for 2023; Aligns with Peak Cotton Marketing Dates
May 6, 2023 Enrollment in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol (USCTP) for the 2023 crop year is open now through September 1, providing growers the opportunity to complete data entry prior to harvest.
The updated timing also better aligns with peak cotton marketing dates and allows a member’s cotton to be verified and visible as Protocol Cotton bales right after ginning.
This timing will also provide growers who are members of the program with additional benefits, including more timely insights that can be implemented into management plans as they work towards continuous improvement from pre-planting to post-harvest activities.
The Trust Protocol is a voluntary, farm level science-based sustainability program designed to deliver value to all stakeholders across the entire cotton supply chain from farms to finished products. The program’s mission is to bring quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to the key sustainability metrics of U.S. cotton production.
“With the Trust Protocol, all of our work begins with growers. And as we look to continuously improve the program and provide further value, we’re pleased to share the updated grower enrollment timing that will better align with peak cotton marketing dates,” says Dr. Gary Adams, USCTP President.
“Knowing that more than half of the U.S. cotton crop is marketed within a critical three-month window beginning at the height of ginning in November, the transition will allow members’ cotton to be verified as Protocol Cotton on their initial Electronic Warehouse Receipt,” he adds. “This means a grower member’s cotton can also be marketed as Protocol Cotton right after ginning and be visible sooner for brands and retailers looking to source that fiber.”
To date, the Trust Protocol has welcomed more than 1,200 brand, retailer, mill, and manufacturer members, including Levi Strauss & Co., Old Navy, Gap, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., and J.Crew.
Now that 2023 enrollment will be open for four months instead of 12, growers are encouraged to begin their data entry as soon as possible. The actual enrollment process will remain the same, with the only change being the window for data completion. In 2024, the grower enrollment window will be further refined to begin in January and end prior to planting on May 1.
Those interested in participating in the Climate Smart Cotton Program should also be watchful for USCTP communications once the grant is finalized.
To complete enrollment and data entry for the 2023 crop year ahead of the September 1 deadline, growers can visit TrustUSCotton.org. For enrollment assistance, contact info@trustuscotton.org.
Based on information from the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
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