(New York, NY)

In December, the 2022 class of the Cotton Research and Promotion Hall of Fame was honored at the joint Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated annual meeting. After a two-year hiatus, the seventh class of Hall of Fame honorees was formally recognized for their contributions to the Program and to the cotton industry during a gala dinner at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, LA.

The 2022 honorees of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program Hall of Fame were chosen from nominations made by Certified Producer and Importer Organizations and voted upon by the Chairman’s Committee of the Cotton Incorporated Board of Directors. The two honorees for the 2022 Cotton Research and Promotion Hall of Fame were Steve Verett (Texas) and Kenneth Hood (Mississippi).

• Steve Verett, a native of Crosby County, Texas, has firsthand knowledge of the challenges that face Texas cotton growers as a partner in his family’s farming operation. This has allowed him to be at the forefront of identifying issues and advocating for research to help cotton producers. Mr. Verett graduated from Texas Tech University and has held leadership positions with the Plains Cotton Growers, the National Cotton Council’s Cotton Leadership Program, the Texas Food and Fiber Commission, and the American Cotton Producers Farm Policy Task Force. He has had integral roles in the development of agricultural policy at various levels and has always been a strong supporter of producer-driven research activities. Working directly with producers as well as members of Congress, he helped develop farm bills and facilitate successful farm policies and research provisions, including returning cotton as a covered commodity under the 2014 Farm Bill legislation.

• Kenneth Hood (deceased) was a pioneer in precision agriculture technologies and was a vital part in the development of the boll weevil eradication program. A native of Mississippi, Mr. Hood represented the industry at local, state, and national levels, serving on the Bolivar County Farm Bureau, the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, and the National Cotton Council of America among others. His accomplishments and leadership in the industry also allowed him to be recognized with several distinctions including Cotton Farming’s Cotton Farmer of the Year, New York Cotton Exchange Cotton Marketer of the Year, and the Cotton Grower Magazine’s Cotton Achievement Award.

Steve Verett was in attendance at the awards dinner and honored in person. Bernie Jordan, a cotton producer from Mississippi and chairman of Cotton Incorporated, accepted the award on behalf of the late Mr. Hood.

“It was a great honor to recognize the outstanding achievements made by Mr. Verett and Mr. Hood with so many of their industry colleagues in December,” said Berrye Worsham, president and CEO of Cotton Incorporated. “Their long-term commitments and advocacy have helped shape the cotton industry.”

The Cotton Research and Promotion Program was established in 1966 to expand the demand for Upland cotton and to increase the profitability for both cotton growers and importers of cotton products. The Program’s Hall of Fame was formed in September of 2014 and has since honored 24 individuals for their significant contributions to the Program or to the cotton industry in general.

To read more and view videos about all the Research and Promotion Hall of Fame honorees, please visit our website.

About Cotton Incorporated

Cotton Incorporated is the research and promotion company for Upland cotton. Funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers of Upland cotton-containing products, the not-for-profit organization’s mission is to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton. As a resource for the cotton industry, Cotton Incorporated conducts or oversees more than 450 research and educational projects in an average year. Research areas range from the development of agricultural and textile innovations to analyses of commodity and market data.