Closing out the South Texas Farm & Ranch Show on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 1:30 p.m., Christi Short, the regional communications manager of the Cotton Board, will host a session.
鈥淐otton Board for Women in Ag鈥 is only one of three sessions included in the 鈥淲omen in Agriculture鈥 block, and Short says the bulk of the session will be more of a general overview of the Cotton Board. It is expected to cover the personnel that makes up the Cotton Board, the various kinds of activities done in collaboration with the different departments at Cotton Incorporated, and will highlight the consumer campaign commercials that began earlier in 2024.
鈥淸I鈥檇 like to] highlight some of the different brands and retail partnerships that Cotton Incorporated has had throughout the year,鈥 Short says. 鈥淎nd then I will talk a little bit about what I feel like women鈥攁nd really anybody in the industry鈥攃an do to help us spread the good word of what cotton farmers are doing.鈥
The Cotton Board, Short says, is a national organization serving as an arm of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. The program鈥檚 website says its 鈥淥ngoing goal is to develop, fund and implement a coordinated plan of research and promotion designed to strengthen Upland cotton鈥檚 competitive position and to maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets and uses for cotton.鈥
鈥淲e are a federally mandated check-off program for US Cotton, so we do have USDA oversight,鈥 Short says. 鈥淎nd then at the Cotton Board, we collect the financial assessment that鈥檚 on every bale of Upland cotton ginned in the United States. We also collect a similar assessment on the cotton content of imported goods into the United States.鈥
Short says the Cotton Board then communicates with its stockholders and informs them of what specifically the program is doing on their behalf.
Short also commented on a shift being seen in the cotton industry, that women have shown a more significant presence recently.
鈥淚 feel like over the last several years鈥攎aybe the last decade or so鈥攚e are seeing more and more women be the farmer,鈥 Short says. 鈥淎s before, the woman was the spouse of a farmer, the woman only worked in the home; maybe there [were] women [who] worked in the gin office as a secretary, but we鈥檙e seeing more and more women actually be the farmer. Whether they鈥檙e a partner with their spouse, whether they鈥檙e a partner with a family member, whether they farm solely on their own. Maybe they manage a cotton gin, maybe they鈥檙e a manager or a director in some sort of industry partner. There鈥檚 even more women researchers out in the field that you probably didn鈥檛 see a couple of decades ago.鈥
Short says there isn鈥檛 anything attendees need to know specifically before attending her session, but she encourages readers to soak up as much information as possible from the other sessions.
鈥淭here鈥檚 some really good information to come out on water, there鈥檚 some really good strategies, some really good research I think we鈥檒l hear about,鈥 Short says.
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