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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you are a new visitor to the Certified Cotton Gin Program or taking a fresh look at this innovative program, we suggest you take a few moments to review this FAQ section. We have assembled the most common questions we receive and supplied answers here.
If you have a question that is not covered here, we invite you to contact a staff member (contact information is provided under the 'About Us' tab) or submit your question using the link under the 'Feedback' tab.
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What is Certified Cotton?
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When you see a bale from a Certified Cotton Gin, you know the gin that produced that bale is serious about quality. Everyone talks about quality. Gins with Certification back it up with sound methods, technology, and trained operators.
Gins play a key role in the supply chain of cotton. The cotton market has placed a growing importance on quality. While some gins have taken special steps to address quality issues, others have not. In the marketplace, cotton buyers need an easy method of determining the reputation and reliability of the gins they are shopping from. Gins that promote quality also need a way to signal buyers that they are offering cotton that can be purchased with confidence. From these market demands, the Certified Cotton Gin Program was born.
Certification is an assurance that the gin is utilizing approved practices in their operation and symbolizes their commitment to ginning cotton from a quality-based perspective. Participating gins have implemented specific practices to insure they are addressing issues that are important to buyers such as moisture, fiber quality, and contamination.
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I heard there are no more gins spraying water, so why do I need this program?
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Unfortunately, there are still some gins that are spraying water. Some have even expressed that they will continue to do so until they are forced to stop. For cotton buyers, this means that there continues to be cotton on the market subjected to water sprays with the undesirable characteristics that go along with that process.
Since the Certified Cotton Gin Program does not allow gins with water sprays to become members, cotton buyers can avoid water sprayed bales by selecting cotton from the roster of Certified Gins. In addition to avoiding water sprayed cotton, they will also enjoy several other benefits.
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Does this program address other issues besides water spray?
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Yes!
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Does Certification replace the traditional grading system?
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No, but it does supplement the classing data in a way that no one else can. A bale’s grade is very important and remains the key factor in determining a bale’s worth and spinning properties. However, a bale’s grade does not tell the entire story.
Samuel Jackson Certification allows a buyer to confidently select a bale that falls within his grade tolerances, knowing that the gin that processed that bale did so using safe methods with a concern for quality.
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Does Certification equate to a guarantee of high fiber quality?
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No, Gin Certification does not insure high grade cotton. If cotton arrives at the gin in poor quality, the damage has already been done. The gin can only strive to maintain what level of quality is already there.
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How does a gin become Certified?
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Gins that are interested in becoming Certified start by submitting an application. Any potential concerns are addressed with the applicant in a follow-up interview.
After all of the information is collected and reviewed, the application undergoes final review. If approved, the applicant will receive a response that invites them to participate with Primary Certification. If denied, a report will be issued that explains the reasons for the decision and guidance on corrective action the applicant should take prior to reapplying.
Once a gin receives Primary Certification, it can opt to be rated in the five Certification categories. Gins can pick and choose which categories they wish to be rated in and after the rating has been issued, they can opt to have the rating published or keep it private.
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What are the criteria used in judging an application?
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Gins wishing to participate in the Certified Cotton Gin Program submit a Primary Certification application. To be approved, gins must meet all of the criteria for Primary Certification. Qualifying gins will receive Certification and automatically be awarded the Shield Symbol.
Beyond primary certification, gins may elect to be rated in the following five categories:
Gins are free to select which categories they wish to be rated. If a gin elects not to be rated in a particular category, their record will not receive that particular symbol.
For categories which a gin wishes to be evaluated, a rating will be issued based upon the standardized guidelines. Many of the guidelines are based on operating metrics of specific pieces of equipment. For most Samuel Jackson equipment and systems, this information is readily available and the evaluation can be performed at no charge. For other systems, charges will apply for proper evaluation. Please note these fees are paid to cover evaluation expenses and do not guarantee a desirable rating, only a fair one.
Ratings for each category are on a scale of 0 to 1.0 and will be listed in a gin’s record in the public database. The filled out worksheets from the evaluation will be filed and only accessible by the applying gin, Certification Program personnel, and Certification Advisory Board members.
If a gin disputes a rating, it can request a review or elect not to have their rating displayed in the database. Please note that reviews may incur a charge, which will be disclosed in advance of the review.
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Is the gin's equipment mix the only criteria?
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Definitely not. In addition to having equipment that fills the criteria for a category, the gin must also have personnel that are trained and competent operators of that equipment. The Certification Programconsiders having knowledgeable people capable of extracting high levels of performance out of the gin's equipment essential.
Because of the important role operators play in the success of system, additional training requirements may be attached to certain levels of certification in some cases. Training programs will be offered through Samuel Jackson and other authorized partners. We will work with each gin to find reasonable training programs whose benefits extend beyond the Certification program.
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Do all gins with Samuel Jackson equipment qualify for Certification?
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No. A gin must meet all of the program requirements regardless of how many Samuel Jackson products that they have.
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Must a gin have Samuel Jackson equipment to participate?
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No. Even if a gin does not have a single Samuel Jackson product, if it meets all of the requirements and wishes to participate they are welcome to join the Certification Program.
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Is there any outside oversight?
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Yes. A Certification Advisory Board representing various industry segments has been assembled to provide outside counsel and review of this program and it policies.
The free market nature of the program provides the ultimate in oversight. The Certification brand’s value is completely dependant on the quality of the product it is attached to, so you can be confident that the program is working diligently on protecting its brand name by carefully screening its members and providing them with strong guidance.
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Is Certification limited to U.S. cotton gins?
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No. International gins that meet the same qualifications are invited to participate.
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What fees and charges apply?
