Sledge Taylor to Lead the National Cotton Council in '15

Sledge Taylor, a Como, MS, ginner, was elected NCC chairman for '15. Named during the NCC’s annual meeting held here on Feb. 6-8, he succeeds Wallace L. Darneille, a Lubbock, TX, cooperative marketer.

February 9, 2015
Contact: Marjory Walker
(901) 274-9030

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Sledge Taylor, a Como, Miss., ginner, was elected National Cotton Council chairman for 2015. Named during the NCC's annual meeting held here on February 6-8, he succeeds Wallace L. Darneille, a Lubbock, Texas, cooperative marketer.

Taylor is president of the Como Consolidated Gin Co., Inc. in north Mississippi. He also is owner of Buckeye Farms, where he raises cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts and cattle, and was named the Sunbelt Southeastern Farmer of the Year for Mississippi in 2004.

Taylor has a long and distinguished NCC service record. He served as the NCC's vice chairman in 2014 and was its secretary/treasurer from 2011-13. He was a NCC director from 2007-09 and chairman of the Cotton Foundation in 2012-13, after serving as its president in 2011-12. Taylor was president of the National Cotton Ginners Association in 2009. He is currently an active member of USDA's Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade.

Taylor also has been active in regional, state and local organizations. He served as the president of Southern Cotton Ginners Association in 2002-2003 and was vice president of the Delta Council in 2001-2002. Among other posts, he currently serves as a commissioner for the Panola County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Panola-Tate Drainage District and is a board member for Delta Wildlife. He also is chairman of the Panola County Land Planning Commission.

A Mississippi State University graduate with a bachelor's of science degree in Agricultural Engineering Technology and Business, Taylor is active in his church and community. He is finance chairman of Como Methodist Church and serves on the Panola County Community Foundation and the Panola County Boys and Girls Club board. He and his wife, Denise, have three sons.

The NCC's vice chairman for 2015 is Shane Stephens, a Greenwood, Miss., warehouseman. Clyde Sharp, a Roll, Ariz., producer, was re-elected as the NCC's secretary-treasurer.

Elected as a NCC vice president was David Hastings, a Mauldin, S.C., textile manufacturer. Re-elected NCC vice presidents by industry segment are: GINNER – Sid Brough, Odem, Texas; WAREHOUSEMAN - Coalter Paxton, III, Wilson, N.C., MERCHANT - Joe Nicosia, a Cordova, Tenn.; COOPERATIVE - Meredith B. Allen, Greenwood, Miss.; and COTTONSEED - John C. Fricke, Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

NCC staff officers include: Dr. Gary Adams, NCC president and chief executive officer; Reece Langley, vice president, Washington Operations; Craig Brown, vice president, Producer Affairs; Dr. Bill Norman, vice president, Technical Services; Harrison Ashley, vice president, Ginner Services; and Fred Johnson, vice president, Administration and Program Coordination.