Articles by Kara Bishop
We Came Out of the Gate Fighting for West Texas Cotton
Before they had their bylaws written, before they had their finances figured out and before they had much of anything resembling a fully functioning organization, the founders of Plains Cotton Growers Inc. had already decided one thing. They were going to fight for High Plains cotton. On Jan. 27, 1956, just three days after 1,200 farmers and agricultural business representatives gathered to establish PCG, the organization’s first board of directors held its inaugural meeting.
Don’t Let the Noise Drown Out the Why
There are seasons in this industry when the noise seems louder than everything else. The headlines are discouraging. The conversations are difficult. The challenges seem to multiply faster than the solutions, and somewhere between the uncertainty of another growing season, the weight of decisions beyond our control and the seemingly endless opinions about what ought to be done, it becomes easy to lose sight of something important. Why we fell in love with this industry in the first place.
Lynn County Leads PCG’s 2025 Cotton Production Estimates
Cotton production across Plains Cotton Growers’ 42-county service area totaled an estimated 2.5 million bales for the 2025 crop year, with Lynn County leading the region in overall production, according to PCG’s latest estimates. Lynn County topped the list with an estimated 321,912 bales, followed by Floyd County with 228,858 bales. Lubbock County ranked third with 212,169 bales, while Hale and Dawson counties rounded out the top five with 163,661 and 161,286 bales, respectively.
Why I Support Nate Sheets for Texas Agriculture Commissioner
By Kody Bessent, CEO, Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. Not every important issue makes headlines. And not every important elected office receives the attention it deserves. The Texas Commissioner of Agriculture is one of those offices. For many Texans, the race for agriculture commissioner may seem secondary to other contests on the ballot.
2025 Seed Cotton Payments Underway
Cotton producers are beginning to receive Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments for the 2025 crop year, providing much-needed financial assistance as challenging economic conditions continue across the cotton industry. Final payment rates have been established, and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is processing payments to eligible producers. The accompanying chart provides a county-by-county breakdown of net PLC payments per seed cotton base acre for 163 Texas counties.
Gov. Greg Abbott Waives Dyed-Diesel Restrictions
By Kody Bessent, PCG CEO On September 28, 2026, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster proclamation allowing expanded use of dyed diesel on Texas roads. The proclamation also raises the allowable weight for fuel, agricultural, and timber loads. It suspends Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) rules as authorized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Texas agriculture and freight run on diesel,” said Governor Abbott.
September Rains Add Another Challenge to a Highly Variable Cotton Crop
Heavy September rainfall across portions of the High Plains has added another layer of uncertainty to an already highly variable cotton crop as growers prepare for harvest. Rainfall totals varied considerably across the region, with some locations receiving six to eight inches or more during September while others received substantially less. The moisture has been beneficial in some respects, but its timing has created challenges in fields where cotton was already open or had been defoliated.
But What of Cotton’s Future?
There are moments when it can feel as though the challenges facing cotton are unprecedented. Prices struggle to keep pace with the cost of production. Input expenses continue to climb. Competition for market share is fierce. Synthetic fibers remain a formidable competitor. Weather and water add another layer of uncertainty. And producers are left looking at the numbers and wondering what the future of cotton production will look like — or whether there will be a future at all.
2025 PLC Projected Payment Rates & 2026-27 Program Enrollment
USDA announced program enrollment for the 2026 and 2027 crop years after completing the first base acre increase in two decades. The enrollment period opened on September 15 and will close on December 11. Producers can now change their election and enroll in ARC-County, PLC or ARC-Individual. Although election changes for 2026 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year.
PCG Takes High Plains Cotton Priorities to Washington
By Keith Patrick, VP of Government Affairs + Policy Analysis Amid ongoing challenges posed by economic instability, high input costs and uncooperative weather, Plains Cotton Growers officers made their annual trip to Washington, D.C., Sept. 14-17 to bring the priorities of the Texas High Plains cotton industry to the nation’s capital. Plains Cotton Growers and Arizona Cotton Growers met with Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins.
Furry Little Peach x Greenpeace
Sydney artist, illustrator and children’s author Sha’an d’Anthes, better known as Furry Little Peach, has teamed up with Greenpeace to create Happy Ocean Happy Planet: a joyful celebration of the extraordinary creatures that call our oceans home. Sha’an felt inspired to create an illustration celebrating the beauty and resilience of marine life.
Late Rain Offers Some Relief as High Plains Cotton Races Toward Harvest
Rainfall brought welcome relief to portions of the Texas High Plains this week, but for much of the region’s dryland cotton, the moisture likely came too late to significantly improve yield prospects. Irrigated fields that received meaningful rainfall stand to benefit more as producers work to finish a crop that has endured prolonged drought and intense late-season heat.
