Texas Tech University

Texas Tech, USDA to Sign Historic Agreement to Open State-of-the-Art Cotton Classing Facility on Campus

George Watson

June 28, 2019

The event will take place at the Bayer Plant Science Building courtyard.

WHAT: Texas Tech University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will sign an agreement to move a USDA Cotton Classing facility to the Lubbock campus.

WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Monday (July 1)

WHERE: Courtyard, Bayer Plant Science Building, 2911 15th St., Texas Tech campus

EVENT: Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec and Greg Ibach, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, will sign an agreement to move a USDA Cotton Classing facility to a new location on the Texas Tech campus near the Rawls Golf Course. They also will participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking.

The current facility is one of several across the U.S. that measures and classifies cotton by its specific physical attributes. This enables the cotton to be marketed by producers and gives precise information to consumers regarding the cotton fibers, allowing it to be used in the most optimized way to produce top-quality cotton products. The current Lubbock cotton classing facility is one of the largest cotton classing offices in the world, and this new state-of-the-art facility and prominent location will benefit the university, the community, and the U.S. cotton industry.

U.S. Reps. Jodey Arrington and Mike Conaway also will deliver remarks at the event. Arrington represents the 19th district and serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, and Conaway represents the 11th district of Texas and is the ranking member of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture.

Officials will be available for media interviews following the event. Media also are invited to participate in a 1 p.m. tour of the current Cotton Classing facility located at 4316 Ironton Ave.