Adding Efficiencies in Cotton Transport

In partnership with the National Cotton Council (NCC), USDA is piloting a program for the 2024-2025 cotton crop that will allow bales to be shipped in four-bale groupings that use averaged quality data. With more on what that means for the industry, here’s Angie Snyder, Deputy Administrator of the Cotton and Tobacco Program in the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service…

“We’ve been working with the National Cotton Council’s Joint Fungibility Working Group for some time and we’ve run studies at the National Cotton Council’s behest. The resulting pilot is truly a joint effort between the Cotton Council and USDA.”

Snyder says the effort is being done with the hope of improving efficiency when it comes to shipping cotton…

“Traditional module averaging averages the quality factors of micronaire, strength, length, and uniformity. Under the four-bale module averaging, if the four bales have the exact change color and leaf grade, then we will average the remaining characteristics. And, if they meet tolerances, then all four bales will carry the same official USDA quality data.”