U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins wrapped up a visit to Lubbock, Texas, where she joined House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) for a tour and roundtable discussion at the USDA Cotton Classification Complex on the Texas Tech University campus. During the roundtable, she was joined by sorghum, beef, peanut, dairy, and corn producers as well as agricultural leaders from across Texas.
“We have our fabrics, clothes, and medical supplies because of the land and labor from cotton farmers in Lubbock and surrounding counties. With President Trump in the White House, we are putting farmers first at USDA. We are reversing the harmful policies of the Biden Administration that have put an unnecessary strain on farmers in Texas to ensure they thrive in America’s new Golden Age!” said Secretary Rollins.
“I am excited to welcome my dear friend and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to West Texas to meet with our farmers and ranchers, listen to their challenges and concerns, and highlight President Trump’s commitment to a vibrant rural America and the most competitive, productive, and sustainable agriculture industry in the world. Rural America is blessed to have a proud Texan and principled conservative leading our nation’s Department of Agriculture, and I know Brooke will never stop fighting for our farmers and agriculture communities throughout the country. Go WTX and MAGA!” said Representative Arrington.
Texas leads the nation in cotton acreage, with 55 percent of American cotton planted in the state. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) classes 100 percent of U.S. cotton, and the Lubbock AMS facility grades about 20 percent of the entire U.S. cotton crop. The facility has been able to reduce costs by nearly 19 percent per sample, which ensures Americans have access to high-quality, low-cost materials.
During the roundtable, Secretary Rollins heard directly from cotton industry leaders and Texas Tech University officials. The USDA cotton classification facility on the Texas Tech University campus is the first of its kind and is helping to pave the way for research, processing, and grading for cotton. The flagship facility was completely funded by the cotton industry and is maintained by “user-fees” because growers find third-party unbiased grading services provided by USDA essential to the fair and equitable marketing of their crop.
Once cotton is tested, classification data is issued to the owners or owner’s agent to be utilized in the marketing of U.S. cotton worldwide. This data is also the basis for manufacturers to source and utilize cotton for specific end products based on the quality measurements. In a typical growing season, USDA Grading services facilitate the domestic and international marketing of raw cotton valued at over $7 billion with billions more residual value created throughout the supply chain.
Source : usda.gov