News from the National Cotton Council 2020 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

NCC Survey Suggests U.S. Producers to Plant 13.0 Million Acres of Cotton in 2020 – U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 13.0 million cotton acres this spring, down 5.5 percent from 2019 (based on USDA’s February 2020 estimate), according to the National Cotton Council’s 39th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey. Upland cotton intentions are 12.8 million acres, down 5.6 percent from 2019, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 224,000 acres represent a 2.7 percent decline.

Kent Fountain to Lead NCC in 2020 – Kent Fountain, a Surrency, Ga., ginner, was elected National Cotton Council (NCC) chairman for 2020. Ted Schneider, a Lake Providence, La., producer, was elected as NCC vice chairman.

Summary of NCC 2020 Cotton Economic Outlook – The NCC prepared a summary of its 2020 Cotton Economic Outlook that was presented at the NCC’s 2020 Annual Meeting on February 15.

Cotton Achievement Award Honors Earl Sears – The late Earl Sears, a former NCC executive vice president whose core belief was that “devotion to service is fundamental to success” received the 18th Oscar Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award.

Cotton Service Award Honors Bill May – Bill May, former president of the Memphis-based American Cotton Shippers Association, received the 2019 Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award.