How many of you know when the first organized effort to promote cotton began? It was in 1938 when a few industry wise men decided there was strength in numbers only when those numbers spoke with one voice. It was not a promotion where one voice was needed to express the desires of an industry. Serious legislation affecting producers of farm products began in 1933 and it soon became obvious that agriculture needed a stronger voice in order to affect the course of this legislation. So in 1938 the National Cotton Council was born and has been that voice for the whole cotton industry. Those wisemen founders recognized even back then that it cost fewer dollars per individual and more could be accomplished by pooling resources and employing a professional staff for cotton promotion and legislative oversight.