Cotton Incorporated Amplifies ‘Plant Not Plastic’ Messaging to Trade Partners
The Cotton Research and Promotion Program has been researching microplastics for years; however, it wasn’t until recently that the organization could share its findings more aggressively.
Congress Passes Temporary Funding Measure Ahead of Midterm Elections
By Keith Patrick The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a continuing resolution (CR) Tuesday, extending funding for the federal government through December 11, 2026. The bipartisan vote, passed by a 370-48 margin, was the result of a move by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to suspend the rules and move the CR quickly through the chamber.
Cotton Incorporated Sharpens Focus on Demand, Producer Viability in 2027
Cotton Incorporated is sharpening its focus for 2027, directing resources toward strengthening producer profitability, rebuilding cotton’s market share and influencing the fiber decisions that ultimately determine how much cotton reaches consumers. During a recent Cotton & Coffee webinar hosted by The Cotton Board, Cotton Incorporated President and CEO William Kimbrell outlined the organization’s $75 million budget and annual plan for 2027 — a $10 million reduction from the current year.
Stand with Communities - Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Skip to Navigation Skip to Content Skip to Footer The Pacific Islands are experiencing the intensifying impacts of climate change like cyclones, hurricanes, floods, droughts, and extreme temperatures – despite contributing less than 0.03% to global emissions. This is climate injustice. For decades, the world’s biggest fossil fuel polluters, like Shell, BP and Woodside have been getting away with recklessly destroying our cultures, communities, oceans and lands for profit without consequence.
Confront Polluters - Greenpeace Australia Pacific
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Defend Nature - Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Skip to Navigation Skip to Content Skip to Footer Oceans Are Life. Without the oceans, there is no life on this blue planet. They regulate our climate, provide for billions of people and are home to so much of this planet’s biodiversity. Centuries of industrial fishing, pollution, oil and gas drilling and much more have plunged the oceans into crisis. A new threat, deep sea mining, looms large, threatening to wreck the deep oceans before we’ve even begun to properly understand them.
Texas cotton’s critical window is closing quickly
Across the Texas High Plains, the difference between a cotton crop with potential and one nearing abandonment can be as little as the width of a county road. In some fields, adequate irrigation is sustaining good fruit loads and keeping yield potential alive. Directly across the road, dryland cotton is short, stressed and rapidly running out of time.
Water Draws the Line Between Promise and Loss in West Texas Cotton
Across the Texas High Plains, the difference between a cotton crop with potential and one nearing abandonment can be as little as the width of a county road. Dryland field in Dickens County on August 3, 2026. In some fields, adequate irrigation is sustaining good fruit loads and keeping yield potential alive. Directly across the road, dryland cotton is short, stressed and rapidly running out of time.
Plains Cotton Growers Welcomes Keith Patrick as Vice President of Government Affairs and Policy Analysis
Keith Patrick, a proven relationship builder and mainstay in the Lubbock community, joined the PCG staff on August 3, 2026, as the Vice President of Government Affairs and Policy Analysis. Patrick comes to PCG with a long track record of advocacy at the local and state levels, focusing on public education and infrastructure issues.
TDA Announces AgLink Continuity Grant Awards
By Kara Bishop “The real purpose of running isn’t to win a race, it’s to test the limits of the human heart.” – Bill Bowerman We’ve said it before, but I feel it’s necessary to say it again. The development and implementation of House Bill 43 was a marathon. A battle between the mind and heart. We ran where we could, we crawled when we had to, but we never gave up on getting this legislation across the finish line.
Not Throwin Away Our Shot!
Cotton’s Story Through the Eyes of Alexander Hamilton on America’s 250th Birthday By Kara Bishop I am not throwin’ away my shot I am not throwin’ away my shot Hey yo, I’m just like my country I’m young, scrappy and hungry And I’m not throwin’ away my shot As they walked off the boat and onto soil that would later declare independence as its own free nation, both Alexander Hamilton and Tench Coxe were obsessed with autonomy.
Cotton Incorporated Advances ‘Plant Not Plastic’ Message Through Month-Long Education Initiative While Concerns Around Microplastics Continue
Courtesy of Cotton Incorporated As awareness of microplastics continues to grow among consumers, brands and retailers, Cotton Incorporated is expanding its efforts this July to educate the textile industry and consumers about the benefits of natural fibers and the role cotton can play in addressing evolving concerns around microplastics and sustainability, reinforcing a plant, not plastic approach to material choice.
