STATESBORO — Several South Georgia cotton farmers and gins were recognized for cotton they produced in 2023.

The 2023 Georgia Quality Cotton Awards were presented at the 2024 Georgia Cotton Commission Mid-Year Meeting on Wednesday. The awards are co-sponsored by the Georgia Cotton Commission and Bayer Crop Science/Deltapine and administered by the University of Georgia (UGA) Cotton Team. Yangxuan Liu from the UGA Cotton Team conducted the analysis and presented the awards at the event in Statesboro.

The purpose of the awards is to recognize producers and ginners of high-quality cotton fiber and to identify their general management practices for the benefit of other growers, according to a press release from the Georgia Cotton Commission. The producers and their gins received a plaque, and the winning producers received a $500 cash award.

The UGA County Extension agent for each winner was also recognized as they work closely with the farmers during the growing season, the cotton commission said.

The awards are given in each of these three cotton acreage categories: (1) less than 500 acres, (2) 500 to 1,000 acres, and (3) greater than 1,000 acres within the four regions of the state. Winners in these categories are determined by the loan value and premiums of their cotton.

The winners’ excellent achievements are due largely to their management practices and expertise. The sponsors of this program congratulate the following winners:

REGION 1

Less than 500 acres

Grower – MGB Farms, Pulaski County

Ginner – Heart of Georgia Peanut & Gin, Hawkinsville

Nominated by – Jay Porter

500-1000 acres

Grower – Melissa Cape Farms, Pulaski County

Ginner – Heart of Georgia Peanut & Gin, Hawkinsville

Nominated by – Jay Porter

1000+ acres

Grower – WB Cape Farms, Pulaski County

Ginner – Heart of Georgia Peanut & Gin, Hawkinsville

Nominated by – Jay Porter

REGION 2

Less than 500 acres

Grower – Dickens Farms, Inc., Oconee County

Ginner – Bostwick Gin, Bostwick

Nominated by – Carsen Dean & Lucy Ray

500-1000 acres

Grower – Bill Godowns, Jefferson County

Ginner – Farmer’s Gin and Storage, Wadley

Nominated by – Pamela Sapp

1000+ acres

Grower – Dean Johnson, Burke County

Ginner – Bryant’s Inc., Bartow

Nominated by – Cliff Collins & Peyton Sapp

REGION 3

Less than 500 acres

Grower – Tommy Kenny, TFK In. Farms, Lowndes County

Ginner – B.C.T. Gin Company, Inc., Quitman

Nominated by – Joshua Dawson

500-1000 acres

Grower – Lee and Cole Ballard Farms, Brooks County

Ginner – B.C.T. Gin Company, Inc., Quitman

Nominated by – Will Brown

1000+ acres

Grower – Johnson Farms, Cook County

Ginner – B.C.T. Gin Company, Inc., Quitman

Nominated by – Tucker Price

REGION 4

Less than 500 acres

Grower – Jonathan Hart, Thomas County

Ginner – Boston Gin, Boston

Nominated by – Sydni Ingram & Michasia Dowdy

500-1000 acres

Grower – Patterson Farms, Worth County

Ginner – Worth Gin & Warehouse, Inc., Sylvester

Nominated by – Scott Carlson

1000+ acres

Grower – M & G Farms, Worth County

Ginner – Worth Gin & Warehouse, Inc., Sylvester

Nominated by – Scott Carlson

The final award given was the overall Best Cotton Award. This was awarded to the Georgia cotton producer with highest loan value and premium. The 2023 Best Cotton Award went to Oconee County’s Dickens Farm, Inc. with a loan value of 57.81 cents/lb and a premium of 5.81 cents/lb.