Cotton Farming Ginners Marketplace December 2023 by One Grower Publishing

Ginners Marketplace COTTON

COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.

Cotton, History And A Passion For Giving Back “It is not about us, it is about the industry and agriculture in general. We are not trying to promote ourselves. We are glad we are in a position to give,” said Dan Taylor, a cotton producer and current president of the FiberMax Center for Discovery (FCFD) board of directors. “Cotton has fed and clothed many people on the High Plains of Texas and we need to remember the past,” Linda Taylor said. Together, Dan and Linda are the sponsors of the new Cotton Heritage Center currently under construction at the FiberMax Center for Discovery in Lubbock. This new wing will tell the story of cotton production with an emphasis on the history of cotton ginning. It will house the 1875 Goodman Gin, an entire 1912 Lummus gin line out of Brookshire, Texas, in addition to Dan and Linda’s collection of unique cotton artifacts. The Taylor’s love and appreciation for the cotton industry has grown over their time on the High Plains. Dan grew up in Blum, Texas, on a cotton farm, and had never set foot in Lubbock until he arrived for college at Texas Tech. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but after hand-harvesting cotton from childhood till he graduated high school, he knew he didn’t want to work with cotton.

West Texas Cotton Farming It was at Tech that he met Linda Featherston who grew up on a ranch in Goldthwaite, Texas, where they did a little farming, but never grew cotton in her lifetime. Dan jokes that Linda thought wool and mohair was the fiber of choice until she moved to West Texas. When Dan graduated with an agricultural education degree in 1964, he married Linda and started teaching agriculture science at Lubbock-Cooper. He bought a used 1953 Super M Farmall and started a 6-acre

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Cotton Ginners Marketplace

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20 COTTON FARMING | DECEMBER 2023

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Ginners Marketplace COTTON

project farm at Cooper, Texas. The Taylors then rented their first farm in 1968, a 10-acre tract at 78th and Elgin. Dan started renting acres wherever he could — corners and undeveloped sections, too small for other farmers to mess with.

COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.

Family-Owned Buster’s Gin

His experience and reputation grew and in 1975, Dan became the manager and part owner of Buster’s Gin in Ropesville, one of the only family-owned cotton gins left in Texas at the time. In 1986, Dan and Linda bought Buster’s. His first year at Buster’s, there were 34 active gins in Hockley County, and Buster’s ginned 1,664 bales. 2007 was the record season for the Taylor’s Distractions have become “routine” in our daily lives. Our and Buster’s ginning 116,358 bales. phones go off , we get text messages we’rebuilt bombarded by In addition to growing Buster’s, theand Taylors an elevated the never-ending cycle. Everything seems to be trying to classroom at the news gin and began providing educational tours get our attention, andcivic it’s easy to lose sight of what’s to local schools and groups. They also startedimportant. collecting Things sneaktoup on you, and thosehistory. are theToday, ones that artifactscan related ginning and cotton they will are jump upto and you.donating the artifacts to FCFD. looking thebite future, In the last year or so, their we’velove seenofhuge increases oureducacosts. Speaking of others, cotton, historyinand As I write this, we’re getting news of the highest inflation in tion has been passed down to their three children and four more than a generation… maybe two. grandchildren, who encouraged and supported their parents’ While I’m personally seeing some of the things that increased decision to donate to FCFD. so “We much down atobit, not and common costs for thatcotton have areease so excited seeit’s Mom Dad’sfor passion gone up this much, this fast, to come down or come down very shared because this industry was their life’s work,” said their much. We will likely haveCook. to learn to been live with someofof love them.over daughter, Davon Taylor “It’s a labor decades to both collect the cotton gin equipment that it will The Cost Of Insurance house and to help build this museum. I am so proud their legOne theon costs that acy willoflive here. ” snuck up on many gins in the past year or so is the cost of insurance. Normally, this is a once-a-year expense we article get hitby with. The original Marshal Gillit and Lacee Hoelting first apThe past renewal cycle orissue two have been more than a publibit of peared in the Summer 2023 of The Plow, the official sticker for manyCenter in theforginning industry. associacation ofshock the FiberMax Discovery. This isYour an excerpt.

Take A Hard Look At Insurance Costs ED BLOWERS And Safety Culture At TheS EGin tions have been aware of this and have brought it to the attention of our memberships. But I think many of us got distracted by the other things going on and have now been hit with the reality that it’s not getting better. This is a simplified explanation, but insurance companies are going to do what they need to in order to stay in business. They must make money like we do. The companies take our premium and invest it. They pay claims with it, and they expect to have some left over. If losses are low and return on investment is good, you have happy insurance companies. We get stable premiums and competition. If they have poor investment returns and higher-than-expected cost of claims (read inflation), you have unhappy insurance companies. They may decide to pull out of the market and/or significantly increase rates. This locations is where we are today. Stocked at strategic Your ginners associations and the National Cotton Ginners’ throughout the about cotton Association have been concerned this belt for some time. We need healthy insurers and competition, but we really can only Call Jim 972.381.8899 | Cliffgranberrycorp.com help one side of the insurance problem…losses. NCGA has put together a list of questions to ask yourself, so you can evaluate

Lummus Ag Technology wants to express its appreciation to our many loyal customers for their continued support and business. With the challenges we face in our industry, we are continually working to evolve and adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs. Lummus offers a wide range of products and services, all geared to help your operation be efficient and profitable. Regardless of the project scope, contact Lummus to discuss your goals and needs to ensure your success. Just a short list of items we offer:  Gin Dor-Les® and E.E. Dor-Les® Press upgrades 16” diameter Bottom Ram Conversion Hydraulic Tramper/Pusher Conversion Premier™ III Series Hydraulic Pumping Units Press Rebuilds (strain rods, boxes, sills, etc.)  Quality OEM Repair Parts  Unmatched Technical Service

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Cotton Cotton Ginners Ginners Marketplace Marketplace

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