LUBBOCK, Texas (KVII) — From farm to fashion, four times a year, the board of directors of the Plains Cotton Growers meets in Lubbock.
At January’s quarterly meeting, there was a lot on the agenda to discuss, ranging from the price of cotton to the other challenge that cotton producers on the High Plains and South Plains are facing right now, which is the need to be able to find more exports.
“In the cotton industry, we’re totally dependent on exports,” said Barry Evans, a farmer in Swisher County. “We do not have a very large domestic textile industry at all. Most of the textile industry is overseas in Central and South America and Asia, so we do depend on those people buying our cotton.”
When the cost of production is higher than the current price of cotton that presents a huge economic challenge for cotton producers.
“Unfortunately, there are some three-legged stools of the puzzle like marketing prices compared to input costs that are relatively high compared to normal years that are having a lag on the industry as a whole,” said Kody Bessent, CEO of Plains Cotton Growers.
“Certainly, dismayed about the price of cotton, its price is as low as we’ve seen in many years and well below the cost of production,” said Evans. “Our cost structure is really a concern; our demand is a concern.”
Cotton producers said you must remain optimistic, and in a perfect world, we’ll get a fair amount of moisture in the form of snow and rain during the latter part of the winter and going into the spring planting months.
Starting by late February or early March, funding from the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program is expected to help cotton producers with covering costs heading into the 2026 planting season.
Plains Cotton Growers tackle export challenges amid low prices at quarterly meeting (KVII)