May 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Georgia Cotton Commission Mid-Year Meeting July 26, 2023
The Georgia Cotton Commission is pleased to announce the guest speakers at the Commission’s 2023 Mid-Year Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 26, 2023, 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 as well as the Georgia pre-harvest safety meeting of the Southeastern Cotton Ginners Association. The UGA Cotton Pre-Harvest Workshop will feature sessions where attendees will receive a 2023 crop update and defoliation considerations, pre-harvest economic update and marketing considerations and late season pest management considerations.
The program speakers are Dr. Bart Fischer, Co-Director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University and Mr. Hank Reichle, President and CEO of Staplcotn.
- Dr. Bart Fischer currently serves as the Co-Director of the Agricultural & Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University and as Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics. Dr. Fischer’s research focuses on solving real-world policy problems for agricultural producers and on anticipating potential policy changes for Congress to consider. Before joining the university in September 2019, he held roles with the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, most recently as the Deputy Staff Director & Chief Economist under the leadership of Congressman Mike Conaway. Dr. Fischer holds degrees from Oklahoma State University, Cambridge University, and Texas A&M University. Dr. Fischer is the 5th generation to be raised on his family’s wheat, cotton, and cattle operation in Southwest Oklahoma, where he continues to be actively involved.
- Hank Reichle, Jr. is President and CEO of Staplcotn, headquartered in Greenwood, Mississippi. Founded in 1921, Staplcotn is the oldest cotton marketing cooperative in the U.S., and it markets approximately 2.5 – 3 million bales of U.S. cotton annually on behalf of its more than 5,000 members. Hank, a Mississippi native, received his degree at the University of Mississippi. Reichle has been with Staplcotn since 2004 and was promoted to the position of President and CEO of Staplcotn in 2018, after working in public accounting and for The Seam. Reichle serves on the boards of the National Cotton Council, AMCOT, The Seam, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, and the Memphis Branch of the St. Louis Federal Reserve; and is also a former president of Cotton Council International. He is involved in several community and civic organizations and is active in his local church.
During the lunch program, Tillman White with the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol will provide an overview of the Protocol’s program and how producers can benefit from the Climate Smart Cotton Program as well as the presentation of the Georgia Quality Cotton Awards for the 2022 crop. Following lunch and to conclude the meeting, there will be a 2023 harvest preparation and panel discussion on the prevention of plastic contamination in cotton.
There is no charge to attend. Pre-registration is requested to help with meal plans. Register online at https://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ce/conferences/georgia-cotton-commissions-mid-year-meeting/ or call the Commission’s Office at (478) 988-4235
Thank you to our sponsors:
Stoneville/BASF – Deltapine/Bayer Crop Science – John Deere – Tama USA
AgSouth Farm Credit – Phytogen/Corteva Agriscience
Ag America Lending – Agri Supply – Allenberg Cotton Company/ProCot
Americot, Inc.-NexGen – AMVAC – Choice Cotton Company – CNI – Custom Ag Formulators Durden Banking Company/Metter Bank – Farmers Business Network – FMC
Helena Agri-Enterprises – Kelley Manufacturing Company – Magnolia Loom
McLean Marechal Insurance/Ag Insurance Advisors – Nutrien Ag Solutions
Rabo AgriFinance – Rainbow Plant Food/Timac Agro USA – Smith Farm Supply
Southeast AgNet – Staplcotn – Syngenta – Tidewater/CASE-IH
Triangle Chemical Company – Triangle Insurance – UPL OpenAg – Vantage Southeast
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