A couple of months ago, I saw one of these photos posted in one of the Facebook groups for farmers that I am in. I asked at the time that I be able to put it on my blog (since I love cotton so much). The photographer — family farmer Sue Leggett from North Carolina — said sure and offered to send me a few of the photos from her farm. I recently found that email and realized I had totally dropped the ball!
I love what she’s done!
During harvest season, farmers compact cotton into these big modules to be able to store them short-term til the crop gets to the gin. Farmers put a code number for the field they picked in and occasionally something else. The Leggetts did some simple math on theirs, it just results in big numbers! Knowing what can be made from one bale of cotton and that there are approximately 13-15 bales in a module (they’d know better since they know variety & about the weather), here’s what they saw being produced from the cotton in this field! And I bet it made some folks look!
cotton field ready to be harvested
several cotton modules in the field after harvest ( some folks think these are called bales but they are modules 🙂
This one module of cotton will make 24,000 t-shirts! Another will make 3,600 pairs of men’s jeans!
These modules can make 36,000 diapers and 12,000 bath towels!
If you are interested in learning more about cotton, let me know what questions you have or feel free to browse the cotton 101 section where I give some of the basics of my favorite fiber!
Great post: Nothing demonstrates the usefulness of agriculture like converting a photo of a harvest into something everyone can understand.
I just learned today what a modules is! Not bale, not hunk, and not loaf:)
Glad to hear you are learning about cotton!
How many acres of land would it take to harvest a bale or module of cotton?
That would vary but let me see if I can get a couple of cotton farmers to help me understand.