April 2 was a good day.
More than 330 producers and industry representatives gathered at the Overton Hotel & Confer-ence Center in Lubbock, Texas, for the 67th annual meeting of Plains Cotton Growers Inc.
The theme for this year’s meeting was “Build for the Future,” which was woven throughout the day in our general session segments and breakout sessions. Here are the highlights.
The U.S. Farm Report
U.S. Farm Report Host Tyne Morgan led a roundtable discussion with National Cotton Council Vice President of Economics and Policy Analysis Jody Campiche, Texas A&M University Agricultural Food and Policy Center Co-Director Bart Fischer, and Combest, Sell & Associates Chief Economist Brad Weddelman. The discussion involved how the current economic outlook of the cotton industry would affect future decisions and outcomes.
Cotton Segment Panel
Following the U.S. Farm Report, PCCA CEO and President Kevin Brinkley moderated a panel representing six segments of the cotton industry. Panelists included Spring-Lake Earth Producer and PCG Officer Brent Coker, North Gin Manager Jordy Rowland, Farmers Cooperative Compress President and CEO Eric Wanjura, PYCO Industries President Robert Lacy, and American Cotton Shippers Association President Buddy Allen.
When discussing hard times, Lacy said the following regarding the future: “None of us would be in this business if we didn’t have faith. We all remember hard years in our careers that we weren’t sure we were going to make it out of, but we’re still here. I have faith that we will have good times again.”
Keynote Speaker David Avrin
Customer service expert David Avrin discussed future proofing businesses through service and management. Here are some key takeaways:
• You have to do business as if every one of your customers is armed with a video camera — because they are.
• 63% say a convenient customer experience is more important than a friendly customer experience. – 2022 ACA Report
• There is 100 times a better chance of winning the business with a reply within five minutes. – Harvard Business Review We are so appreciative of our membership and industry friends for spending the day with us and for our sponsors who made the whole event possible.