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Primary Certification is a service that Samuel Jackson provides to its customers free of charge. Category ratings for Samuel Jackson systems are generally available at no charge. Gins with non Samuel Jackson systems in a particular category may elect for onsite testing to receive a category rating. Fees for those services will be disclosed in advance.
Gins that wish to affix Certification labels to each bale, will be required to pay for the printing and shipping costs for the labels. In addition to the labels, other various promotional items designed to benefit the gin will be available. Participating gins will have the freedom to choose which of these items they wish to purchase. Sometimes, promotional materials of this type will be supplied at no additional cost to the gin, with funding coming from Samuel Jackson.
It’s important to note that some gins will be asked to use a combination of special training programs, on-site inspections, and/or remote monitoring to qualify Certification. These costs are the responsibility of the gin.
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If a gin I know is not listed, does that mean its a bad gin?
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No. Since applying for the program is voluntary, certainly there are some good gins that have elected not to be reviewed by the Certification Program. Since its difficult to infer much about gins that are not on the roster of participants, interested parties must conduct their own review and investigation of each particular gin.
The gins on the Certification Roster have already been pre-screened according to the program guidelines, making researching them much easier.
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Is the Certified Cotton Gin Program affiliated with the National Cotton Council, the USDA or any governmental organizations?
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No. The mission of the Certification Program is to provide an active and open conduit for the exchange of important technical data between members of the cotton industry. While the institutions mentioned above play a necessary role in the support of the cotton industry, their functionality is based on a political structure rather than a technical structure. Being free from political pressure, the Certification Program is capable of quickly adapting to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities.
The Certification Program is not designed to be adversarial with any other organization. In fact, we expect support from all industry members who are sincere in their desire for quality advancements. While there is no direct affiliation with these other groups, opportunities may arise that allow cooperation for the mutual benefit of the entire industry. These opportunities will only be explored if they can be done without detriment to the integrity of the Certified Cotton Gin brand.
Perhaps most importantly, not being a governmental or quasi-governmental organization means that the program is driven by the free market. With the knowledge that the Certification brand’s value is completely dependant on the quality of the product it is attached to, you can be confident that the program is working diligently on protecting its brand name by carefully screening its members and providing them with strong guidance.
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What qualifies Samuel Jackson to administer the Certification program?
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Samuel Jackson, Incorporated has a long history of providing consistent leadership in fiber quality issues at the gin level. With moisture at the heart of many of these issues, Samuel Jackson provides unparalleled moisture management experience and innovation.
The Samuel Jackson philosophy of moisture management benefits each segment of the cotton industry, providing a cohesive component to what can sometimes be a fractured industry. A unified industry is a stronger industry and Samuel Jackson can provide the resources to unify support for quality issues that benefit everyone.
By sponsoring this Certification program, Samuel Jackson also lends its name and instant credibility that is recognized worldwide in the cotton industry. While the Certification program benefits from the use of the Samuel Jackson name, any missteps by the program will certainly reflect negatively back on Samuel Jackson. With their name on the line, you can rest assured that they take their oversight role very seriously.
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Who funds the the program's marketing activities?
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Samuel Jackson, Inc.
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Is the Certified Cotton Gin Program a for profit venture?
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No. Not being profit driven allows the program to be selective about its membership. The power a politically structured organization has is based on its membership numbers. Having more members means having a bigger budget and more political clout.
The Certification Program's power is based on the technical superiority of its brand. While allowing a non-qualified gin to receive Certification would slightly increase the number of participating bales, it would also damage the reputation of the Certified Cotton Gin brand. That potential loss of value for the brand far exceeds the loss of losing one potential member. These inherent incentives are critical to the success of the program.
Samuel Jackson's reward for operating the program comes from strengthening the cotton industry through advancing the importance of the ginning segment. A stronger more profitable industry will provide Samuel Jackson with healthier customers and more opportunities for their company's services and equipment.
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What is a Certified Cotton Gin Program Authorized Partner?
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The Certification Program recognizes that its members’ benefit from its brand may be further leveraged through the products and services of other companies. Of course, these products and services come with a cost. Members will benefit from these products and services to varying degrees, so rather than impose them on all of the members, the program has established an Authorized Partner program.
Authorized Partners are screened by the Certification Program based on their ability to enhance the Certification brand and/or benefit members. Examples might be a web-based cotton marketplace that incorporates your Certification level into their on-line database, someone who helps you promote your Certification status, technical consultants who help you achieve a higher level of Certification, or an insurance company that offers discounts to members based upon reduced risk. Because the services and products are completely optional, members are free to select only the ones that will be beneficial to them.
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How does this program help growers?
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By identifying gins that have exhibited a strong commitment to helping you achieve maximum profitability by addressing quality concerns from a gin-level perspective in a way that benefits everyone, including the primary benefit to you of a higher bale vale. In short, a Certified Gin is your surest path from module to maximum profit for your cotton fiber.
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How does this program help gins?
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Certification provides growers and mills assurance that you are providing them with a high level of service. And if all of this talk about quality has you concerned about your bottom line, you’ll be happy to know that many of the world’s most quality driven cotton gins are also the most efficient.
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How does this program help merchants?
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As the link between a gin and a mill, no one has more to lose than you if that relationship goes bad. If a mill encounters issues with cotton you supplied, you can literally be left holding the bag (of baled cotton). Improve your chances of a smooth transaction by using Certified Gin cotton.
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How does this program help mills?
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You know gins play an important role in the quality of cotton you get and that a bale’s grade doesn’t tell the whole story. Who has time to keep up with the latest quality affecting gin technology and which gins are using it? You do, thanks to the Certification program! All you have to do is check the gin’s Certification status.
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