Bidding for the Future: First Bale Auction Supports Ag Students & Local Trades

Abigail Muniz-Garcia
Aug 27
3 min read

(This article was written by Abigail Muniz-Garcia and was featured in the September 2025 issue of Explore Harlingen Magazine.)

Every year in the Rio Grande Valley (the “Valley”), the first harvested bale of cotton kicks off more than just a new season — it sparks a celebration. Since 1952, The Algodon Club has brought the community together to shine a spotlight on the cotton industry, a crop that has truly shaped the RGV’s economy and heritage for generations. This annual event brings tradition, fundraising, and competition into one moment that gives the community a chance to recognize and honor growers and support fundraising for local scholarships and grants.

This year’s First Bale Auction, which is a collaborative effort hosted by the Harlingen Cotton Committee and The Algodon Club, will take place on September 25 at 6 p.m. at TSTC’s Cultural Arts Center.

While the event is free of charge, attendees are expected to register. Once registered, visitors get a bidder number that they can use to bid on various items either in the live or silent auction. Music and refreshments will also be served.

Liz Phillips, Vice President of The Algodon Club, invites the public to support this worthwhile event with a great cause.

“We don't host a lot of events. We're all volunteers,” Phillips said. “This is the only time that we raise money… Come to this event, follow us on Facebook, follow along with what's going on in the ag(ricultural) community. And stay involved with your local politics.”

The money raised benefits scholarships for students seeking to go into agriculture and grants for programs that support different trades.

“We're doing it to benefit the students and the programs, but it really furthers ag when we have more mechanics out in the field that a farmer can call, when we have more welders that are highly skilled that can, you know, fix things the way they should be done. So we kind of look at it like full circle. And that's why we're so passionate about both of the programs,” Phillips said.

This year’s first bale of cotton (which is also the first bale of cotton harvested in the United States of America for 2025) was grown in Brownsville, Texas. It was planted on February 10, 2025 by Teofilo Flores Jr. then harvested in June by his son, Michael Flores, of Flores and Son Farms of Brownsville.

“It's really unique because the Valley is one of the first places where we plant and harvest cotton in the United States. So the harvest starts in the Valley, goes up the coastal bend into Lubbock, Arizona, other places like that that grow cotton in the south as well,” Phillips said.

She also mentioned the donors that help by contributing items such as plants, weekend getaways, trips, and shrimp boils among other things.

“I do really love that it's a great cross-section of the community who come together. So it's not just farmers; it's not just people with direct ties to ag,” Phillips said. “We also have a lot of donors from the community that donate silent auction items and live auction items. We couldn't do it without all of our generous donors who really… you know, they bring the event together.”