December 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Speakers Announced: Georgia Cotton Commission Annual Meeting January 31, 2024
The Georgia Cotton Commission is pleased to announce the guest speakers at the Commission’s 2024 Annual Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 31, 2024, at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center. The annual meeting is held in conjunction with the UGA Cotton Production Workshop conducted by the UGA Research & Extension Cotton Team.
The UGA Cotton Production Workshop will feature breakout sessions where attendees will learn the latest technical production strategies from the researchers whose projects are funded by the Commission’s research program. The Georgia Cotton Commission Annual Meeting will follow the breakout sessions and feature speakers from several industry organizations.
The program speakers are Micah Brown, Staff Attorney, National Agricultural Law Center; Bruce Atherley, Executive Director, Cotton Council International; and Jim Davis, CEO, Southern Cotton Growers.
- Micah Brown received his Juris Doctor, graduating cum laude, from the University of Arkansas School of Law. While in law school, he worked as a law clerk for the Office of the Arkansas Attorney General. During his second year of law school, Micah began working at the National Agricultural Law Center as a research fellow. After graduating law school in May of 2020, he joined the Center full-time. At the Center, his primary areas of research are finance and credit, commercial transactions, secured transactions, federal crop insurance, and foreign ownership of agricultural land.
- Bruce Atherley has served as Executive Director of Cotton Council International (CCI), the export promotion arm of the cotton industry, since 2015. CCI works to make US cotton the preferred fiber for mills, manufacturers, brands, retailers, and consumers around the world. Before coming to CCI, Atherley had a 30-year career in consumer marketing and general management with companies including General Mills, Heinz, and Wrigley. He has degrees from Bucknell University and the University of Virginia.
- Jim Davis will begin his new role as CEO of Southern Cotton Growers on January 1, 2024. A 5th generation cotton, corn, soybean, wheat, and cattle producer from New Market, Alabama, he been transitioning into the CEO role since October 2023 after serving the industry for over 30 years as the Southeastern Member Services Representative for the National Cotton Council. Jim holds a B.S. degree in Animal & Dairy Science, Pre-Vet from Auburn University.
Following the Annual Meeting speakers, the Commission will host lunch where sponsors will be recognized, door prizes will be given away, and awards will be presented. The meeting, production workshop, and lunch are open to not only cotton growers, but anyone interested in the cotton industry. The UGA Cotton Production Workshop breakout sessions will be repeated after lunch.
There is no charge to attend. Pre-registration is requested to help with meal plans. Register online at www.ugatiftonconference.caes.uga.edu or call (229) 386-3416.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Deltapine/Bayer Crop Science – Stoneville/BASF
Farm Credit Associations of Georgia –John Deere
Phytogen/Corteva Agriscience
Ag America Lending – Agri Supply – Americot, Inc.-NexGen – Armor Cotton
Carden & Associates – Cargill Cotton – CNI – Custom Ag Formulators – Georgia Farm Bureau
GreenPoint Ag – The KBH Corporation – Kelley Manufacturing Co. – Lasseter Tractor
Magnolia Loom – Newton Crouch – Nutrien Ag Solutions – Olam Cotton
Rainbow Plant Food/Timac Agro USA – R.W. Griffin – SePRO Corporation
Staplcotn Syngenta – Synovus – Tama USA – Tidewater Equipment/CASE-IH
Triangle Chemical Company – Triangle Insurance – Valent USA – Valley Irrigation
Vantage Southeast – Zimmatic Irrigation