2004 National Cotton Council Chairman Woody Anderson, left, presents loving cup to Harry S. Baker Award recipient Charles Stenholm.

The award, named for the late California industry leader and NCC President Harry S. Baker, is presented annually to a deserving individual who has provided extraordinary service, leadership and dedication to the U.S. cotton industry.

Former Texas Congressman Charlie Stenholm was honored as the 2005 award recipient. First elected to Congress in 1978, he embarked on what was to become a distinguished and highly productive career as the Representative of Texas’ 17^th Congressional district.

Stenholm, a cotton producer, worked tirelessly to build broad coalitions, including production agriculture, nutrition and conservation, including helping to steer the 2002 farm law through Congress. He also was deeply involved in crafting U.S. fiscal and budgetary policy.

Prior to his work as a legislator, Stenholm served the industry as: an executive vice president of the Rolling Plains Cotton Growers, a leader in the foundation of the NCC’s Producer Steering Committee (now the American Cotton Producers) and a Cotton Incorporated director.

The late James E. “Jim” Echols, a long-time Memphis cotton merchant and a former National Cotton Council chairman and industry leader, was the recipient of the 2005 Oscar Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award.

This award is presented to an individual, now deceased, who served the industry through the NCC, and who demonstrated character and integrity as well as perseverance and maturation during that service.

Echols, whose dedication and commitment to the cotton industry was known across the country, served the industry for 43 years, and was the fourth merchant to hold the NCC’s top leadership position. He also served as president and chairman of Cotton Council International and was a past president of the Southern Cotton Association and the American Cotton Shippers Association.

Farm Press Publications   Grant: $15,000

FARM PRESS High Cotton Award winners for 2005 from left: Shep Morris, Shorter, AL; Bruce Bond, Portland, AR; Mike Cox, Brawley, CA; and Mike Tyler, Lamesa, TX.

Conservation tillage was the watchword for the recipients of the 2005 High Cotton Awards - the program that for 11 years has honored full-time who produce a profitable, high quality crop while meeting the best standards of environmental stewardship. The winners were: Shep Morris, Shorter, AL; Southeast states; Bruce Bond, Portland, AR, Mid-South states; Mike Tyler, Lamesa, TX, Southwest states; and Mike Cox, Brawley, CA, Far West states.

Endowment: $1,000,000

The Coker Chair has helped Clemson University obtain general assembly appropriations for biotechnology research. The chair itself attracts not only a top-notch faculty member to fill it but additional exceptional faculty as well. The resulting momentum helps attract state investments in facilities such as the new science and technology center and the state-of-the-art greenhouse complex at Clemson. The Chair currently is vacant and a university search committee is seeking a replacement.

Endowment:   $300,000

This fellowship was inaugurated to honor the late California producer-ginner and former Cotton Foundation president, C. Everette Salyer. Doctoral and post-doctoral level students are able to study and conduct research geared to the sciences of producing and marketing cotton. It also provides funding for recipients to attend the annual Beltwide Cotton Conferences, where they are able to share their results with industry leaders.

Randy Clouse, a graduate student in Texas A&M University's department of biological and agricultural engineering, was the fellowship recipient until August 2005. He developed and evaluated management strategies for a site-specific irrigation system for cotton crops. His research was aimed at optimizing water application to cotton, based on water availability and the cotton's physiological status.

Endowment: $60,000

Proceeds from a Mississippi Valley Oilseed Processors Association endowment support the Annual Conference of the Oilseed Processing Clinic. The clinic is jointly sponsored with the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Southern Regional Research Center and the National Cottonseed Products Association.

A scholarship fund at Texas A&M University-Kingsville supports a student in a cotton-focused discipline. The fund was created from memorial scholarship funds commemorating the service of the late Foundation executive director, George Slater.