cotton

Cindy Roller, editor of the Cooper Review, and Delta County rancher Jennifer Dwyer discuss the second annual Delta County Cotton Harvest Festival, which takes place Saturday (October 14) in Cooper.  The musical headliner for the downtown square on Saturday night is country-music performer Curtis Grimes.  Wine will be for sale along with beer this year.

Retired Councilwoman JoAnn Preas was recognized for over 18 years of service and dedication on the City of Cooper Council. A decorative bench has been placed near the Pagoda on the downtown Square in Cooper in her honor. During a Council meeting on Monday, July 10, Mayor Darren Braddy noted that Preas has been a true servant of Cooper and that a plaque will be attached to the bench inscribed with the verse Matthew 23-11, “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”

Here are some interesting facts behind the first ever Delta County Cotton Harvest Festival on the Square in Cooper, Texas.

“A cotton bale contains enough cotton to produce more than 313,000 $100 bills or more than 1,200 men’s T-shirts. In 2016, the U.S. produced over 15.8 million bales of cotton (per USDA-NASS). Cotton is responsible for about $27 billion in revenue for U.S. businesses – with total benefit to the U.S. economy estimated near $100 billion annually,” as per Ag101 Facebook.

So the Delta County Chamber of Commerce in coordination with the Economic Development Corporation decided it was time to celebrate the heritage this county has.

The Delta County Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Delta County Economic Development Corporation are bringing the first ever Cotton Harvest Festival to Delta County. It will feature a free performance by Texas Country Recording Artist Josh Ward on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. on the stage on the Square in Cooper. There will also be a Fifth Quarter event on Friday evening following the Cooper Bulldogs Homecoming game, Oct. 7.

He is a man with a plan that has grown from a tiny white boll. PPF Gin and Warehouse owner Pat Pilgrim is ready to unveil his latest endeavor to promote the economic development of Delta County. Eli Whitney’s 1793 invention could not even hold a candle to this facility.
    “This is going to be the most state-of-the art and most recent investment in agriculture in a 300 mile radius in the last 25 years,” said Pilgrim on the over $5 million ginning and warehouse company in Delta County.

Texas A&M University-Commerce archivist emeritus Jim Conrad discusses the book "Empire of Cotton" by Sven Beckert, and the era of cotton as the dominant product of the Texas economy.  Jim also represents the Friends of the Commerce Public Library, and he reminds us that the annual Summer Reading Program for children is underway at the library, with weekly meetin

Hunt County Historical Commission chairman Carol Taylor says the Greenville Chamber of Commerce started a demonstration program 100 years ago to give a boost to the county's declining cotton industry.

Hunt County Historical Commission chairman Carol Taylor says fall was once cotton picking time in Hunt County and all of Northeast Texas.  She's our guest on the Blacklands Cafe.