HARLINGEN — The folks at Wyatt Agri Products were aiming from the very beginning to bring in the first bale of cotton this season.
And they succeeded.
Wyatt Agri Products delivered the official certified first bale of cotton in the United States to Harlingen Gin Company at 12:18 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6.
The seed cotton weighed in at 1,680 pounds and was picked north of Edcouch Elsa.
Wyatt Agri Products will receive a reward of $3,000.
Once ginned, the bale of cotton will be delivered to the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber’s Cotton Committee celebrates the 2017 cotton crop with a First Bale Auction and Scholarship Fundraiser set for Thursday, Sept. 14.
Wyatt Agri Products operates Texas farming entities, primarily in the Rio Grande Valley and along the Nueces Strip.
Since 1953, Harlingen has auctioned the first bale of cotton grown in the United States and this year will be no different
The Harlingen Cotton Committee of the Harlingen Chamber for more than 63 years has verified that the nation’s first bale of cotton was grown in the Rio Grande Valley.
“This event has grown tremendously over the years, and our goal is to continue to serve the agricultural community of the Rio Grande Valley and support and inspire students to take an active role in this field,” said Harlingen Cotton Committee Chairman Brady Taubert.
Along with auctioning off the first bale, the Harlingen Cotton Committee will be awarding scholarship money to students attending Texas State Technical College to pursue a degree in an agricultural-related field.
The TSTC Lozano Long Opportunity Scholarship will match those funds to support agriculture students in the Valley.
“Agriculture is about one quarter of the area’s economy, so the industry is not only important to the actual farmers but to consumers as well. Cotton grown in the Rio Grande Valley gets shipped all over Texas and the U.S. and is transported to many countries overseas,” Taubert said.
“Without the American farmer, we would be a nation with no clothing or food.”
For more information contact Vanessa Camacho, Chamber of Commerce Vice President at [email protected] or call the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce at 956-423-5440.
