The Georgia Cotton Commission has released the names of its guest speakers for its Wednesday, July 23 Mid-Year Meeting at the Nesmith-Lane Conference Center in Statesboro. 

The inaugural Mid-Year Meeting is held in conjunction with a UGA Cotton Pre-Harvest Workshop, conducted by members of the UGA Research and Extension Cotton Team.

The UGA Cotton Pre-Harvest Workshop will feature sessions where those attending will receive a 2025 crop update and defoliation considerations along with discussions regarding late season irrigation and pest management strategies.

The program speakers are the Cotton Board Chair Akiko Inui and National Cotton Council Vice President of Producer Affairs Tas Smith.

Inui chairs the Cotton Board, which administers the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. She has served as an importer bember of the Cotton Board since 2016 and has been on the executive committee since 2020.  

Inui is the Transparency and Traceability Program Advisory Consultant for Ralph Lauren and has previously held positions with PVH Corporation, Dow Chemical Co. and Itochu Corp.  She holds degrees from Kwansei Gakuin University and Boston University and serves as an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Smith has been with the National Cotton Council since 2019. In he role Vice president of producer affairs, he works with the American Cotton Producers and the NCC’s grower members to implement policies that enhance the viability and long-term viability of the producer segment of the industry.  

Before coming to NCC, Smith served as the state executive director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Georgia and in roles at Georgia Farm Bureau.  A native of Butler, he is a graduate of Valdosta State University.

During the lunch program the Georgia Quality Cotton Awards for the 2025 crop will be presented.  There is no charge to attend. Pre-registration is requested to help with meal plans.  

Register online at georgiacottoncommission.org.