Tranquillity Farmer to Head Cotton Council

AUSTIN, TX – John Pucheu, a Tranquillity, CA, producer, was elected chairman of the National Cotton Council (NCC) for 2007. Named during the NCC’s annual meeting here on Feb. 1-5, he served as the NCC’s vice chairman in 2006 and succeeds Allen Helms, a Clarkedale, AR, producer.

Pucheu, who has been farming since 1966, is co-owner of Pucheu Brothers Ranch and a director of the Westside Farmers Co-op Gin.

Pucheu has been very active in state, regional and national cotton organizations. He previously served as chairman of the NCC’s American Cotton Producers (ACP) and as a director of the NCC and of its export promotions arm, Cotton Council International. He is a director and former chairman of both Supima and the Cotton Board. He also has served as president of the California Cotton Growers Association and as board chairman of Calcot, Ltd. Pucheu holds a degree in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis, and is a graduate of the California Ag Leadership Program.

The NCC’s vice chairman for 2007 is Larry McClendon, a Marianna, AR, ginner.

Elected as a NCC vice president was Shane Stephens, a Greenwood, MS, warehouseman. Re-elected as NCC vice presidents were: Robert Norris, a Bakersfield, CA, cooperative official; Charles Owen, a Pima, AZ, ginner; Gail Kring, a Lubbock, TX, crusher; Robert Weil, II, a Montgomery, AL, merchant; and Harding Stowe, a Belmont, NC, textile manufacturer. Craig Shook, a Corpus Christi, TX, producer, was re-elected secretary-treasurer.

NCC staff officers for 2007 include: Dr. Mark Lange, NCC president/chief executive officer; John Maguire, senior vice president, Washington Operations; Allen Terhaar, vice president, Foreign Affairs; Dr. Gary Adams, vice president, Economics and Policy Analysis; Craig Brown, vice president, Producer Affairs; Dr. Bill Norman, vice president, Technical Services; Harrison Ashley, vice president, Ginner Services; and Fred Johnson, vice president, Administration and Program Coordination.