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AgTech Company News

Local ag tech firm launches digital platform to transform U.S. cotton industry

At first glance, the goal of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol seems daunting — to reduce the environmental footprint of the industry and make cotton farming more sustainable across the nation.

But, the digital platform usage is surprisingly simple. And it’s laid out, in a way, like TurboTax.

“It’s self-guided, and guides you through, step by step, with progression,” said Mark Pryor, CEO of The Seam. “When you’re keying in your information to do your taxes … they [TurboTax] make it simple. We’re doing that for farmers.”

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AgTech Company News Cotton Sustainability

U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Names Directors and Advisors

The inaugural Board of Directors and Advisors have been named for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol (Trust Protocol), a new standard developed to help the U.S. cotton production sector further reduce its footprint by enabling producers to assess their performance against specific sustainability goals. Through robust data inputs, the Trust Protocol will add confidence throughout the supply chain – positioning U.S. cotton as the responsible choice for mills and retailers.

Directors representing the raw cotton industry include:

  • Producers – Matt Coley (Georgia); Ted Schneider (Louisiana); Shawn Holladay (Texas); and Aaron Barcellos (California); 
  • Ginner – David Blakemore (Missouri); 
  • Marketing Cooperative – Hank Reichle (Mississippi);
  • Merchant – Steve Dyer (Tennessee);
  • Cottonseed – Fred Serven (Tennessee);
  • Manufacturer – Jim Martin (North Carolina); 
  • Brands/Retailers are Liza Schillo, Levi Strauss & Co., and Joe Little, Tesco;
  • Suzy Friedman, Environmental Defense Fund; Melissa Ho, the World Wildlife Fund; Marty Matlock, the University of Arkansas; and Garry Bell, formerly with Gildan. 

Trust Protocol advisors include:  Jesse Daystar, Cotton Incorporated; Andy Jordan, Jordan Consulting; Marc Lewkowitz, Supima; Mark Pryor, The Seam; and Mike Quinn, Frontier Spinning Mills.

For more information, visit: http://www.cotton.org/news/releases/2019/trusbd.cfm

Categories
Company News Sustainability

Event Recap: 2018 Sourcing USA Summit

Earlier this month, Mark Pryor, Chairman and CEO at The Seam, presented at the 2018 Sourcing USA Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. More than 500 decision-makers within the global cotton industry gathered to hear about how blockchain technology is revolutionizing agriculture by providing transparency, security and immutability to commodity trading and management. The Summit was attended by the largest cotton customers in the world, representing 30 countries, merchants, cooperatives and agents in the industry.

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Company News Cotton

The Seam Forms Cotton Technology Alliance, Brings Data Standards to Industry

MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 27, 2018 – The Seam, a leading provider of agribusiness software and trading solutions, today announced it has formed the Cotton Technology Alliance in cooperation with the American Cotton Shippers Association, National Cotton Council and International Cotton Association. The Seam alluded to the formation at the 94th Annual ACSA Convention in Austin, Texas, last month, and the organization held its first official meeting on June 26.