Last year, was a first for me. It was the first time in decades that I hadn’t kicked off the new year of winter meetings with the Beltwide Cotton Conferences (aptly names as folks come from all over the Cotton Belt for this). The Beltwide I wrote a short post about it as it happened. And while I have to admit, I… Read More
A Working Cotton Dictionary (Words Cotton Folks Use that May Confuse Others)
aka Vocabulary the Way I’ve Heard Cotton Farmers & Other Experts Use It & How It Can Be Misunderstood If the title and subhead don’t point out this is not an academic endeavor, then let me say it outright. THIS IS NO ACADEMIC DICTIONARY ON COTTON. This is just a simple compilation of words that we use in cotton that… Read More
Tennessee Cotton Photos from Friends
Last week I was busily going about things & checked in on Twitter and somehow, almost miraculously I caught two tweets about Tennessee cotton. It was awesome! First came this one from Shane Kinne with the photo at right. Touring a #cotton gin in TN. New territory for this north MO farm boy. #agchat https://t.co/cj3BoIo — Shane Kinne (@ShaneKinne) May 9,… Read More
A Million Bales of Cotton Impact From One Small Town
I recently saw the following headline in the Delta Farm Press: Dell, Ark., gin celebrates one millionth bale. The article was really interesting: “Twenty-one years ago, Clarence called me about building a gin,” said Weiner. “I can’t remember how much money we were trying to raise. But it finally took root. It’s good to see a man realize his dream…. Read More
Cotton 101: How a Cotton Gin Works
Cotton gins. They haven’t changed the basic function since they were invented but I do know they have changed dramatically in size & speed. At the end of the day, all of them involve separating the seed from the lint. The vast majority of gin use a system of saws pulling lint away from seed and through to a cleaning system. This post includes video & photos.