MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Cotton Board recently held its 2021 Annual Meeting, in-person, in Durham, North Carolina, along with Cotton Incorporated’s Board of Directors. This is the first in-person meeting for both boards since March 2020. During this meeting, board members serving the Cotton Research and Promotion Program reviewed, analyzed, and voted to recommend Cotton Incorporated’s 2022 budget of $82 million to the Secretary of Agriculture. This budget recommendation reflects a $2 million increase from 2021.
The 2022 Cotton Incorporated plan and budget remains focused on addressing several key industry issues in order to increase cotton market share and ensure long-term profitability for the industry. Key priorities outlined in the organization’s 2022 plan include increasing producer profitability, addressing plastic contamination issues that threaten U.S. cotton’s reputation, enhancing supply chain transparency, traceability, sustainability and circularity, and maintaining strong consumer and industry promotion efforts.
“The increase of two million dollars over last year’s budget is a bright spot for us,” said Berrye Worsham, President and CEO of Cotton Incorporated. “We think over the next couple of years, if things continue as they are now, we will be able to sustain increased budgets and devote greater resources to address major cotton issues and initiatives.” For a full recap of Worsham’s commentary on the 2022 plan and budget, please view the recording of his August 17th Cotton & Coffee episode, here: cottonboard.org/news/video-gallery/
During its Business Session, The Cotton Board re-elected its current slate of officers for an additional one-year term. This decision provides the current officer leadership with the opportunity to participate in on-site, in-person meetings, an opportunity which has thus far been absent due to disruptions in Cotton Board operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cotton Board Chairman, Jimmy Webb, a producer from Leary, Georgia, commented on the Annual Meeting, saying “Thank you to the men and women who volunteer their time to serve on the Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated Board of Directors. I cannot thank you all enough for all you’ve taught me and how you have responded over the past year. Our membership separates us from the rest of the pack. The diversity in our backgrounds, our experiences, and our perspectives help us move our industry forward.”
The full slate of Cotton Board officers is as follows:
- Jimmy Webb, Producer from Leary, Georgia, Chairman
- Sonja Chapman, Importer from Boonton, New Jersey, Vice Chairman
- Mark Nichols, Producer from Altus, Oklahoma, Secretary
- Akiko Inui, Importer from New York City, New York, Treasurer
–Cotton Board
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