In a move that will surely surprise absolutely no one who understands how “free markets” work in West Texas, our local ag overlords are back at the federal trough. The Buy American Cotton Act (BACA) is gaining steam, because apparently, being the “best fiber in the world” isn’t quite enough to beat the competition in Brazil without a healthy dose of government-funded bribery—oops, I mean “tax incentives.”
Texas Senator John Cornyn and the folks at Plains Cotton Growers Inc. are pushing for tax credits to “insinuate” (their word, not mine) more domestic consumption of U.S. cotton. It turns out the rugged individualism of the West Texas farmer includes a caveat: “I can do it all myself, as long as the IRS gives a discount to anyone who looks at my lint.” It’s a classic Lubbock paradox—railing against big government at the coffee shop while refreshing the bank portal to see if the federal subsidies cleared.
Since the global market is currently kicking our collective butts, the industry is pivot-branding cotton as the eco-warrior’s choice. They’re coming for your polyester yoga pants, claiming that synthetic fibers are clogging the oceans with microplastics. While they aren’t wrong about the plastic, it’s hilarious to hear a “naturalistic” sales pitch from an industry that treats the Ogallala Aquifer like an open bar at a wedding.
Kody Bessent, the CEO of Plains Cotton Growers, calls this a “true movement” and a “true initiative.” It’s certainly a movement—specifically, a movement of taxpayer money from the general fund into the pockets of guys who definitely have “Don’t Tread on Me” stickers on their $80,000 dually pickups. They’re aiming for a 2027 implementation, which gives everyone plenty of time to finish their “Stop the Steal” signs before heading to the mailbox for their next government check.
If “Buy American” is the only way to get people to buy Lubbock’s finest, does that mean the “invisible hand” of the market is currently giving us the middle finger?
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