The Equation for Elevating
U.S. Cotton BY GARY ADAMS, president/chief executive officer National Cotton Council of America
QUALITY + TIMELINESS + SUSTAINABILITY = MARKETABILITY That very well could be the equation that will define the extent of U.S. cotton’s future success in the global business environment. U.S. cotton has long been recognized as a fast and reliable supplier of clean, quality fiber to the global marketplace. The National Cotton Council (NCC) is working to enhance that reputation. Examples of past and ongoing effective efforts are 1) advocating to get federal policies in place that reduce miscommunication between warehouses and merchants -- so U.S. cotton bale delivery time is enhanced and 2) educational programs aimed at helping U.S. cotton producers reduce contaminants in seed cotton and lint. With a goal of zero contamination, the NCC strongly urges cotton producers, ginners and their employees to view the NCC’s “Prevention of Plastic Contamination” video.
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That video is on the NCC’s website at www.cotton.org/tech/quality/contamfree.cfm. Major topics include: 1) picking up debris in the field; 2) reviewing key maintenance and component adjustments on round module harvesters to ensure proper operation and to prevent plastic wrap pinching, gathering, or tearing; 3) best practices for transporting and staging round modules in the field and at the gin yard; and 4) best practices on unwrapping and feeding round modules into the gin. New topics in the updated video address what to do with round module wrap cores once they are empty and proper synchronization of module truck bed-chain speed with the ground when picking up round modules, which is different for rectangular modules. Proper handling of round modules in the field while being transported to the gin yard and from the yard into the gin is critical to prevent contamination from module wrap.
