WASHINGTON, July 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thanks to a pioneering group of forward-thinking farmers, organic cotton production in Texas has expanded from virtually nothing in the early 1990s to over 20,000 acres in 2015, making the Texas High Plains the largest organic cotton-growing region in the United States.
In recognition of the group's hard work and organic vision, the farmers of the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative (TOCMC) have been selected to receive the prestigious "Organic Farmer of the Year" Leadership Award from the Organic Trade Association (OTA) in ceremonies in September.
"The farmers of the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative represent the best characteristics of organic farmers—extraordinary vision, commitment to a cleaner agriculture, and a strong collective spirit," said OTA CEO and Executive Director Laura Batcha. "OTA is thrilled to be recognizing these Texas organic cotton farmers for their significant contributions to the domestic organic cotton industry and to organic cotton production."
Surviving floods, sandstorms, droughts and Texas politics
In 1993, Texas farmers formed the cooperative when they realized they were producing more organic cotton than the market could absorb. Banding together, they began efforts to develop markets and to avoid being at the mercy of cotton brokers and merchants. Many of these early pioneers still are involved in promoting organic farming and educating the public about organic practices.
It hasn't always been easy. Over time, the cooperative has survived floods, sandstorms, hailstorms and droughts that destroyed as much as 70 percent of its crops some years. It has survived due to the farmers' personal commitment to organic production, the strength in its cooperative membership structure, and its vision for cleaner agricultural system.
The cooperative began with 30 farm families producing 1,400 organic bales and 4,900 transitional bales from about 5,000 acres in 1993. In 2015, its 50 farm family members harvested 14,000 organic bales and 1,200 transitional bales on over 20,000 acres. They produce 80 to 90 percent of the organic cotton grown in the United States.
"Without the firm commitment of the farmers of TOCMC through thick and thin times, the essential fiber needed to make hundreds of organic cotton textile products would simply not have been there to keep the industry alive. This steadfast supply line has also helped keep thousands of American jobs intact as well as contributing toward a cleaner environment both physically and as a metaphor for positive change," says Daniel Sanders, president of Spiritex.
Noting that TOCMC represents the only commercial growers of long staple certified organic cotton in the United States, Marc Chase, CEO of Native Organic Cotton, says, "These TOCMC farm families are the thin line guarding our top soil, air and water for generations to come."
Jane Dever, professor and cotton breeder at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in Lubbock, TX, also points out their importance to growing and promoting organic cotton. "TOCMC farmer members successfully have advocated for the added value of organic fiber and seed feed to be recognized in U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency crop insurance formulas and, with little assistance from traditional research and extension outlets, developed technical practices that allow organic cotton yield and quality to compete, and often, exceed, conventional yields in comparable water situations."
