Become a Member

"What TCA Will Do For You."

The Texas Cotton Association is a 501c6 nonprofit trade Association consisting of Active members (Cotton Merchants and Primary Marketers) and Associate members (businesses supporting the cotton trade industry) and was organized and chartered by the State of Texas in 1911. 

The Association keeps its members informed regarding the various activities in which it is engaged primarily through email distribution, the TCA Facebook page, and various meetings throughout the year. We disseminate pertinent information to the trade including government reports/updates, notices to the trade, quarterly statements and annual dues, the annual convention and Flow meetings, and Cotton Council International delegations we host in Texas. Our website contains other publications and lists relevant to membership. 

TRADE RULES: The Association maintains Trade Rules and By-Laws for the purchase and sale of cotton in Texas, providing adequate safeguards for both buyer and seller, in keeping with accepted business principles and terms on which practically all cotton trading is done in Texas.

ARBITRATIONS: We are proud to provide the only autonomous and equitable system of arbitration for cotton in the state of Texas, maintained for the purpose of settlement of disputes between members and/or nonmembers, without resorting to the expensive and time consuming methods involving litigation. 

LEGISLATION: The Association maintains surveillance on state legislative issues affecting the commodity cotton. This includes active involvement and membership in The Texas AG Council, a watchdog group of agricultural organizations in Texas that work closely together to circumvent harmful pending legislation. We engage with regulatory agencies, state representatives and senators, and executive heads of government to ensure that Texas agriculture remains a strong and viable economic contribution to the State of Texas, the nation and the world. 

FLOW MEETING: Flow/Marketing Meetings are held each year to include all facets of the cotton industry to guarantee an orderly flow of cotton from the field to the mill. The West Texas Flow/Marketing Meeting, is usually held in September, preceding the cotton harvest season. These meetings are conducted to identify disruptions or issues in logistics. At this meeting we review requirements among all segments in the supply chain and provide the necessary information required for each segment to plan for the approaching harvesting and shipping season. This organization has also held South Texas Flow/Marketing Meetings in the past and continues to monitor port, and crop issues state-wide affecting our trade.

ANNUAL CONVENTION:  An annual meeting of the members and guests of the Association is held each year, usually in March/April, to review current policy and the past year's activities and take action in the formulation of policies through committee work, board oversight and the final adoption of policy resolutions by voting members in executive session. We elect Officers and Directors to serve the  board of this association at the annual convention each year.

AMERICAN COTTON SHIPPERS ASSOCIATION: Membership in the Texas Cotton Association automatically carries with it a membership in the American Cotton Shippers Association. ACSA activities include an annual meeting, usually in May/June, email broadcasts, LinkedIn news, trade rules, arbitrations and legislative surveillance on an international and national level. You may visit ACSA at www.acsa-cotton.org to learn more about what ACSA does for members.

Dues Table

TCA Merchant and Primary Buyer members are subject to a 5,000 bale minimum annually. Annual dues are collected from Merchants, Primary Buyer and Associate Members at the above applicable TCA rate. There are four federated associations that make-up the American Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA). Merchant and Primary Marketing members that do not belong to any of the other federated associations (ACA, SCA, WCSA) are required to send bale fees handled in those regions to the Texas Cotton Association upon receipt of the Bale Fee Assessment Form. The American Cotton Shippers (ACSA) will invoice for their portion. The By Laws require that members of this association also maintain a membership in ACSA.

PDF Links

If you are interested in becoming a member, please click on the link below to download our application form in .pdf format. If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the TCA at 972.283.2822 or [email protected] and we will assist you! You need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view this file.