Economic Impact; Tech to celebrate cotton industry at weekend football game
Connections to cotton run deep at Texas Tech. The university and the High Plains cotton industry are partnering for the second annual "Celebrate Cotton Game" on Saturday (Sept. 21), when the 25th-ranked Red Raiders host Texas State at Jones AT&T Stadium.
Cotton will be everywhere from displays around the stadium to promotions, special graphics and cotton facts during the game, said Michael Galyean, dean of Texas Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Special game day T-shirts will be distributed and cotton bales will line each entrance to the stadium, each with signage describing what the cotton in that bale can make or how it impacts the regional economy.
"This game is important because it's more than just celebrating cotton," said Steve Verett, executive vice president of Plains Cotton Growers. "It's celebrating an entire region of hard-working men and women who grow, process, and merchandise millions of bales of cotton so we can clothe America and the world, and helping more people understand our role in cotton production and its impact on our economy.
Cotton is represented in the university seal and is studied intensely in research labs across campus. Cotton is the featured material in the university's Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, in addition to several ongoing research programs focusing on cotton in Tech's Department of Plant and Soil Science.
During the past decade, West Texas cotton has experienced a dramatic transformation through new transgenic cotton varieties and advanced technology. During that time Texas Tech researchers have worked on a number of projects to enhance fiber quality through genetics and create new value-added cotton products.
"The cotton industry in West Texas is a world-leading producer and Texas Tech is honored to celebrate the accomplishments of our region on a national stage for the second consecutive year," said Texas Tech Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt. Presenting sponsors include Delta Pine, United Cotton Growers, All-Tex Seed, City Bank Texas, Bayer CropScience, AgTexas Farm Credit Services, PhytoGen and Warren Cat.
Written by Norman Martin
CONTACT: Michael Galyean, Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or michael.galyean@ttu.edu
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