By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
The certified first bale of cotton in the U.S. was delivered to Willacy Co-op in Sebastian on June 13.
Cotton farmer Wesley Vanderpool grew and harvested the cotton in Hidalgo County. He will receive a $3,000 award for delivering the first bale of the season.
The seed cotton weighed just over one ton at 2,040 pounds.
Once the bale has been ginned, it will be delivered to the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce and the Harlingen Cotton Committee will auction it off later this year.
The committee said the first bale of cotton grown in the United States has come from the Rio Grande Valley every year since 1953.
It is estimated that cotton generates about $24 billion to the Texas economy.
Texas leads the U.S. in cotton production, with about 25 percent of the entire U.S. crop coming from the Lone Star State.
The bale will be auctioned off at an annual event that celebrates cotton’s economic impact in the Rio Grande Valley and raises funds for scholarships for Texas State Technical College students pursuing a degree in an agricultural-related field.
“Our goal is to continue to serve the agricultural community of the Rio Grande Valley and support and inspire students to take an active role in this field,” Harlingen Cotton Committee Chairman Sam Simmons Jr. told the Valley Morning Star. “This event has grown tremendously over the years, and it will continue to do so.”
The First Bale Auction & Scholarship Fundraiser is set for Sept. 13. More information about the event is available on the Harlingen Cotton Committee’s Facebook page.