Plains Cotton Cooperative Association in Texas: History, What It Does, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Plains Cotton Cooperative Association is a Lubbock-based, farmer-owned cooperative formed in 1953 by West Texas cotton growers. Its site describes it as the largest farmer-owned cotton cooperative in the world and says it markets about 2.5 to 3.0 million bales a year.
| Location | Lubbock, Texas |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1953 |
| Sectors | cotton marketing; denim mills; warehousing; gin services |
| Scale | About 2.5 to 3.0 million bales marketed annually, per PCCA |
| Why it is elite | Describes itself as the largest farmer-owned cotton cooperative in the world |
| Ownership | Grower-owned cooperative |
| Official website | PCCA official site |
History of Plains Cotton Cooperative Association
PCCA says a group of West Texas farmers formed it in 1953 to get better prices for their cotton. It started with $12,000 from uncashed checks from Plains Cooperative Oil Mill.
The cooperative marked its 50th anniversary in 2003 and reports total net margins of roughly $370 million over its first five decades.
What Plains Cotton Cooperative Association Grows and Raises
PCCA markets members' cotton through pools and contracts. The site lists Pool Marketing, Pool+, Cash Marketing, Forward Contracts and a Roller-Ginned Marketing Pool, plus Gin Services and Warehousing.
It owns denim mills in Littlefield and New Braunfels, Texas, and warehouse operations in Altus, Oklahoma, and Sweetwater, Texas.
How Plains Cotton Cooperative Association Makes Money
Cotton marketing
Members' cotton is marketed in pools or by contract, with a mission to add value to the cotton marketed.
Denim manufacturing
Mills in Littlefield and New Braunfels let the cooperative earn from manufacturing as well as raw cotton.
Warehousing and gin services
Warehouses and member services create additional fee-based income.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Plains Cotton Cooperative Association
Own more of the chain. A cooperative that owns mills and warehouses captures margin beyond the farmgate.
Pool marketing spreads price risk; growers choose between pools, cash and forward contracts based on appetite.
Cotton growers on the High Plains know the weather can turn a good year into a story, which is exactly why farm.FM keeps its farm satire stocked. Come for the farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes about cotton modules and jeans made from your own bales. It is written with respect for a grower-owned cooperative that has lasted since 1953.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Plains Cotton Cooperative Association
Website: https://pcca.com/
Address: P.O. Box 2827, Lubbock, TX 79408-2827
Phone: (806) 763-8011
Contact details as published on the cooperative's own website, November 2026. PCCA serves member growers; confirm membership terms directly.
Plains Cotton Cooperative Association Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- PCCA website - Official cooperative site
- PCCA golden anniversary - History and scale from PCCA
- National Council of Farmer Cooperatives - Member page
- USDA Census of Agriculture - National and state farm and ranch statistics
- Texas Department of Agriculture - State agency overview and programs
Plains Cotton Cooperative Association FAQ
When was PCCA founded?
In 1953 by a group of West Texas farmers.
How much cotton does it market?
About 2.5 to 3.0 million bales a year, per PCCA.
What else does it own?
Denim mills in Littlefield and New Braunfels and warehouses in Altus, Oklahoma, and Sweetwater, Texas.
How do I contact PCCA?
Write to P.O. Box 2827, Lubbock, TX 79408-2827 or call (806) 763-8011.
Plains Cotton Cooperative Association shows what growers can build together. See the Texas state guide on this page and the other profiled operations.