Bruce Brumfield, right, a former NCC president and Inverness, MS, producer, receives the 2005 Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award for Cotton from outgoing 2005 NCC chairman Woods Eastland.

Bruce Brumfield, a former National Cotton Council president and cotton producer from Inverness, MS, received the 2005 Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award for Cotton.

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.

A partner in Brumfield Plantation and FTB Farms and vice president of Duncan Gin Inc. in Inverness, Brumfield was honored for his uncommon leadership and his distinguished and invaluable service provided to the U.S. cotton industry. He became chairman of the NCC’s Board in 1995 after serving as NCC president in 1994. He is a past chairman of the NCC’s Producer Steering Committee and a past president of the Delta Council and the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association. He currently serves as a director for Staplcotn Cotton Cooperative, the Community Bank of Indianola, Delta Pride Catfish and Delta Western Inc.

In recognition of his leadership and extensive knowledge, Brumfield was selected a member to the Commission on 21^st  Century Production Agriculture.

Previous honorees of the Harry S. Baker Award include Duke Barr, Lloyd Cline, Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Robert Coker, Rep. Larry Combest, Charlie Cunningham, William B. Dunavant, Jr., Duke Kimbrell, Bill Lawson, Lon Mann, Frank Mitchener, Albert Russell, Jimmy Sanford, Earl Sears, B. F. Smith, Jack Stone, Charlie Youngker, and last year’s recipient, Charles Stenholm.

The Oscar Johnston Lifetime Achievement 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.

There was no Award presented in 2006.

Farm Press Publications Publisher Greg Frey, far right, congratulates recipients of the 2006 High Cotton awards from left: Wally Shropshire, Blythe, CA; Cliff Fox, Capron, VA; Joe Bostick, Golden, MS; and Lawrence Braswell, Raymondville, TX.

Farm Press Publications   Grant: $15,000

Growing good crops while doing their best to protect their soil, water and wildlife could best describe the motto of the recipients of the 2006 High Cotton Awards - the program that for 12 years has honored full-time who produce a profitable, high quality crop while meeting the best standards of environmental stewardship. The winners were: Cliff Fox, Capron, VA; Joe Bostick, Golden, MS; Lawrence Braswell, Raymondville, TX; and Wally Shropshire, Blythe, CA.

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.

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.