Updates on AgLink/AgPro Grants and High Plains Planting Conditions
The Texas Agricultural Finance Authority (TAFA) Board is currently finalizing its review of AgLink Continuity Grant Program applications. The next TAFA Board meeting is scheduled for the week of July 6, 2026, at which time the Board is expected to make final funding recommendations. The application review process remains on schedule and is consistent with the timeline outlined in the published Request for Grant Applications (RFGA).
2026 USDA Payment Limit & Eligibility Changes
Previously (2025 and earlier): All LLCs and corporations (and most partnerships) were treated as a single legal entity with one payment limitation, regardless of how many members they had.
USDA Launches Great American Cotton Plan to Revitalize the Cotton Farm Economy
(Washington, D.C., May 28, 2026) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the Great American Cotton Plan (PDF, 2.7 MB), a comprehensive USDA initiative to strengthen the cotton farm economy, restore domestic textile manufacturing, expand cotton trade opportunities, and increase demand for products made with American-grown cotton. The new social media campaign by USDA. “Real ______ Wear Cotton” “Since 1607, cotton has helped build and sustain rural America.
Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
Fashion, lifestyle, and beauty brand LoveShackFancy today announced its third annual collaboration with Cotton Incorporated, bringing to life the ‘American Icons’ campaign, captured through a dreamy visual story starring rising country music artist Carter Faith. The Cotton x LoveShackFancy campaign unfolds as a romantic American pop star fantasy, where soft vintage femininity meets Western Americana and melodic storytelling.
Plains Cotton Growers Fights for the Cotton Industry
Policy work is not for the weak. There’s pressure on all sides as small but mighty forces work 80 to 100 hours a week behind the scenes for years to move the needle an inch forward in a positive direction for those they serve. It can be difficult to understand the intricacy and sheer force of will that goes into the day-to-day efforts to protect and promote the interests of the American farmer when you’re not immersed in it.
| Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
By Kara Bishop “I haven’t felt this energized in a long time,” was the No. 1 comment received during the Plains Cotton Growers 69th Annual Meeting on April 7, 2026. A packed house of more than 400 people from across the nation were able to take advantage of a once-a-year high-level learning experience unlike any other.
Buying American Cotton Act Seeks to Weave U.S. Cotton Back into American Closets
Media Contact: Kara Bishop, Plains Cotton Growers Director of Communications and Public Affairs Legislation authorizes transferable tax credits to incentivize the consumption of U.S. cotton and U.S. cotton manufactured products. LUBBOCK, Texas — U.S. farmers produced roughly 14 million bales of cotton last year. American shoppers and industries consumed in finished textile products an estimated 17.5 million bales of cotton in the same year, yet only three million of the bales were American.
February 27, 2026
The speaker lineup is stacked! A preview of sessions and speakers includes the following: Keynote Speaker: Jeff Bloomfield. This session focuses on the crossroads where neuroscience meets communications. Growing up on a farm in Ohio, Jeff understands the need to resonate with those that don’t have an agriculture background.
How to Apply for House Bill 43
This particular initiative has been in the making for four years, and we’re so excited to see it come to fruition as applications can now be accepted for the AgLink Continuity Grant program! While there are many to thank (and many that we have thanked throughout this process), we want to especially acknowledge the Texas Department of Agriculture Grants Team.
House Bill 43 Announcement
Applications for Agricultural Businesses Expected to Open February 15 Gins and Other Agricultural Businesses Have One Month to Apply for the AgLink Grant as the Application Deadline is Set for March 15 The AgLink Continuity Grant (AGL) supports the critical agriculture businesses that serve as the vital connection between Texas producers and the markets they depend on.
Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
By Kara Bishop Kali Watts looks at the place she can finally call hers after three years of dreaming. Three acres in Slaton, Texas, where several ramshackle buildings still stand — full of owls and bees who moved in long ago. Broken fencing and trash buried in the dirt after years of neglect, yet all she sees is potential. The beginning of an incredible life with her husband. The beginning of DCW Farms.
January 16, 2025
SAVE THE DATE! The 69th annual meeting of Plains Cotton Growers is scheduled for April 7 at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center in Lubbock. While we went through four hard years of drought and economic uncertainty, things are looking up considering the amount of political wins our producers and infrastructure have received in 2025. This event will be important to bring all industry segments together. Because it’s only together that we can GAIN and MAINTAIN MOMENTUM.
January 9, 2025 | Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
By Kody Bessent Happy New Year everyone! We are very blessed to be entering into a new year and, while I know some circumstances are different than others, we have much to be grateful for. It’s a new year with new beginnings, and I hope that everyone who reads this sees the good by the time I’m done.
