An Overview of Cotton Production in Texas

Cotton production is one of the most important industries in the United States. The country is the worldwide leader in cotton exporting and third internationally in production, behind only the much larger nations of China and India. Almost all of the cotton growth and production in America occurs in the south and west, with the dominant producing states being Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Arizona and California.

Today, more than 99 percent of American-grown cotton is Upland cotton, with the fraction of a percentage remaining being American Pima. Overall, the business is worth $25 billion per year and employs more than 200,000 people. In a typical year, the United States will produce around 17 billion bales of cotton.

Cotton in Texas

Texas is the largest producer of cotton of all 50 states. There are eight production regions located around the state, and it is the state’s largest cash crop. Each year, the state produces about 25 percent of the cotton crop in the United States across 6 million acres of cotton farmland—the equivalent of about 9,000 square miles of cotton fields.

But to Texans, it’s not just about growing more cotton than anyone else—it’s about doing it better.

Advancements in technology and cotton gin components in Lubbock, TX over the years have made cotton farming more efficient than ever before. Those innovations are on display at cotton farms and manufacturing facilities throughout Texas.

Even in just the last couple decades, there have been substantial changes in the way cotton farmers and textile mills work. Biotechnology now allows these facilities to use fewer chemicals in the process, which improves the overall health of the plant. There are also newer varieties available that grow better in specific regions, which increases yields of the crop. For example, a farmer in central Texas might look for a specific type of Upland cotton that is similar to the varieties grown in California or Arizona, but is harvested a couple months earlier to fit the climate of the region.

An international player

Before the textile industry suffered a major collapse in the 20^th century, about 70 percent of all the cotton produced in Texas was milled right here in the United States. Now, almost all of the cotton produced in the state enters the global market. There are, of course, pros and cons to this, but one of the biggest benefits is that it makes Texas an international player in an important commercial field. Texas cotton is known all throughout the world, and is essentially its own brand as far as global consumers are concerned.

The cotton industry is not going anywhere anytime soon—every year it is one of the biggest industries in the United States and Texas, and the future of the industry looks bright, especially as new harvesting methods and technologies continue to come to the forefront.

For more information about the cotton industry in Texas and the processes used in growing, harvesting and milling the material with cotton gin components in Lubbock, TX, contact our team at M.B. McKee Company, Inc. today.

Categorised in: Cotton Gin Components

This post was written by Writer