By Justin Walker
Communications Specialist
Cotton took center stage on Saturday, Sept. 15, as the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Houston Cougars played in the seventh annual Celebrate Cotton game in Lubbock.
The event highlights the importance of cotton, as well as the ongoing partnership between growers, researchers and Texas Tech University.
“We have had an excellent day recognizing people throughout the cotton industry,” Mary Jane Buerkle, director of Communications and Public Affairs at Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. (PCG), said. “We appreciate Texas Tech Athletics for another successful partnership.”
The Celebrate Cotton game is a time to show support for the crop, Monty Christian, global head of cotton seeds and trades at BASF, said.
“We are all about celebrating the day in cotton,” he said. “We are quite proud of cotton. We have a great portfolio and line up in cotton.”
BASF supports cotton through innovation and solutions, Christian said. Some of the issues BASF is currently researching includes seed quality, weed control and drought tolerance.
“Everything on the farm starts with seed,” Christian said. “We continue to invest in breeding and bringing out the best in genetics.”
Investments in research and development are an extremely important component for BASF, Margaret Shields, global cotton breeding manager, said. This extends past what research the company is doing.
“Beyond what we put in as a company, we have also put $19 million into Texas Tech to support cotton research,” Shields said.
There’s a lot of pride in advancements, Shields said, as new trait packages are formulated and released to the public.
“In my time, I’ve released 18 different trait packages,” she said. “Each time we bring one to the market, it’s like ‘Yay, we have a new tool for the farmer to use!’ We take a lot of pride in that at our organization.”
The ideas for new traits originate from both growers and researchers, Shields said. BASF spends time interacting with farmers to gain their perspective on issues facing cotton.
“Sixty percent of the acres out here are dryland,” Shields said. “It’s a much different scenario than what you see in the Mid-south or the Southeast.”
Texas cotton growers are looking for varieties with strong fiber quality that can survive in a tough growing environment, she said.
Drought has been a major issue this year for growers in the South Plains, Malin Westfall, leader of U.S. cotton business at BASF, said.
“Weather has been the great equalizer,” he said. “But we are pretty optimistic about the yields that will be coming.”
South Plains cotton is very important to the overall cotton industry, Westfall said. A majority of cotton acres in Texas are in the South Plains area, so it’s essential for growers in this area to be successful.
It’s also important for BASF to communicate with the general public about the technologies and practices that go into growing cotton, Westfall said. The Celebrate Cotton game is a good place to do that.
“We need to open the dialogue,” he said. “As an agricultural community, we are small in numbers. We represent about two percent of the population. We feel really comfortable talking to each other about what we do, but as an overall industry, we have to get better about talking to the other 98 percent.”
It’s a positive that the public has questions, Westfall said. Having events such as the Celebrate Cotton game gives them an opportunity to communicate with growers and researchers.
The game is a great outlet for PCG, BASF and the entire cotton industry to share their message, Buerkle said.
“Texas Tech and the cotton industry have such a great relationship,” she said. “When it comes to research and many other aspects, Texas Tech and cotton work together all the time. This is the perfect way to recognize that partnership.”
Buerkle hopes that attendees of the Celebrate Cotton game recognize the importance of the cotton industry in the South Plains.
“This just brings a renewed awareness of what cotton means in this area,” she said.
On the field, Texas Tech won an offensive shootout, beating Houston 63-49.