69th Plenary Meeting

Lubbock, Texas, USA
20-25 September, 2010

Cotton Industry Growth Through Global Unity

Meeting Statement and Documents
Meeting Registration
Hotel Information
Page Web en Français
Página web en espanol
Accompanying Persons Program (672K PDF)
Agenda (348K PDF) as of 25 September
Meeting brochure (4.1MB PDF) from the Organizing Committee
Registered participants (434K PDF) as of 24 September
Additional information

Welcome

It is a great pleasure to invite you to the 69th Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee to be held in Lubbock, Texas, from September 20-25, 2010, the heart of the U.S. cotton industry. This event provides me the opportunity to highlight the economic and social importance of cotton to not only ICAC members, but also to the world.

The United States has long recognized the importance of cotton and is proud to be a global leader in public and private sector investment in research in cotton production, harvesting and utilization as well as generic cotton promotion and marketing activities. This investment has produced advancements and technologies that benefit the cotton sector globally while expanding overall market opportunities. In Lubbock you will be surrounded by many of these advancements, and the Organizing Committee has designed a program to provide you an up close view of our industry and institutions while experiencing the rich heritage of the Texas High Plains.

While the cotton industry has thrived historically and has been a source of economic security, the sector continues to face stiff challenges. It will require all countries with a stake in cotton working together in order to capitalize on cotton's full potential. In recognition of this reality, the Organizing Committee has suggested and the ICAC Standing Committee has adopted as the theme for this year's meeting "Cotton Industry Growth Through Global Unity".

The meeting will focus on key issues of mutual interest and concern to all countries and sectors of the cotton industry; such as the Social, Environmental and Economic Performance of Cotton Production, Water Use Efficiency, Sustaining Cotton's Place in the World Market, International Trade Negotiations, New Developments in Cotton Technologies, and Improving Industry Efficiency in Storage, Transportation and Handling. The meeting will also include discussion of the on-going collaborative work of the Task Force on Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton and the work of the International Forum for Cotton Promotion (IFCP) on Demand Enhancement.

On behalf of myself, the Organizing Committee and the U.S. cotton industry I want to welcome all the delegates to the United States and to Lubbock, Texas. I am sure that your time spent here will be fruitful and you will enjoy the world famous Texas hospitality during your stay.

James W. Miller
Under Secretary
Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services

SITE OF THE MEETING

The 69th Plenary Meeting of the ICAC will be held at The Overton Hotel and Conference Center, which is within a cheerleader's shout of Jones AT&T Stadium, home of Texas Tech Red Raider football and just a few blocks from the main campus of Texas Tech University. The Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport is just 10 minutes away, with service daily by both national and regional airlines.

Consular Matters

Under U.S. immigration law, United States (U.S.) visa policy permits citizens of certain countries to travel to the U.S. without a visa, when they meet certain requirements. Other international travelers coming to the U.S. might require a visa. There are various types of non-immigrant visas for temporary visitors to travel to the U.S, if you are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident. It's important to have information about the steps required to apply for the visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad.

For further information, you are kindly requested to visit the US Department of State web site.

If you have any questions about the plenary meeting, please email your comments to plenaryinformation@icac.org.

The current weather forecast in Lubbock can be viewed at either the CNN or weather.com web sites.

Currency and Time Converters

The current time around the world can be viewed at timeanddate.com and a simple currency converter can be found at xe.net.