Date: August 17, 2007
To: Cotton Ginners and Others
From: Lee Tiller, Chairman
Joint Cotton Industry Bale Packaging Committee
Subject: Approved Bale Packaging
Before the 2007 ginning season starts in earnest, I am taking this opportunity to remind my fellow ginners and others of the importance of using only bale packaging materials approved by the Joint Cotton Industry Bale Packaging Committee (JCIBPC) and USDA CCC. The Specifications for Cotton Bale Packaging Materials are published by the National Cotton Council on its website at http://www.cotton.org/tech/bale/specs/index.cfm. A copy of the USDA CCC-809 “Cooperating Ginner's Bagging and Bale Ties Certification and Agreement”, a contract between ginners and CCC to use only materials that comply with the published specifications, can be found on the eForms page of the USDA web site, http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eforms/formsearchservlet.
Ginners are advised to take steps to ensure they are using only materials that meet JCIBPC and USDA CCC packaging specifications. Bales wrapped and tied with materials other than those meeting the JCIBPC specifications can cause producers to be ineligible for CCC loans and other farm program benefits. On occasion, reports concerning distributors offering non-specification materials for sale are sent to NCC staff. Before purchasing bagging and ties, ginners are encouraged to ask distributors for proof such as a certificate of analysis that the packaging materials offered comply with the published specifications. While a list of reputable distributors is not maintained, JCIBPC Lists of Approved Manufacturers are published on the right hand side of the NCC Bale Packaging page, http://www.cotton.org/tech/bale/index.cfm.
Variances from the specifications are granted by USDA CCC for packaging materials in JCIBPC experimental or compatibility test programs. If a distributor claims that a packaging material is in a JCIBPC experimental or compatibility test program, the claim can be verified by reviewing the Participating Gin Warehouse Form links at the bottom of the NCC Bale Packaging page. As was the case last year, firms with materials in test programs should use these links to complete and submit online Participating Gin Warehouse Forms prior to placing the materials at gins. Firms with test programs may ask ginners for email addresses as well as other information concerning where the bales will be warehoused in order to complete the forms.
Please direct your questions to Dale Thompson at the National Cotton Council. His phone number is 901.274.9030.
