About Us
The San Joaquin Valley Quality Cotton Growers Association is the first official enterprise by California cotton producers to exclusively produce and brand only the highest quality San Joaquin Valley cotton for delivery to the world's textile markets. Our trademarked "SJV Quality Cotton" brand only can be used on those cottons that have passed the Association's strict quality standards.
The Association targets only the best San Joaquin Valley cotton producers. Organized as a "mutual benefit association," the Association legally can select for membership those growers who meet the highest production standards. The Association evaluates growers on their demonstrated histories of best management practices and their ability to deliver only the very best cotton. Only then can a grower be considered for membership. In addition, the Association is governed by a board comprised exclusively of cotton grower-members to ensure proper oversight and direction. This process of exclusivity distinguished the Association from other cotton marketing firms of cooperatives, which market a broad spectrum of quality.
Few cottons can match high quality San Joaquin Valley cotton for its length, strength and other desirable spinning traits. It's a premium product known worldwide. Backed by the Association, a committed group of cotton growers had chosen to invest in the time, expense and effort to produce that premium product. Spanning the global marketplace, the "SJV Quality Cotton" brand is produced specifically to meet the needs of the world's most discriminating textile customers.
As part of our quality assurance program, we require our grower-members to grow only those Acala and Pima varieties that have been approved by the quality-oriented San Joaquin Valley Cotton Board, or the Association's own Board of Directors. Throughout the growing season, growers are required to manage all aspects of cotton quality by adhering to a stringent quality assurance protocol established by our own Quality Assurance Committee. Specific Association requirements include:
• Strict management practices designed to prevent foreign contamination in cotton.
• Preventing stickiness with regular field-by-field monitoring by licensed pest control advisors (PCA's). University of California scientists also will advise on "sticky cotton" management.
• All grower-members and PCA's must submit their production records to the Association offices for documentation, an essential step in verifying that quality assurance practices are being strictly followed.
• Only cottons from those fields that have been protected from contamination from whitefly and aphid will earn the "SJV Quality Cotton" brand.