THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 17, 1994 TAG: 9408160149
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JODY R. SNIDER, staff writer
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Long : 132 lines
A 70 MPH WIND blows through Bluebird Gap Farm in Hampton, beating down young, colored cotton plants grown by environmentalist Tom Reynolds. This is July 18, 1992.
After the storm, Reynolds crawls through the plot of mud on his hands and knees, trying to save his dream - a small crop of colored cotton that could be the beginning of a million-dollar business in earth-friendly clothing.
Today, the dream seems closer.
Reynolds is no longer alone in his venture. Others like Smithfield farmers Chuck and Clay Griffin have invested in the vision. The Griffins have contracted with Reynolds to grow 10 acres of organic cotton and 10 acres of conventionally grown brown cotton.
Fewer than 100 farms in the United States grow 53,000 acres of organic cotton and about 2,000 acres of colored cotton, Reynolds said.
Organic means there are no synthetic chemicals, such as weedkillers, added to the crop, he explained.
``Organic cotton wasn't something we had thought about,'' Chuck Griffin said. ``But my wife liked the idea, so we're growing it. We have no idea what the yields will be like, but it looks good. It looks real good right now,'' he said.
And, in fact, the Griffins aren't the only farmers growing cotton for Reynolds.
Although Reynolds has no farming background whatsoever, farmers across the United States are beginning to listen as he travels, hawking the idea of growing organic white and colored cotton.
And in fact, several farmers scattered throughout Virginia and into the Southeast, have contracted with Reynolds.
Reynolds' cotton project began in 1991 when he was studying ``green,'' or environmentally driven, consumer and business decisions for a Thomas Nelson Community College honors project.
His interest fell to colored and organic cotton.
``Since I didn't know what the yields would be like, I started small with the acreage per farmer,'' he said. ``I didn't want to leave a bitter taste in anyone's mouth.''
But with organic cotton bringing $1.20 to $1.40 per pound and conventional cotton only bringing about 70 cents per pound, it's hard to believe anyone could get upset.
Still, Reynolds knows his work is cut out for him.
To get more farmers interested, and to get them to increase acreage, Reynolds will have to invent a piece of equipment that can attach to conventional tractors and sweep away weeds.
Last year, Reynolds used a flame cultivator that shoots a flame at the base of the cotton, burning away weeds. But the cultivator cannot be attached to a tractor and the equipment is costly.
Reynolds also handpicked his cotton, sorting the cotton from sticks and stems.
``Oh my God! Oh my God! I worked for two or three hours for a handful of lint. I couldn't believe it.''
After handpicking the cotton, he took it to Commonwealth Gin in Windsor to be ginned. He said he was told it was the cleanest cotton to ever go through the gin.
``And that's important, because if you sell bad cotton to a mill, that's it. The mill won't buy it from you again,'' he said.
``I would love to contract as many farmers as possible to grow organic white and colored cotton,'' Reynolds said. ``But contracting is based on the market.''
Environmentally sensitive apparel was a $30 million business in the United States last year, Reynolds said.
This year, Reynolds introduced his first line of ``green'' clothing - organic T-shirts made from last year's colored crop of cotton, bearing the name Jefferson Fiber, the name Reynolds gave his line of earth-friendly apparel.
The shirts sell for $20 at the Isle of Wight Museum.
The Jefferson name comes from Reynolds' family roots. He is a ninth-generation member of Thomas Jefferson's family and a direct descendant of Field Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's uncle.
Reynolds also has prototypes for organic cotton socks, tanktops, shorts, jeans, polo shirts and fabrics. He said he's also interested in creating a line of bedding and towels.
And he also has an interest in children's apparel.
``Kids teach their parents about environmental projects,'' he said. ``There are 100,000 kids that come through Bluebird Gap Farm each year, and they're the ones who point out the cotton to their parents.''
Last week, another notch was added to Reynolds' belt when Becky Norton Dunlop, state Secretary of Natural Resources, visited him for an hour at Bluebird Gap Farm to hear about his work in colored and organic cotton.
``I'm very impressed with the organic cotton,'' she said, ``because it protects the value of the soil while keeping the costs down for the farmer so he can make a profit.
``It will attract a certain type of consumer who will be able to afford the types of products made from organic cotton. And it will provide a good living.''
Dunlop said she plans to submit a report to the governor on Reynolds' cotton projects.
``This is just the type of thing I talk about when I make speeches,'' she said. ``This is good for the economy. It's good for the environment and it helps people make a living,'' she said.
While some people are expecting that Reynolds could make millions at his ventures with colored and organic cotton, Reynolds said he's not sure what the future holds.
``I could be in the gutter,'' he said. ``I don't know.''
But the bet among area farmers and agronomists is that Reynolds will be in the green.
In fact, another long-term project is to create a prospectus for public stock purchases, allowing farmers and others who have helped to buy into his company.
``This is for the people who chopped the weeds by hand,'' he said. ``It would allow them the opportunity to benefit from this, too.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Environmentalist Tom Reynolds displays organic, colored cotton he
has been growing at Blue Bird Gap Farm in Hampton.[color cover
photo]
This organic T-shirt was made from last year's colored cotton crop.
Although environmentalist Tom Reynolds, above, has no farming
background, farmers across the United States are beginning to listen
as he travels, hawking the idea of growing organic white and colored
cotton. The cotton could be the beginning of a million-dollar
business in earth-friendly clothing.
Secretary of Natural Resources Becky Norton Dunlop discusses organic
and colored cotton with Tom Reynolds at Bluebird Gap Farm in
Hampton. Dunlop said she will submit a report on the program to the
governor.
by CNB