Louie Perry, Jr., a producer from Moultrie, Georgia, posthumously received the 2025 Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award. Perry was recognized during the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) 2026 annual meeting held February 9-12 in San Antonio, Texas. 

The award, named for the late California industry leader and past NCC President Harry S. Baker, is presented annually to a deserving individual who has provided extraordinary service, leadership and dedication to the U.S. cotton industry. 

Perry was born on Pineywoods Farms in 1939, and had lived and worked on the farm continually, except for the years he was away at college. After earning an associate’s degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 1959 and studying Agribusiness at the University of Georgia, he returned to Pineywoods Farms in 1962 to lead its operation and dedicate his life to its growth and modernization. Perry passed away on November 26, 2025, at the age of 86. 

Throughout his life, Perry was active in numerous state, regional and national agricultural organizations. He served as an alternate producer delegate for NCC in 1982, a producer delegate for NCC from 1983-1988 and again from 1993-2008, and as an advisor to the Board of Directors from 2000-2006, and again from 2008-2012. He served on several committees within NCC including, the American Cotton Producers Farm Policy Task Force, and the Quality Task Force. Beyond his involvement with NCC, Perry was a key leader in the broader cotton industry. He served 30 years on the Georgia Cotton Commission, including 12 years as its Chair. He was also a Board Member and President of Southern Southeastern Cotton Growers, and served as Chairman of Cotton Incorporated in 2006, where he also directed and chaired its Textile Research Committee. 

Previous Baker award recipients include producers – Larry McClendon, Woody Anderson, Duke Barr, Bruce Brumfield, Lloyd Cline, Robert Coker, Jimmy Dodson, Bruce Heiden, Kenneth Hood, Bill Lovelady, Bob McLendon, Frank Mitchener, Ron Rayner, Jimmy Sanford, Eddie Smith, Jack Stone and Charlie Youngker; ginners -- Lon Mann and Charlie Owen; merchants -- William B. Dunavant, Jr., and Bill Lawson; cooperative official -- Woods Eastland; textile manufacturer -- Duke Kimbrell; association executives – Andrew Jordan, Gaylon Booker, Phil Burnett, Neal Gillen, Mark Lange, John Maguire, Bill May, Albert Russell, Earl Sears, and B.F. Smith; Congressional members -- Senators Saxby Chambliss and Thad Cochran and Representatives Larry Combest and Charles Stenholm; and USDA official -- Charlie Cunningham.