By Joey Chenoweth, Editor | Coolidge Examiner
Some newfound fame for a local farming family has triggered new hope for the future of their operations while also leading them to uncover their history, which goes back further than previously imagined.
Marcus D. Martin, along with his son Marcus L., received the 2013 Cotton Marketers of the Year award at the Beltwide Cotton Conference on Jan. 7, a recognition given by the International Commodities Exchange. For these two Casa Grande men, who run their 220-acre farm in Coolidge, being recognized like this in front of their peers was almost surreal.
“We were really surprised to have gotten it,” Marcus L. said. “On the grand scale of things, we’re a lot smaller than some of the guys out east.”
The award comes at the end of a period of transition for the Martin family when it comes to marketing. Marcus D., who has 37 years of farming experience, was more comfortable with the old ways of selling his cotton. This meant going through Calcot, which takes in the crops from many of the area’s farms and putting the cotton on the market, to be sold in the best way they see fit. This used to be okay, but then the economy took a turn for the worst, and the Martins were looking for a new way to make some extra money.
“About 80 to 85 percent of the cotton in the United States is exported,” Marcus D. said. “That’s something that’s changes in the 37 years I’ve been doing this. It used to be flip-flopped. That’s one of the reasons why the marketing strategy had to change. Back when I started, it was very regional. Now, it’s all about what’s going on in China or what’s going on in India.”
