Industry News Ted Schneider To Lead National Cotton Council Ted Schneider, a Lake Providence, Louisiana, producer, was elected National Cotton Council chairman for 2022 during the organization’s annual meeting in Houston, Texas. Shawn Holladay, a Lubbock producer, was elected to the position of vice chairman for 2022. Since 1984, Schneider has been the owner/operator of a Lake Providence-based 3,600-acre diversified farming operation in northeast Louisiana and southeast Arkansas. Dedicated to sustainable, responsible agriTed cultural production, Schneider his primary crops are cotton, corn, soybeans, rice, wheat and grain sorghum. Schneider earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Louisiana State University. He and his wife, Renee, have three children. Elected as an NCC vice president was Sammy Wright, a Tifton, Georgia, cottonseed processor. Re-elected as NCC vice presidents were: Jordan Lea, a Greenville, South Carolina, merchant; Robin Perkins, a Sanford, North Carolina, textile manufacturer; Kirk Gilkey, a Corcoran, California, ginner; Jay Cowart, an Altus, Oklahoma, warehouser; and Kevin Brinkley, marketing cooperative executive, Lubbock, Texas. Elected as secretary-treasurer is Mark McKean, a producer from Riverdale, California. Re-elected as NCC staff officers were: Gary Adams, president and chief executive officer; Marjory Walker, vice president, Operations; Jody Campiche, vice president, Economics and Policy Analysis; Reece Langley, vice president, Washington Operations; John Gibson, vice president, Member Services; Don Parker, vice president, Technical Services; Tas Smith, vice president, Producer Affairs; and Harrison Ashley, vice president, Ginner Services.
Cotton Service Award Honors Arizonan Ron Rayner Ron Rayner, a third-generation Arizona cotton producer, received the 2021 Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award. He was recognized during the National Cotton Council’s 2022 annual meeting
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held in Houston, Texas. The award, named for the late California industry leader and past NCC President Harry S. Baker, is presented annually to a deserving individual who has provided extraordinary service, leadership and dedication to the U.S. cotton industry. In presenting the award, outgoing NCC Chairman Kent Fountain said Rayner has long been an industry leader and very active in the Council, serving in numerous Council leadership positions, including as a director, treasurer and as its 1999 president. Rayner, who is a partner in A Tumbling T Ranches with his two brothers and two nephews, produces cotton, alfalfa and grains on about 6,000 acres. The partners own another 3,200 acres of farmland in California of which they lease a portion to other producers. Ron also is a former president of Farmer’s Gin, Inc., in Buckeye. Rayner has been very involved in industry affairs. He currently serves as vice chairman of the Council’s Operations Committee and as an advisor to the Council’s Board of Directors. A past Council Producer Information Exchange participant, Rayner always made his farm available for Councilcoordinated activities such as a tour for the news media to showcase Cotton Foundation research projects and cutting-edge technology and production. He has received numerous awards including Cotton Farming magazine’s “Cotton Farmer of the Year” in 1989, Arizona Farm Bureau’s Farmer of the Year in 1998 and was honored as a Farm Press Publications’ 2018 High Cotton Award recipient.
Good Cotton Stands Critical During Texas Drought As dry conditions continue to grip much of Texas’ Cotton Belt, there are factors producers can control that will improve the chances of establishing a good cotton stand, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts. On an episode of the AgriLife Online Crop Production Podcast, Jourdan Bell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, Amarillo, and Emi Kimura, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, Vernon, joined other AgriLife Extension experts to discuss cotton production. Both noted that drought conditions will make crop
establishment a challenge. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Texas’ Cotton Belt, which includes much of the Panhandle, Rolling Plains and South Plains, is experiencing severe to extreme drought, with large swaths of the regions entering exceptional drought status as of March 10. Drought conditions make establishing cotton stands a challenge, even in irrigated fields. Bell and Kimura said weather is out of producers’ control, but that by improving cotton seeds’ chance of germination and establishment they can improve yield potential at harvest. Cotton is more drought hardy than other crops like corn and sorghum, especially after a good stand is established, Bell said. This makes establishing good stands critical when conditions are not ideal for planting. “Mistakes at planting can haunt you all season,” she said. “Cotton is a plant that can adapt, but we are looking for a good, uniform stand at the start.”
Arkansan Elected American Cotton Producers Chair Ray Nathan Reed, a Marianna, Arkansas, cotton producer, was elected chairman of the American Cotton Producers of the National Cotton Council for 2022, during the NCC’s recent 2022 Annual Meeting. He has served as an ACP vice chairman and on multiple ACP committees. He also is a past NCC director and has served on various NCC committees and task forces. He currently serves on the NCC’s Farm Policy Task Force and its Farm Program and Economic Policy Committee. Elected as ACP vice chairmen were: Adam Hatley, Mesa, Arizona; Jon Whatley, Odem, Texas; and Matt Coley, Vienna, Georgia. Elected as ACP producer directors were David Dunlow, Gaston, North Carolina, representing the Southeast; Patrick Johnson, Tunica, Mississippi, representing the Mid-South; COTTONFARMING.COM
