The Cotton Companion

National Cotton Council President/CEO Gary Adams recaps the wins for cotton in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as well as another last-minute push to help get the legislation through and some opportunities ahead that should also benefit the industry.

Cotton Incorporated's Dr. Ed Barnes joins the podcast to provide a look at the progress, promise, and potential for new automation and technologies on cotton's horizon.

Has cotton demand been unintentionally damaged by the environmental movement? Textile and Apparel Strategist Bob Antoshak thinks so, and he joins the podcast to explain his reasoning.

Kody Bessent with Plains Cotton Growers joins the podcast with an update on cotton planting in West Texas, as well as the latest word on how some recent actions in Washington DC could impact cotton.

Cotton Council International's new Executive Director Liz Hershfield joins the podcast to discuss the programs and potential for marketing U.S. cotton around the world. Plus, Beck shares his experience with The Big Fib .

What do tariffs (and all the talk about tariffs) really mean for the U.S. cotton industry? Buddy Allen with the American Cotton Shippers Association joins the podcast to explain.

Dr. O.A. Cleveland drops in to discuss the recent USDA Planting Intentions report. His message: While the tariffs dominate the headlines, the market fundamentals remain bullish for cotton!

With planting underway or coming quickly, it's not too late to make financial moves for this year's crop. Andrea Herbst with Nutrien Financial joins the podcast to review possible options and offer tips.

Cotton Grower has been presenting its Cotton Achievement Award since 1970. Listen in as we present our 2024 award to Ted Schneider of Lake Providence, LA.

Cotton Grower was right in the middle of the recent Mid-South Farm & Gin Show in Memphis, and Jim and Beck take a few minutes to reflect on some of the key topics and discussions from the show.

We recap some of the news and events from the National Cotton Council's recent annual meeting. Patrick Johnson, 2025 NCC Chairman, joins us to discuss cotton's agenda and the key challenges ahead for this year.

Georgia Extension Cotton Specialist Camp Hand joins the podcast to review some initial findings from their deer damage studies - including (surprisingly!) higher economic losses from deer than from pigweed, nematodes, and stinkbugs.   

Direct from the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, Jarral Neeper of TruCott Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, joins the podcast to discuss his latest U.S. and global outlook for cotton in 2025, plus how natural disasters and the politics of water are impacting California agriculture. 

To kick off 2025, Dr. Darren Hudson of Texas Tech joins in on a discussion of how cotton fared following Washington DC's pre-holiday budget scramble, plus a look at the first cotton acreage projection of the year courtesy of Cotton Grower's annual acreage survey. 

2024 didn't just impact growers. Ag retailers felt the heat, too. Our colleagues from CropLife magazine - Eric Sfiligoj and Lara Sowinski - join the podcast to discuss how retailers are managing their way through ag's current economics and how the grower/retailer partnership is more important than ever.

Multiple factors and issues continued to impact cotton production and prices in 2024. Hank Reichle with Staplcotn joins the podcast to discuss some of the challenges and headwinds that may define cotton in 2025.

Ready or not, the annual Beltwide Cotton Conferences are coming to New Orleans in mid-January. Lauren Krogman with the NCC joins the podcast to preview some of the plans and updates for the 2025 meeting.

Jessica Kelton with the Soil Health Institute and Dr. Drew Smith with Rodale Institute join the podcast to review the latest research on the value of cover crops in conventional (and organic) cotton production.

Cotton is finding itself managing through literal and figurative storms - from hurricanes in the Southeast to heavy lobbying efforts for a new farm bill and economic relief for financially strapped farmers. Georgia Extension Cotton Specialist Camp Hand and the NCC's Robbie Minnich join the podcast to share what's happening on both storm fronts.   

Despite all of the talk and political uncertainty, the reality is the U.S. farmers need a new farm bill - and soon. Dr. Darren Hudson of Texas Tech University joins the podcast to discuss the current situation and the paths ahead moving into 2025. Cottongrower.com

The impact of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program has recently drawn some criticism, particularly when it comes to creating demand. Bill Gillon of The Cotton Board says some of that may be justified considering today's market headwinds, but the bigger picture says otherwise. He joins the podcast to explain.

Confused over this year's ever-shifting cotton acreage and production numbers? We are, too. So, we asked Dr. O.A. Cleveland to explain.

Ken Legé, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Cotton Specialist in Lubbock, joins the podcast to discuss the high hopes - and potential remaining challenges - regarding this year's West Texas cotton crop after two years of extreme drought. 

Why is the cotton market slump continuing and where did an extra million planted acres over spring projections come from? Dr. John Robinson joins the podcast to explain.

Dr. Larry Steckel, Tennessee Extension weed specialist, joins the podcast in our annual plot-side interview to discuss current weed management issues and challenges, plus some promising new solutions.