Marianna-based row crop farmer and agricultural advocacy leader Nathan Reed will lead the National Cotton Council this year.
Reed was a panelist at the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee’s first hearing this year about the state of the farming economy. Reed represented the National Cotton Council board of directors at the hearing and stressed the importance of a new farm bill.
“The National Cotton Council plays a vital role in advocating for farmers, ginners, merchants and all those who depend on a strong cotton industry,” U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said in a news release from the council.
“I am confident that under Nathan’s guidance it will continue to deliver results for the industry. I look forward to working with Nathan and the Council to advance policies that strengthen agriculture and support our farmers.”
Reed is a fourth-generation farmer who grows cotton, soybeans, rice and corn.
Reed previously served as vice chair of the National Cotton Council and was recently elected chair for the 2026 at the National Cotton Council of America annual meeting in San Antonio.
Reed was previously chair of the American Cotton Producers organization, vice chair of the Arkansas Cotton State Support Committee and was on the dean’s advisory committee for the University of Arkansas Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
He is the former president of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas and now serves as treasurer, and is also among council’s board of directors. Reed also serves on the Lee County Farm Bureau board of directors.
