Area News SEMINOLE – The driving engines of the Gaines County economic machine were front and center Thursday in the annual Ag & Oil Appreciation Day, an event that drew more than 1,000 people. The first order of program business was the auction of the county’s first bale of cotton harvested this year. After bringing the bale in on Sept. 2 Duwane Billings of Seagraves received $8,000 in bonuses from Gaines County gins before the bale went on Thursday’s auction block. When the smoke had cleared, West Gaines Seed and Nex-Gen had ponied up $6,000 for the bale, which also received ...