Pre-Production
After preparing the field, farmers use a tractor with a planter attachment to plant cotton seed. An example of what cotton seed can be seen in the farmer’s hand. The seed is not naturally bright purple, this is a seed coating providing protection and other benefits to the seed. The planter, attached to the tractor, allows the farmer to plant the cotton seed in rows. This makes it easier to care for and manage the cotton plants throughout their growing cycle.
Production
Once the cotton plants have reached the end of their growth cycle and produced cotton bolls, the fluffy, white, fiber appears. After natural or chemical defoliation takes place, the cotton is ready to be harvested. A cotton stripper is used to remove the cotton from the plant and is then compacted into square modules or round bales. This concludes the harvesting process.
Supply Chain
The cotton modules or round bales are transported from the farm to a cotton gin. At the cotton gin the cotton goes through several processes to remove derbies from the cotton fibers. The cleaned cotton is packaged into square bales to be transported to a warehouse before being exported to the global marketplace.
Consumption
Cotton fiber and its byproducts can be found in many consumer products such as denim jeans, food grade oils, and dairy and beef cattle feeds. Access the Cotton: From Food to Fashion to Food activity in Google Classroom to learn more about how cotton is used in consumer products.