Levi Strauss. Wrangler. Lee. Besides being among the most recognized jeans brands in America, these big names are just a few of the companies for which the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association (PCCA) manufactures fashion denim that hangs in stores across the country.

PCCA—a farmer-owned, cotton marketing, warehousing, denim manufacturing, and jean production cooperative headquartered in Lubbock, Texas—has been serving farmers since 1953, and today is one of the largest handlers of cotton in the United States, marketing millions of bales each year. Its unique "field to fashion" philosophy means that the organization literally sees a cotton seed through the entire process—planting, harvesting, ginning, spinning into yarn and cloth—that ends with a finished garment, ready for marketing and selling.

PCCA's members enjoy unique advantages by belonging to the co-op. Some growers turn their product over to PCCA, whose staff puts the cotton into a marketing pool and finds buyers for it. PCCA tries to get the best price for its members, and since 1989, the pool has provided an advantage of about $7.50 per bale, which totals about $250 million in additional value to members.

PCCA's success has been largely a result of its continuous innovation over the years. There are other co-ops out there that operate in a similar way—Ocean Spray and Welch's Grapes, to name a few—but PCCA was the first to do it with cotton and has been leading the way for the industry ever since. In 1975, PCCA launched its TELCOT marketing system, which puts buyers and sellers together to trade cotton over leased telephone lines—leaving the option open for growers who want to market their own product.

Following the development of TELCOT, PCCA created additional programs, including electronic warehouse receipts. PCCA also played a key role in the development of high volume instrument (HVI) testing for the cotton industry. PCCA's technological advances have set the standard for the industry and are used around the United States and the world.

And as for those jeans found in malls across the United States? PCCA has 35 years of experience in textile manufacturing, and American Cotton Growers, part of its textile and apparel division, can produce an astonishing 36 million linear yards of denim each year. Its product development representatives work with a high-profile roster of fashion companies including Gap, Guess, and Abercrombie & Fitch to make their designs a reality.

Despite the PCCA's longevity and success, its management is concerned about the future of American agriculture. "The U.S. textile industry has suffered dramatically from unfair competition in recent years," said John Johnson, PCCA's Director of Public and Legislative Affairs, who worries about the effects that duty-free access for certain countries have had on American textile manufacturers, an important market for U.S. cotton producers. "The textile industry has shrunk and is suffering…we should be more interested in creating and preserving American jobs."

And, with 2012 Farm Bill on the horizon, PCCA members fear even more cuts to the farm safety net. "We need government support for production agriculture to be on a more level playing field with our competitors around the world," said Johnson. "Any proposal for additional cuts is the wrong approach."

For now, though, PCCA continues to do its part in producing the high-quality denim you see worn by millions of Americans around the country, and as long as blue jeans remain in style, you can count on PCCA to stock the shelves.