It is with a heavy heart that we pass along the death of a very long time supporter of Southern Southeastern, Sam Spruell. Sam, a farmer from north west Alabama was a huge supporter of the activities of Southern Cotton Growers over the years. He served in many capacities including President.

Sam was always a cut-up and no matter how serious an issue could find some light in the conversation… even when he was mad or didn’t like the way things were going. He had a keen understanding of numbers and could figure just about anything on a pocket calculator including the most complex farm bill changes. He knew exactly the impact on his farm.

He always spoke from the heart and you always knew where you stood with Sam. Sam passed away on January 7 after a lengthy illness. Sam will be missed.

Please read the full obituary with details on the private service and where to make donations below.

https://www.pinkardfh.com/obituaries/Samuel-Spruell-2/#!/Obituary

The USDA released a statement yesterday that indicated Secretary Perdue and Georgia Ag Commissioner Gary Black had been in contact and had full confidence in the classing process. The statement came about as a result of the almost 1 Million bales that had been classed with a remark for seed coat fragment in the Macon Classing Office. This extremely unusual occurrence seems to be a direct result of weather and the state of the crop at the time. We will have a panel discussion at our annual meeting next week on this issue.

Both the Commissioner and the Secretary independently expressed their confidence in the process. The USDA uses many checks and balances and trains all classers to the same standards to assure consistency between classing offices. Several groups have been to the classing office in Macon to view the samples and the process. The classing office is open to visitors and encourages people or groups that would like to see the process to make an appointment and come by. The appointment is to ensure compliance with Covid restrictions.

The FULL STATEMENT Can be found below. We encourage you to follow the link and read the full statement.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/press-release/statement-regarding-seed-coat-fragments-cotton-produced-southeast

Just a friendly reminder that the Southern Southeastern Annual Meeting coming up quick. The first meetings begin on Monday January, 11with the Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation meeting first thing. Other meetings begin in following days. The registration is only $25 this year and we have a great lineup of speakers of interest to both producers and ginners. We encourage you to take a quick glance at the program and register. The Registration and program can be found here: https://whova.com/web/south1_202101/

Ag Net recently published an article I think our members would appreciate and may be able to use to move gin trash and other materials. You can find the Article Here: https://southeastagnet.com/2021/01/04/cotton-byproducts-supplement-cattle-feed/

We hope you find this helpful.

We lost another of our family at the end of 2020. Shirley Bryant Edmonson Bailey passed away on December 30. Shirley was 84. Most people in the last 25+ years knew her by her late husbands name Gibson but everyone just called her “Miss Shirley”.

Shirley was a strong lady and a well respected leader and ginner. She held many positions with Southeastern Cotton Ginners Association over the years and I’m not sure she ever missed an annual meeting before retiring that I can recall. In 2012 she received the Cotton Ginner of the Year.

Shirley will be laid to rest on Saturday, January 2, 2021 in a private ceremony at the family plot. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the Vidant Health Foundation, VMC Palliative Care Unit, P.O. Box 8489, Greenville, NC 27835.

A full and more detailed obituary can be found below. Our condolences go to her family and friends. Shirley will be missed.
https://www.walkerfh.net/obituary/shirley-bryant-bailey