Studying the Crowd at the NCC Annual Meeting

Held in the late stages of winter every year, the National Cotton Council Annual Meeting is one of my favorite industry events to attend.

Not quite as bustling and hectic as the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, the NCC Annual Meeting has a slower pace, although it’s decidedly more formal. It also may be the only time all year when we at Cotton Grower get to see so many familiar faces – some from each segment of the industry – in the same place.

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To be sure, it isn’t hard to tell which segment most of the attendees come from. The shippers typically have more stylish dinner jackets. The cotton farmers change into their boots as soon as the business sessions are finished – if not before.

But it’s always nice to see familiar faces in the crowd, as I did when I bumped into former NCC Chairman Bruce Brumfield and his wife Margaret Harris before the closing sessions this year in Fort Worth, TX. As a youngster, I got my start in cotton patrolling Brumfield’s farm near Inverness, MS. Back then I was lucky to get the four-wheeler for an afternoon, with a hoe in one hand and a water jug in the other.

It’s comforting to know that men like Brumfield are still heavily involved in advocating for the cotton industry through the NCC. Our story on incoming chairman Chuck Coley examines the dedication and work ethic he brings to his new position. We’ve also got more extensive coverage of the goings on at the Annual Meeting in the pages that follow.

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Cotton Companion: Adjusting to New EPA Adjustments

Editor Henry Gantz has also put together two great crop protection features in this issue, one focusing on insect control while the other zeroes in containing glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth.

Our precision-focused series, Cotton Grower Plus, is focused as always on saving you money. This time we’ve heard from Arkansas Extension specialist Tom Barber, who recently wrapped up a four-year study on seeding rates. Beginning on page 36, you can read about how the data he found could save you significant amounts on front-end input costs.

We’re happy that seeding rates are a timely issue, as planting season is right around the corner. Warmer temperatures and baseball are on the way as well. As always, we wish you the best of luck as you prepare this month for the coming production season.

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