The Georgia Cotton Commission is pleased to announce the guest speakers at the Commission’s 2024 Mid-Year Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at the Nesmith-Lane Conference Center in Statesboro. The inaugural Mid-Year Meeting is held in conjunction with a UGA Cotton Pre-Harvest Workshop conducted by members of the UGA Research & Extension Cotton Team. The UGA Cotton Pre-Harvest Workshop will feature sessions where attendees will receive a 2025 crop update and defoliation considerations along with discussions regarding late season irrigation and pest management strategies.
The program speakers are Akiko Inui, Board Chair of The Cotton Board, and Tas Smith, Vice President of Producer Affairs for the National Cotton Council.
- Akiko Inui serves as the Chair of The Cotton Board, which administers the Cotton Research & Promotion Program. She has served as an Importer Member of the Cotton Board since 2016 and has been on the Executive Committee since 2020. Inui is the Transparency & Traceability Program Advisory Consultant for Ralph Lauren and has previously held positions with PVH Corporation, Dow Chemical Company, and Itochu Corporation. She holds degrees from Kwansei Gakuin University and Boston University and serves as an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
- Tas Smith has been with the National Cotton Council since 2019 and currently serves as the Vice President of Producer Affairs. In this role, he works with the American Cotton Producers and the NCC’s grower members to implement policies that enhance the viability and long-term viability of the producer segment of the industry. Before coming to NCC, Smith served as the State Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Georgia and in roles at Georgia Farm Bureau. Tas is a native of Butler, Georgia and is a graduate of Valdosta State University.
During the lunch program the Georgia Quality Cotton Awards for the 2025 crop will be presented. There is no charge to attend. Pre-registration is requested to help with meal plans. Register online at www.georgiacottoncommission.org.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Stoneville/BASF – Deltapine/Bayer Crop Science – Farm Credit Associations of Georgia
John Deere – Phytogen/Corteva Agriscience – Tama USA
Ag Insurance Advisors – Ag Technologies – Agriliance Insurance Group – Agri Supply
Agro Liquid – American National – Americot, Inc.-NexGen – Armor Cotton
Carden & Associates – Cargill Cotton – CNI – DeltAg Formulations – Georgia Farm Bureau
GreenPoint Ag – Helena Agri-Enterprises – Langston Companies – Magnolia Loom
Silveus Southeast – Smith Farm Supply – South Georgia Banking Company – Southeast AgNet
Staplcotn – Syngenta – Synovus – Tidewater Equipment/CASE-IH
Triangle Chemical Company – Triangle Insurance – Valent USA – Valley Irrigation