• Home
  • About
    • Hundred Percent Cotton Media Kit
  • Cotton 101 — Farm Basics
  • Policies & Privacy
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Hundred Percent Cotton

  • Home
  • style
  • farm
  • at home

April 3, 2013

C is for Cotton — an A to Z Series about Agriculture

I have to do it. Sure, there were lots of suggestions for C words that are important parts of agriculture and in fact, Kim Parsell gave me a whole list!

Ag words that start with C

KentFarms _LA lobbied for cattle (Angus cattle to be clear) and several people echoed that cows would be a perfect choice and others suggested corn. To do an agricultural A to Z without highlighting my favorite fiber — cotton — as the letter of the day, well, it is unthinkable. And I tried. Seriously. There was a great suggestion from Angel Steffan who left a comment pointing to “C is for Cultivation. Not only the land before be plant, but we need to cultivate young minds interest in Agriculture.” That’s a compelling plea.

cotton plant just after emergenceBut I have to say, I started blogging in large part because when I got on Twitter, I settled on the name @JPlovesCOTTON because it was personal (some dear high school friends called me JP) and it connected me to agriculture through the crop I know best (cotton). Cotton is a passion for me as well as a crop — it comes with a great community of cotton farmers, ginners, merchants, warehousemen, textile manufacturers and more.

But remember, less than 2% of Americans farm and when you look at cotton, it comes down to .006% of us are engaged in cotton farming (thanks to Shawn the magnificent at the National Cotton Council for doing that math!) If someone who has a daily awareness of cotton doesn’t make a point of saying COTTON ROCKS, who should I expect to do that? And you can’t forget all the people who buy cotton products whether or not they produce the crop! I’m wearing jeans and a cotton/silk blend sweater today so I am squarely in the happy consumer camp!

Right now, cotton farmers are looking at the weather forecasts and trying to decide when soils will be warm enough for planting. Cotton seeds do better in warm weather — if it is too cool or too wet, disease can be a problem and that leaves the plant susceptible to a variety of problems throughout the season, but farmers want to plant as early as possible as they look to harvest before winter weather or hurricane seasons hit.

cotton plants during fruiting

Cotton is a big part of this blog — in fact I have a Cotton 101 page devoted to some of the basics of my favorite crop that highlights posts including:

  • What does a cotton plant or field look like?
  • Planting Considerations
  • Things Farmers Think Through in Selecting Cotton Varieties
  • First Field Basics of the Boll
  • A Country Girl’s First Farm Visit
  • How a Cotton Gin Works
  • A Working Cotton Dictionary (Words Cotton Folks Use that May Confuse Others)

Cotton is not only a great crop, but it makes incredible fabrics! Textile mills have figured out how to make so many different types of fabric out of the fiber. I really love sweatshirts and jeans! Cotton flannel makes the best PJs and sheets for sleeping in winter!

A to Z Agriculture blog post seriesD is for….

Tomorrow (Thurssday) is the day for the letter “D” so what do you think the word of the day should be?

See the other posts in this series by clicking on the logo at right and reviewing the letters, or by browsing the A to Z ag tag archives. You should also feel free to add ideas for upcoming letters!

Sharing is caring!

0 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp

Filed Under: cotton, farm, Food & Farm Tagged With: A to Z ag, agriculture, cotton, facebook, feature, social media, timeless, twitter

« Top Cotton Blogs You Should be Following
L is for Loam, Love Great Silt Loam Soils »

Comments

  1. bocafrau says

    April 3, 2013 at 11:03 am

    Cotton really is a huge part of everyday life. My fave things to wear in the Florida heat — 100 % cotton T-shirts!

    • Janice Person says

      April 3, 2013 at 5:16 pm

      Seriously! 100% cotton rocks summer clothes!

  2. Ag Editor says

    April 3, 2013 at 1:33 pm

    Love Cotton as well, but 2013 US acreage projections ARE NOT looking good. Too much money to be made in corn and beans…

    • Janice Person says

      April 3, 2013 at 5:17 pm

      I agree, acres will be down but I’m hearing these days it may not be down as much as it was expected to be earlier this year.

  3. Jordan Simonson says

    April 3, 2013 at 9:29 pm

    It is oretty crazy when you get to thinking about all of the words in agriculture that start with “C.” My vote for “D” is dairy.

    • Janice Person says

      April 3, 2013 at 9:53 pm

      I’m already writing up D… will be posted in the morning!

  4. myblogg4u says

    October 2, 2015 at 10:29 am

    Nice article, thanks for sharing

Trackbacks

  1. Water Use & Conservation on the Farm -- I is for Irrigation says:
    October 5, 2013 at 6:02 pm

    […] C is for Cotton […]

  2. A is for Agriculture -- An A to Z Series about Agriculture says:
    October 22, 2013 at 8:29 pm

    […] logo will link back here as the hub for all of the letters. A is for Agriculture B is for Borlaug C is for Cotton D is for Debt (Farm Debt) E is for Elevator F is for Farmer G is for GMO H is for Hay I is for […]

  3. Taking Time to Check on Cotton Sustainability Facts says:
    May 31, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    […] C is for Cotton – an A to Z Series about Agriculture […]

  4. Understanding Soils Thanks to Getting to Know Silt Loam says:
    September 24, 2014 at 10:06 pm

    […] C is for Cotton – an A to Z Series about Agriculture […]

  5. What are GMOs & Why Do Farmers Plant GMO Crops? says:
    September 28, 2014 at 8:53 pm

    […] C is for Cotton […]

Don’t miss any new posts!

My Cotton Rec!

I’m fairly picky about fabrics — I want cotton that is quality that lasts. Keeps its shape. That’s why I’m sharing this link. I truly believe in the products.  I get a referral fee for you using the links.

For years now, I’ve bought myself dresses and leggings, that show my love of writing, science, etc. from Svaha. I’ve bought gifts too — seriously awesome socks for kids with awesome women on them!

Check out my new podcast in your fave app!

Recent Posts

  • Reducing the Stigma of Cotton for the Black Community
  • In Search of Really Soft T-Shirts
  • Embracing Vintage and Sustainability with Some Branding like J. Crew Always
  • We Will Long Miss Kenneth Hood
  • What is the Cotton Belt?

Want the basics?

cotton 101 blue

About the Site

From the seed to our shirts, cotton has a unique fit in our environment and lives. This site seeks to celebrate and inform about the natural fiber. Read more on the about page.

What else I am up to

JPlovesLIFE

Great Cotton Educational Video

Finding Great Cotton Dresses for Year-Round Wear

Reducing the Stigma of Cotton for the Black Community

soft t-shirts st louis

In Search of Really Soft T-Shirts

Embracing Vintage and Sustainability with Some Branding like J. Crew Always

This blog is part of the communications efforts by JPlovesCOTTON LLC.

Copyright © 2025 · Grounded Communications, LLC · Privacy Policy

0 shares