Plains Cotton Growers

What Plains Cotton Growers does

Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. (PCG) is a nonprofit certified producer organization founded in 1956 and headquartered at 8303 Aberdeen Avenue in Lubbock, Texas. The organization represents cotton producers across 42 counties in the Texas High Plains, a region whose growers are responsible for approximately 35% of U.S. cotton production and 60% of Texas cotton production, planting roughly 3.75 million acres of cotton annually. PCG was established by a unanimous vote of more than 1,200 farmers and allied businessmen and has operated continuously for more than 68 years around four formal mission pillars: Legislation, Research, Promotion, and Service.

The organization's core product is the Plains Cotton Improvement Program (PCIP), a producer-funded research platform established in 1983 and operated in collaboration with Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and Texas Tech University's Fiber Biopolymer Research Institute. PCIP supports cotton breeding, variety trials, disease management, entomology, and textile performance testing focused exclusively on High Plains conditions. PCG complements this research mandate with legislative advocacy (Farm Bill, trade, crop insurance, conservation), international cotton promotion through Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated, and a content operation including the Cotton News newsletter, Faces of Cotton stories, and an annual meeting.

PCG is funded primarily through associate membership dues paid by cotton producers, supplemented by nominal event registration fees ($50–$100 per event). It operates with a lean staff of approximately five professionals led by CEO Kody Bessent, and maintains strategic alliances with the National Cotton Council of America, American Cotton Producers, Cotton Incorporated, Cotton Council International, the American Cotton Shippers Association, and the Texas Department of Agriculture. The organization is governed by a producer Board of Directors and supported by a PCG PAC for political engagement.

Name

Plains Cotton Growers

Legal name

Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.

Website

https://plainscotton.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Plains Cotton Growers is a nonprofit certified producer organization founded in 1956 that represents cotton producers across 42 Texas High Plains counties — roughly 35% of U.S. cotton production — through legislative advocacy, producer-funded research, market promotion, and member services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Producer Advocacy Services

NAICS

Cotton Farming (11192), Support Activities for Crop Production (1151)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Cotton Farming (Upland & Pima/ELS) (AFAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fiber Crop Contract & Identity-Preserved Farming (Traceable/Certified Programs) (AFAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Cotton producer advocacy
• Agricultural research programs
• Crop insurance advocacy
• Farm bill lobbying
• Producer membership services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lubbock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Plains Cotton Growers is a nonprofit certified producer organization funded by cotton producers. Revenue comes from associate membership dues paid by producers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Plains Cotton Growers is a nonprofit certified producer organization that represents cotton producers across 42 counties in the Texas High Plains. Its core offering is advocacy and member services centered on four pillars: legislative representation (Farm Bill, trade, crop insurance, appropriations, conservation), producer-funded research through the Plains Cotton Improvement Program (PCIP), cotton promotion through international buyer engagement, and industry communication and education services for its producer members.

Product overview

Plains Cotton Growers Inc. is a nonprofit certified producer organization established in 1956, serving cotton producers across 42 counties in the Texas High Plains. The organization offers a portfolio of services organized around four pillars: Legislation (advocacy and policy development), Research (through the Plains Cotton Improvement Program), Promotion (market development and international buyer engagement), and Service (industry communication, education, and member support). The organization provides advocacy services, operates a producer-funded research program, publishes the Cotton News newsletter, and hosts annual meetings and industry events. PCG represents producers responsible for approximately 35% of the nation's cotton production and 60% of Texas cotton production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plains Cotton Improvement Program (PCIP)
• Legislative Advocacy Services
• Cotton Promotion Services
• Cotton News Newsletter

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Cotton Council of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1956PCG works closely with the National Cotton Council of America and its producer arm, American Cotton Producers, to formulate and implement cotton industry policy. This partnership enables effective input on key cotton issues at the highest levels of federal and state government.
• Cotton IncorporatedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCG collaborates with Cotton Incorporated on research and promotion activities. Cotton Incorporated is the research and promotion company for Upland cotton, funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers. PCG interacts with international cotton buyers through Cotton Incorporated programs.
• Cotton Council InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCG interacts with international cotton buyers through programs of Cotton Council International, participating in educational and promotional events on behalf of Texas High Plains cotton to expand export opportunities.
• Texas A&M AgriLife ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCG maintains research relationships with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, supporting cotton breeding research, variety trials, disease management, entomology studies, and other research efforts advancing High Plains cotton.
• Texas A&M AgriLife ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCG collaborates with Texas A&M AgriLife Research on cotton improvement programs, including the Plains Cotton Improvement Program (PCIP) that supports various research efforts designed to improve High Plains cotton.
• American Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCG and ACSA are partnering on advocacy efforts including the Buying American Cotton Act (BACA), taking on Capitol Hill to promote and prioritize BACA legislation to Congressional Members.
• Texas Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCG works with TDA on implementing programs including the AgLink Continuity Grant (part of House Bill 43), which supports critical agriculture businesses including cotton gins that serve producers.
• American Cotton ProducerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCG collaborates with American Cotton Producers, the producer arm of the National Cotton Council of America, to formulate and implement cotton industry policy at national level.
• Various UniversitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCG maintains research relationships with various universities including Texas Tech University (Fiber Biopolymer Research Institute) to advance cotton textile performance testing and other research initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cotton Incorporated: Research and promotion company for Upland cotton, funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers. Closely comparable as PCG's research and promotion partner, executing the types of activities (research funding, international promotion) that PCG also supports for its region.
• Southern Cotton Growers: Regional cotton producer organization representing growers across the Southeast. Closely comparable to PCG in mission and structure (advocacy, research, promotion) but operating in a different U.S. cotton region.
• Plains Cotton Cooperative Association (PCCA): Farmer-owned cotton marketing cooperative serving the High Plains region. Operates in the same Texas High Plains geography and producer base, with historical collaboration (Joel Hembree of PCCA co-founded the PCIP in 1983). Comparable as a regional cotton producer organization.
• Cotton Council International: The export promotion arm of the U.S. cotton industry. PCG interacts with international cotton buyers through CCI programs, making it a direct peer in international cotton promotion and export market development.
• American Cotton Shippers Association: National trade association for U.S. cotton merchants and exporters. Direct coalition partner with PCG on the Buying American Cotton Act (BACA), making it a peer in cotton industry advocacy and trade policy.
• National Sorghum Producers: Commodity-specific producer organization analogous in structure, mission, and funding model to PCG. Provides a template peer comparison for how a nonprofit producer association operates on advocacy, research, and promotion.
• Texas Cotton Association: Texas-based cotton trade association serving cotton buyers, merchants, and related agribusinesses. Overlapping with PCG's Texas cotton industry representation and producer/market engagement.

Broad incumbents

• National Cotton Council of America: The national umbrella federation for the U.S. cotton industry, of which PCG is a member organization. Directly comparable as a peer advocacy body, though it operates nationally rather than regionally. PCG actively works through the NCC to formulate federal cotton policy.

Others

• Texas Department of Agriculture: State regulatory body that implements programs like the AgLink Continuity Grant. Partnered with PCG on producer-support initiatives; comparable as a policy actor serving Texas cotton producers, though not an advocacy organization.
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Texas A&M's agricultural extension and research arm. PCG maintains deep research partnerships with AgriLife, including the Plains Cotton Improvement Program. Adjacent enabler rather than competitor, but a key institutional peer in advancing High Plains cotton science.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PCGNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/plainscottongrowers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plains-cotton-growers
• Instagraminstagram.com/plainscottongrowers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plains Cotton Growers