From Boll to Bobbin, Field to Fabric

At an early age, I realized that you shouldn’t make any judgments or assumptions about anyone until you know what circumstances have shaped their lives. I don’t really remember where I learned the importance of that, but something inside me has always empathized with other people.

As it turns out, empathy is a great quality for a writer to have. You need to understand your subject matter, and you need to identify with your reader, especially if you’ve never walked with them down life’s road. A cotton grower in southeast Georgia can tell you that he hasn’t seen rain in weeks and thinks his stand could possibly be lost. But until you turn the corner at your own farm and see a completely wilted field, you really can’t comprehend that nauseating feeling in your gut. I had that feeling last year on my half acre, and I won’t even pretend to know how it feels when you have 500 acres – and your livelihood – on the line.

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Drew’s Half Acre started out as a monthly column to help me learn about cotton production, but it grew into something so much more. As the tiny seedlings emerged and grew into mature, boll-producing plants, I learned about plant physiology, but more importantly, I began to understand the perspective of the grower. Like most of life, the season was highlighted by hardships and heartaches, peaks and valleys from which we gauge our successes and failures.

Without a doubt, my journey ended on a mountain top, as my vision for Drew’s Half Acre came to fruition last May at the Cotton Incorporated research headquarters in Cary, NC. After Drew’s Half Acre was ginned at Monsanto’s Delta and Pine Land facility in Scott, MS, Cotton Incorporated spun the cotton into yarn, then knitted that yarn into fabric.

Both of these research facilities are testaments to the importance of continuing research for the U.S. cotton industry, especially Cotton Incorporated since each U.S. cotton grower funds its research and promotional activities. After visiting the facilities and talking with the staff, I can confidently say: your money is being well spent. Through their efforts, U.S. cotton will continue to be the premier choice for spinning mills around the world.

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While this is the final installment of Drew’s Half Acre, don’t think you’ve heard the last from me. I may not be growing my own stand this year, but I can guarantee that you will see me wandering around fields throughout the Cotton Belt this summer. I might even bring my scouting blanket and ask if you need a hand.

Until next time, see you in the field…

Editor’s Note: In addition to those mentioned in the article, a special thanks goes to Janice Person at Monsanto, Brad Robb at the Cotton Board, and David Clapp at Cotton Incorporated for helping to make this story possible.

Captions:

Ashley Coleman, research technician at Monsanto’s Delta and Pine Land facility in Scott, MS, loads seed cotton grown on Drew’s Half Acre into the feeder of the Trait Development Gin.

William “Buck” Smith, Trait Development Agronomist at Monsanto’s Delta and Pine Land facility in Scott, MS, evaluates the lint cotton from Drew’s Half Acre as it comes out of the condenser. The gin at the research facility is a smaller replica of a full-sized gin and moves cotton from the feeder to the cleaners, into the 20-saw gin stand, then to a lint cleaner and through a condenser. The gin is used to evaluate D&PL varieties grown at the testing facility.

Sammy Dabbs, fiber processing technician, monitors the spinning machines at Cotton Incorporated’s Fiber Processing lab in Cary, NC, as yarn is made from Drew’s Half Acre.

Martin Schreiner, associate director of fiber processing at Cotton Incorporated, explains the process of turning lint cotton from Drew’s Half Acre into yarn, which later is knitted into fabric.

The Monarch Sec-Mini machine at Cotton Incorporated’s research headquarters produces knit fabric using yarn made from Drew’s Half Acre.

Steps along cotton’s supply chain from the field to fabric are represented, including cotton bolls, ginned fiber, yarn and fabric made from cotton grown on Drew’s Half Acre.

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