The cotton industry is getting a boost, according to an announcement by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on Thursday.
The “Great American Cotton Plan” will be a wide-ranging, ground-up USDA drive that starts with lifting the cotton farm economy.
In Texas, cotton contributes about $2.8 billion to the economy each year, according to the Texas Farm Bureau. The state leads the nation in cotton farming.
Cotton is also an important crop in the Concho Valley area where the Southern Rolling Plains Cotton Growers Association, made up of local cotton producers and ginners, is based, according to Texas A&M AgriLife.
But USDA’s initiative won’t stop at farming.
Rollins said it will also restore domestic textile manufacturing, widen trade opportunities and work to increase demand for products made with American-grown cotton.
“Since 1607, cotton has helped build and sustain rural America. Our farmers grow some of the highest-quality cotton in the world, but over the last several years America’s cotton growers have been crushed by rising costs, unfair foreign competition, and a flood of cheap synthetic products,” Rollins said. “In 2023, we lost our status as the world’s top cotton exporter to Brazil. This change starts today.”
She went on to highlight USDA’s commitment to natural fibers alignment with public concerns over microplastics and synthetic materials in everyday products.
“Cotton is natural, breathable and proudly grown by American farmers — not manufactured from petroleum-based plastics that can shed microplastics in our soil, water, and bodies,” Rollins said.
The release said cotton producers will face a fifth consecutive year of negative returns pushed by rising input costs, trade distortions and increased competition from synthetic materials. The USDA will encourage consumers to purchase products made with cotton through the “Plant Not Plastic” initiative.
More broadly, USDA’s Great American Cotton Plan will operate under four key pillars:
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Amid microplastics concerns, USDA introduces cotton plan
Reporting by Ronald W. Erdrich, Abilene Reporter-News / San Angelo Standard-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
