Cotton Facts & Harvesting
BY THE NUMBERS – COTTON IS:
- 6th leading Arizona crop
- $156 million annual in cash receipts
- Soil loss de 68%
- Cotton uses 3% of the world’s agriculture water use
- 64% is from rain irrigation
- Co2 offset of growing cotton equivalent to 7 million vehicles
- Today’s farmers use 50% less pesticides
Source: Cotten Incorporated & USDA
COMMENTARY
- Killing the cotton plant once cotton blooms to allow leaves to die and fall off for cleaner harvesting
- Harvesting with Round Bale Cotton Picker equipment
- Cotton gin delivery and processing
- Seeds are used for planting next year’s harvest, cattle feed and cotton oil for cooking
- Researchers are studying the potential health benefits of cotton seed oil
- Cotton lint is processed and sent to Long Beach, CA and distributed throughout the world
