In this special edition of our Smarter Conversations podcast, we delve deeper into the data featured in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol’s 2023 Annual Report. The episode sheds light on the progress made by Trust Protocol growers to date and the potential that verified data holds for driving continuous improvement. Our Executive Director Daren Abney and Standards and Data Lead Dr. Deepika Deepika Mishra dive into the nuances of interpreting the data presented in the report and how the data is impacting the environmental footprint of cotton production.

This episode starts from a recent report from Transformers Foundation debunking myths on the lack of sustainability in the cotton industry. Dr. Jesse Daystar, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Cotton Incorporated and special advisor to the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, Andrew Olah, Founder of Transformers Foundation, and Marzia Lanfranchi, Cotton Advisor at Transformers Foundation, explain why the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol provides higher certainty on sustainability performance and why programs of this kind are the way to go.

This episode shows how cotton can contribute to global ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Deepika Mishra, Global Sustainability Manager, National Cotton Council of America, and John Lindamood, a cotton grower from Tennessee, explain how the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol supports the reduction in GHGs. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #GHG #emissions #sustainability 

This episode explores in depth the ways technological innovations and precision agriculture help Trust Protocol growers achieve their goals. It covers the full crop cycle of cotton and sees two growers – Aaron Barcellos from California and Nathan Reed from Arkansas – exchanging best practices and sharing what kind of innovative methods and technologies they use to plant their crops, to track their progress and to reduce the use of agricultural inputs. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #sustainability #environment #technology #precisionagriculture 

This episode explores how sustainable practices in cotton production are helping to promote biodiversity. Sledge Taylor and Marshall Hardwick explain why, as cotton growers, biodiversity is important to them and why growers care about it. Topics explored include regenerative agriculture, conservation tillage, habitat preservation, cover crops and pesticide use. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #sustainability #sustainablecotton #biodiversity #environment 

In this episode we talk about the importance of water for growing cotton and how the Trust Protocol is helping growers improve their water management practices. Dr. Jesse Daystar, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Cotton Incorporated and advisor to the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and Dr. Kris Johnson, Interim Director of Agriculture for North America at The Nature Conservancy, discuss how measurement and tracking can encourage better use of water, therefore making cotton production more sustainable. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #sustainability #water

This episode focuses on independent verification, which is at the heart of the Trust Protocol. Diana Perez from Control Union Certifications and Trust Protocol grower Dahlen Hancock from Texas explain how it works – in theory and in practice – and why it matters. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #sustainability #environment 

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol’s goals are based on scientific evidence. In this episode we focus on the close links between academic research and cotton growers in the field. We discover what scientific research tells us and how it relates to Trust Protocol farms. We discuss these topics with two distinguished academics from the Trust Protocol board of directors: Lori Duncan from the University of Tennessee – who is a crop sustainability expert – and Marty Matlock from the University of Arkansas – who is an expert in resiliency and agricultural engineering. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #sustainability #environment #academia #research

Textile Exchange held its 2020 Sustainability Conference in the first week of November. La Rhea Pepper, CEO of Textile Exchange, gives an overview of the conference and explain the TE Strategy sustainability goals and the relevance of preferred fibers/materials; Andy Jordan talks about USCTP participation in the TE conference and recognition from Cotton 2040. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #cotton #textileexchange #sustainability #environment

There is broad agreement that you can’t measure improvements without data. Allison Thomson (Field to Market) will give practical examples of field measurement and Kellon Lee (grower) will give his experience. #uscottontrustprotocol #uscotton #trustprotocol #trustuscotton