Tuesday, June 17, 1997

Rehab lamb and meat goat sale fetches record

By J.T. SMITH / Farm Editor

The Rehab Club Lamb and Meat Goat Sale brought in a record $21,775 Saturday night in Abilene at the Wylie FFA Show Barn.

Proceeds from the eighth annual auction benefit the West Texas Rehabilitation Center in Abilene and San Angelo.

A medium wool animal donated by Usner Brothers of Fredericksburg was the high-selling lamb, bringing $320.

The top goat was donated by Powell-Holman of El Dorado. The buck sold for $350.

Some 150 lambs and 74 goats were donated.

Danny Isbell, WTRC project coordinator, expressed appreciation to all donors, buyers, and the many volunteers who made the sale an overwhelming success.

Lambs and goats purchased in this sale are eligible to return to Abilene on Dec. 6 to compete in the WTRC Jackpot Show in the Dorothea C. Griffin Arena at the Expo Center.

Consumers recognize quality in cotton

New market research shows women are willing to pay more for 100 percent cotton nonwovens in personal care products if the goods carry the Seal of Cotton.

Cotton Incorporated, through Mills Consulting Group, an Atlanta-based research firm, interviewed 1,000 women ages 18 to 49 in six major U.S. markets.

The women were shown three different brands from four product segments - disposable diapers, baby wipes, feminine napkins, and tampons.

One product from each category was shown with the Seal, and two were displayed without it.

When it came to disposable diapers, 75 percent of those polled said they prefer them to be made of 100 percent cotton. Fifty-two percent said their buying decision was influenced by the display of the Seal of Cotton.

Overall, 57 percent said they would be willing to pay more for nonwoven personal care products that have the Seal of Cotton on their packaging.

Based on figures from various industry-wide studies, nonwoven fabric consumption is expected to reach 4.5 billion pounds - or the equivalent of 9.3 million bales of cotton this year.

Project aims for higher-strength cotton

Speaking of quality cotton, USDA scientists are working with Agracetus in a joint research project to breed higher-strength fibers.

In the scheduled five-year research effort, scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are evaluating transgenic cotton plants produced by Agracetus, a unit of Monsanto based in Wisconsin.

ARS scientists at Florence, S.C., select the most promising transgenic plants and cross them through conventional breeding with other varieties. They aim to develop cotton plants that produce fiber with higher strength than current varieties.

Stronger cotton fiber is important to the industry because the new high-speed machinery used to produce cotton yarn requires stronger fiber to work most effectively.

This technology is driven by global competition that has forced manufacturers to produce more cotton yarn and fabric at less cost.