News: Media Kits: Georgia Agricultural Resources

Cotton

Georgia was the first colony to produce cotton commercially, first planting it near Savannah in 1734.

In 1793 school teacher Eli Whitney invented and patented the cotton gin. The first major textile mill was built in 1811 near Washington, Ga.

The cotton-destroying boll weevil first appeared in Georgia in 1914. By 1921 it had swept over the entire state, and cotton yields fell by more than half. Many farmers stopped growing cotton, causing a mass exodus of farm labor to Northern cities in search of other economic opportunities.

In 1987, Georgia launched the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, which was so successful that in 1994 the weevil was declared economically insignificant. Growers have reduced their insect control costs by as much as 70 percent.

Cotton is actually two crops: seed and fiber. Cotton seed is crushed in order to separate its three products: oil, meal and hulls. The oil is used for shortening, cooking oil and salad dressing. Some cotton seed is used as a high-protein concentrate for food products.

The meal and hulls are used in products such as livestock, poultry and fish feed, while the stalks and leaves are plowed under to enrich the soil. The most important part of the cotton plant is the fiber or lint, which is used to make textile products.

The common characteristic among all cotton species is that each fiber has a single-cell composition, a characteristic science has yet to imitate. This gives cotton its qualities of absorption and ability to breathe.

Georgia ranks third nationally in cotton production and acres planted. The 2000 crop covered 1.5 million acres and yielded 1.66 million bales. The 1995 Georgia crop, at 1.97 million bales, was the largest since 1918.

The products that consume the most cotton are men's and boy's clothing, towels and wash cloths, drapery, upholstery and slip cover fabrics. About 40 percent of the U.S. crop is exported.

Cotton related professions provide 53,000 jobs in the state of Georgia. Cotton's overall impact exceeds $3 billion.

 

More Information

• National Cotton Council of America
• Cotton Pest Updates from the University of Georgia
• Georgia Cotton Commission
• UGA Cotton
• Insects that threaten cotton production
• UGA / USDA Cotton Experts

 

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