Your support and letters are requested. If you use Foxfiber cotton, I'd love to hear about your experiences with it. Email me with a description of your project for inclusion into a future article on using Foxfiber.

Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997
From: Halcyon Ward
SALLY FOX UPDATE

NOVEMBER 3, 1997
Results of the Colored Cotton Advisory Committee Meeting

Fourteen members from the Mountain Spinners and Weavers Guild of Prescott, Arizona attended the meeting in support of Sally. Even though much information was distributed throughout the state of Arizona, we were the only guild represented. Sally was very grateful for the support given to her. She was able to speak more openly at this meeting knowing that we were there. An attempt was made by the Prescott people to video tape the proceedings of a public meeting for public access TV and it was denied by the representative from the agriculture department.

The general purpose of the meeting was for a discussion and possible changes in the rules pertaining to the Article 4 Quarantine. Some minor changes were made in these rules, however it was strongly indicated that this would be the end to rule changes.

Two members of the committee, Chuck Youngker (President of the Arizona Cotton Growers Association) and Ted Pierce (ACGA Board Member), reported that the Arizona Cotton Growers Association Board had met a week before and voted to push for the complete banning of colored cotton if the discussion of the rules continued. They inferred that the Arizona Agriculture Department would shut Sally down, if the rules were opened up for consideration again.

Wally Hofmann, who is on this board and works with Sally, made a motion to increase the Colored Cotton Advisory Board by two additional members, ones who were economically impacted by these rules. There was no second and the motion died.

The members of The Colored Cotton Advisory Board who were in attendance were:

1. The Cotton Research and Protection Council
2. The Arizona Crop Improvement Association, Al Simons
3. The Arizona Department of Agriculture, Glen Thaxton
4. The Arizona Cotton Growers Association
Ted Pierce (Who also chaired the meeting) and is a Board Member of the Arizona Cotton Growers Association
5. A colored cotton producer, Mike Moore
6. A ginner ginning colored cotton, Jeff Ballentine
7. A contractor for the production of colored cotton, Wallace Hofmann

Those of you who wish to read the rules that the Colored Cotton Board has drawn up for colored cotton growers to follow may write to:
The Arizona Department of Agriculture
1688 West Adams Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

ATTEN: MS Shirley Conard, Rules Specialist
room 124
602-542-0962
602-542-5420 fax

The formulation of these rules has cost the taxpayers of Arizona a considerable amount of money. Information given us states that according to the ADA, "Actual time administering the program in 1996 was 222.5 hours of manager time and 685.2 of inspector time." That's a total of 907.7 hours or 113.5 DAYS. Then consider that ONLY 35 ACRES of colored cotton were grown in 1996 !!!!!

One wonders, since they are of no benefit to the colored cotton grower, and are designed only to appease the white cotton producers, that they are not more equitably applied. Sally requested some protection for her genetic breeding stock and was denied that protection.

In contacting Wally Hofmann who works with Sally he communicated these thoughts to us that "After having had time to mull this all over, one thing is sticking in my craw. In Ted Pierce's opening remarks he outlined how cotton production in Arizona had dropped from over a million acres to about 350,000. He discussed how the reputation and value of Arizona cotton had been seriously affected by PLASTIC CONTAMINATION. This is absolutely true. Plastic contamination is a much more serious problem than colored cotton. Yet white farmers continue to cover their newly harvested modules with PLASTIC TARPS and wrap their newly ginned bales in PLASTIC bags. I know one member of the committee said that being FAIR was unrealistic, but why has the Arizona Cotton Growers Association (ACGA)insisted on burying the comparatively miniscule threat of colored cotton contamination under repressive restrictions. Why don't they regulate themselves with such fervor? "

In addition he told us that "The recent Karnal Bunt (a fungus) problems experienced by Arizona Wheat farmers (most of whom also grow cotton) offer more interesting parallels. Wheat farmers outside of Arizona were legitimately concerned that the Arizona infestation could CONTAMINATE their crops. With the help of the USDA, restrictions were placed on Arizona wheat growers to protect the much larger US Wheat Industry. A suit was filed in federal court Nov. 12 by the AZ Wheat Growers Association and the ARIZONA COTTON GROWERS ASSOCIATION for an injunction to halt imposition of the regulations. The suit was initiated with $10,000 from the ACGA. Not only do they want the restrictions lifted, they are demanding "... adequate federal compensation to offset industry losses." It's interesting to see their attitude when the shoe is on the other foot! Have a look at http://www.homefarm.com/stories/961201.htm this is an article that was published in the California-Arizona Farm Press.

I guess we can't expect FAIR." He concluded.

Ways in which you can support SALLY FOX/FOX fiber

1. By buying her products and requesting them everywhere. That would include fiber, sliver, material, and clothing.

Sally has suggested that you can still continue to help her by writing letters to major companies who have handled Fox fiber products and ask why they no longer carry her products. Also say that you would like to be able to buy USA grown cotton products. (Much of the natural colored cotton is being imported now from other countries.)

Please write to: (if you have written once write often again)

Ecosport
Attention Daniel Sanders
92 Kansas Street
Hackensack, New Jersey 07601
(201) 489-0389

Jockey Inc.
P.O. Box 1417
Kenosha, WI 53141-1417
(414) 658-8111

Lands End Inc.
2 Lands End Way
Dodgeville, WI 53533
(608) 935-9053
E-Mail leproduct@landsend.com

Levi Strauss & Company
P.O. Box 7215
San Francisco, CA 94120
(415) 544-6000

L. L. Bean
Attention Leon Goreman CEO
Casco Street
Freeport, Maine 04033
(207) 865-4761
E-Mail llbean@llbean.com

Patagonia
Attention Jill Vlahos Fabric Development
259 West Santa Clara Street
Ventura, CA 93001
(805) 643-8616

2. Write SPIN OFF magazine and request that they publish the letter sent by the Arizona Department of Agriculture in rebuttal to the article in the Fall l997 issue of SPIN OFF about Natural Cotton Colours by Deborah Pulliam. And also Sally's response to that letter. Write to:

INTERWEAVE PRESS, INC.
201 E. FOURTH STREET
LOVELAND, CO 89537-5655

3. Contact 60 MINUTES and request them to do a report on SALLY FOX/FOX fiber. (We are sorry but we could not get an e-mail address)

60 MINUTES
524 W. 57TH ST.
NEW YORK, N. Y. 10019
ATTN: STORY EDITOR

For further information, you may contact:
Conne' Graham at STUDIO THREE (520) 778-0307

Natural Cotton Colours, Inc.
P.O. Box 66
Wickenburg, Arizona 85358
(520) 684-7199 phone
(520) 684-7299 fax
http://www.foxfiber.com/cotton/

Remember Sally's motto:
No Dyes, No Pesticides.
Just pure cotton.

PLEASE SHARE THIS NEWS WITH THOSE WHO WILL BE INTERESTED AND CARE