The program is organized by Texas Tech's Fiber & Biopolymer Research Institute in partnership with the Lubbock Cotton Exchange and the Texas Cotton Association | Photo: N Martin
Cotton professionals from around the world will converge on the South Plains this summer as Texas Tech hosts the 45th session of the Texas International Cotton School, a longstanding educational program designed to provide an immersive look at one of the state’s most influential agricultural industries.
Set in one of the nation’s largest cotton-producing region, the program offers a firsthand view of the agricultural systems, technological innovations and commercial networks.
Scheduled for Aug. 3-13, the program is organized by Texas Tech's Fiber & Biopolymer Research Institute in partnership with the Lubbock Cotton Exchange and the Texas Cotton Association. The two-week school will bring together merchants, manufacturers, researchers, textile professionals and industry leaders for an intensive examination of the U.S. cotton supply chain, from field production to global marketing.
Set in one of the nation’s largest cotton-producing region, the program offers participants a firsthand view of the agricultural systems, technological innovations and commercial networks that drive the nation’s cotton industry.
Through a combination of classroom instruction, technical presentations, laboratory demonstrations and field tours, attendees will receive a multidisciplinary perspective on the fiber’s journey from seed development and crop management to textile manufacturing and international trade.
Topics covered during the 2026 session include cotton breeding strategies, production systems, cottonseed biotechnology, precision agriculture, sustainability initiatives, fiber quality measurement, contamination control, textile processing and fabric performance. Participants also will examine specialized areas such as Pima cotton production, cotton ginning and classing, bale selection and emerging sustainability challenges facing the industry.
In addition to technical and scientific instruction, sessions will focus on cotton economics, futures and options trading, contracts, government programs, export logistics, merchant operations, international market promotion, trade finance, cotton insurance and international arbitration.
In addition, participants will visit some of the region’s most significant cotton-related facilities. Scheduled tours include Bayer CropScience’s Global Cotton Headquarters, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cotton Classing Office, where fiber quality is assessed using High Volume Instrumentation technology, and Farmers Compress, one of the world's largest cotton storage and shipping facilities with a capacity of approximately 2.2 million bales.
Attendees also will visit area farms representing a range of production systems, from dryland operations to advanced precision-irrigation technologies.
CONTACT: Noureddine Abidi, Interim Associate Vice President for Research & Innovation and Davis College Associate Dean for Research, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-1221 or noureddine.abidi@ttu.edu
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