Cotton has long been appreciated for its comfort, feel, absorption, breathability, and versatility. Good quality ensures that a bale of cotton will always have a market.
Yield is the big number that influences returns per acre, but fiber quality affects the value of each pound of lint produced. This impacts bottom-line returns for producers as well as textile manufacturers.
In a recent article, Dr. Steve Brown, Alabama Extension Cotton Specialist, and Tyler Sandlin, Assistant Extension Professor with Auburn University, take a look at the factors that affect cotton quality and the eight different characteristics that textile manufacturers evaluate when buying for their mills.
The bottom line, they say, is that growers should do everything possible to avoid deductions, strive for premiums, and not be surprised when premiums for a specific property moderate or disappear after a few seasons.
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