Farmer Bridge Assistance Program FAQs
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is providing $11 billion through a one-time bridge payment to American farmers with an additional $1 billion available for additional commodities. This assistance provides producers with a bridge until the benefits of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) are available. These bridge payments are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act. The payment rates were published Wednesday, December 31 — cotton’s payment rate is $117.35.
Trump Administration Announces $12 Billion Relief Package for Farmers
Key Takeaways: Farmers who qualify for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program can expect payments to be released by February 28, 2026. Eligible farmers should ensure their 2025 acreage reporting is factual and accurate by 5pm ET on December 19, 2025. The specific payment rates for producers should be available the week of December 22nd (after the December 19th certified acreage report is released) so that producers are able to secure financing for the 2026 crop year.
Details on the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) Stage 2
SDRP Stage 2 is Now Open Stage 2: Additional assistance for uncovered losses, including non-indemnified shallow losses and quality losses will be announced later in the fall with information on how to apply. Stage Two provides assistance for eligible crop, tree, bush and vine losses not covered under Stage One, including: Non-Indemnified (Including Shallow Losses) Insured losses through federal crop insurance that did not trigger a crop insurance indemnity.
November 7, 2025
Harvest is well underway across the Texas High Plains. Cotton strippers are rolling amid the favorable weather patterns we’ve seen the last couple of weeks. While every year is generally a mixed bag of conditions, experts agree that both yields and quality grades are consistently better than the last three crop years. “As a region, I would say we’re probably close to 25% harvested,” said Ken Lege, cotton extension specialist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock.
October 17, 2025
First cotton of the season for ACG coming across the scale on October 3, 2025. Terry Kirk harvested this cotton on October 1. ACG wishes everyone a safe and profitable season. It’s that time again (October 15), and we are off and running. Congratulations to Cody Welborn and Bucky Gossett for bringing us the first bales of the 2025 Crop.
October 10, 2025
National Cotton Council reports that Buying American Cotton Act (BACA) meetings with Member offices continued this week as NCC staff and industry organizations work to secure bipartisan support for the legislation. The team has met with 74 offices so far and anticipates at least 15 more meetings next week.
The Farm Bill provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act increased reference prices for Seed Cotton beginning with the 2025 crop. With some producers purchasing STAX on Seed Cotton Base acres when the reference price was lower, USDA — in line with current RMA policy — is providing an opportunity for growers in STAX to enroll their Seed Cotton base acres in ARC or PLC. The deadline for enrollment is September 30 with the requirement that producers pay a 60% STAX premium penalty.
Switching Your Seed Cotton Enrollment for the 2025 Crop Year
Memo Switching Your Seed Cotton Enrollment for the 2025 Crop Year Home | Switching Your Seed Cotton Enrollment for the 2025 Crop Year
September 12, 2025
New Survey Uncovers Important Knowledge Gap: Consumers Unaware of Clothing’s Role in Microplastic Pollution A new national survey conducted for the National Cotton Council* (NCC) reveals consumers are largely in the dark about microplastic pollution, particularly concerning its origins in everyday clothing. Despite widespread concern, many feel lost on how to effectively address the issue, highlighting an urgent need for clear guidance and accessible solutions.
September 5, 2025
According to the National Cotton Council (NCC), the cotton jassid (Amrasca biguttula), also known as the two-spot cotton leafhopper, has been confirmed in cotton fields in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. In addition, detections have occurred in hibiscus nursery stock sold at big box retailers in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. This pest causes “hopperburn,” leading to yellowing, curling, and reduced yields in cotton and other crops. The latest NCC update is available here.
August 29, 2025 | Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
The new law increases the marketing assistance loan rates for all covered commodities for crop years 2026 through 2031. Effective for the 2026 crop year, the marketing loan rate for upland cotton will go from $0.52 per pound to $0.55 per pound. Extra-long staple cotton will see a new rate of $1.00 per pound. We will also see greater flexibility in the marketing loan repayment rate for upland cotton through the new policy.
August 22, 2025 | Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the latest slate of presidential appointments for key Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD) State Director roles. FSA State Directors help implement President Trump’s America First agenda and execute the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) policies in planning, organizing, and administering FSA programs through state offices across the country.
Cotton USA Could Speak at SXSW!
For the first time, Cotton USA has two panels up for voting at SXSW 2026—the iconic Austin gathering of leaders in technology, culture, and innovation. Executive Director Liz Hershfield is featured on both panels, and Cotton USA is encouraging supporters to help bring these conversations to the stage next spring. Panel 1: What’s in Your Closet?
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