2023 Cotton Gin Safety Initiative Winner
Sconyers Gin and Warehouse Company Wins 2023 Cotton Gin Safety Initiative
AgriTrust of Georgia has announced Sconyers Gin and Warehouse Company of Sycamore, Georgia as the winner of the 2023 Cotton Gin Safety Initiative. Sconyers Gin and Warehouse Company was founded by Grady and Cortez Sconyers in 1930. In 1993, Sconyers Gin and Warehouse was setup as a 501(c) Charitable Trust. This allows for 70% of the proceeds to go to scholarships for students in Turner County, 10% to Sycamore Methodist Church, 10% to Turner County Health Department, 5% to Turner County Library, and 5% to Community Support.
Cotton is the most widely grown row crop in Georgia. It ranks number 1 in production value among row and forage crops in the state and number 2 nationally, directly bringing in $1.3 billion to Georgia’s economy. In some studies, cotton-related professions provide another 53,000 jobs and over a $3 billion impact to the state. One of those related professions involves the separation of the cotton lint from the cotton seed, or better known as ginning. While the function is simple, working in a gin can be extremely dangerous. The gins today have large machines that use hundreds of saw blades to gin the cotton and can produce a 500-pound bale of lint cotton in less than a minute. Because of all the unique hazards in a cotton gin, AgriTrust of Georgia created the Cotton Gin Safety Initiative.
The Cotton Gin Safety Initiative is a program conducted by AgriTrust, a self-insured workers’ compensation fund that services agribusinesses in the state of Georgia, to encourage safety training by its cotton gin members. Winners receive a $2,000 check if they had no lost time claims during the ginning season. Sconyers Gin and Warehouse Company will receive $2,000 as they had no lost time claims.
With 11 full-time employees and 15 seasonal employees working in a high hazard environment, Sconyers Gin and Warehouse understands safety is not just a one-person job. Their safety philosophy revolves around working as a team. Whether in training sessions, in the gin, or in the office, safety is a team effort because they are stronger together. This mindset and their dedication to safety has helped Sconyers Gin and Warehouse Company win the 2023 Cotton Gin Safety Initiative and a check for $2,000.00. Congratulations for your success and safety!
