It’s that time of year again. Select fields are turning white as the nights grow longer and cooler. As some of the 3^rd graders at the recent Robeson Agriculture Awareness Days stated, it looks like fields of snow. Yet, just like the kids, even though we may ride by these fields of snow many of us might not appreciate the fullness this crop brings to our everyday lives.

Odds are, if you are reading this, you are wearing something made of cotton right now. Cotton is the most widely used natural fiber for making clothing because it is soft and comfortable, has good absorbency, and conducts heat well. Cotton is one of the few breathable fabrics, so it is ideal for both hot summer days and cold winter days. Cotton remains the most miraculous fiber under the sun, even after 7,000 years of cultivation. No other fiber comes close to duplicating all of the desirable characteristics combined in cotton. Cotton is noted for its versatility, appearance, performance, and natural comfort. It provides thousands of useful products and supports millions of jobs as it moves from field to fabric. We grow about 20,000 acres of cotton in Robeson County, with an average yield of about 800 pounds per acre.

Most cotton is harvested mechanically by a cotton picker, a machine that removes the seed cotton from the plant. After harvesting, cotton must be combed to remove the seeds. This was a laborious process until the industrial revolution and invention of the cotton gin, which quickly separates the seeds from the fiber and combs them for spinning. Before processing, there are 3 stages cotton must go through – ginning, spinning, and weaving. While a single cotton fiber is not terribly strong, when multiple curling fibers are straightened and twisted together, they form a strong, smooth thread that can be knitted or woven, as well as dyed.

Cotton is actually two crops – fiber and seed. About one-third of the cottonseed produced from a typical crop is crushed for oil and meal used in food products and in livestock and poultry feed. For each 100 pounds of fiber produced by the cotton plant, it also produces about 162 pounds of cottonseed. Oil is most often extracted by solvents then refined for use as a cooking oil or in products like salad dressings, shortening, and margarine. In fact, potato chips are often cooked in cottonseed oil. Limited quantities also go into soaps, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textile finishes, and other products.

Cotton is used for virtually every type of clothing, from coats and jackets to foundation garments, with jeans, shirts and underwear being major items. In home furnishings, cotton’s uses range from bedspreads to window shades. It is by far the dominant fiber in towels and washcloths, supplying almost 100 percent of that market. Cotton is popular in sheets and pillowcases, where it holds over 60 percent of the market. But did you know that it is even made in our US banknotes? That’s right, our dollar bills are made of 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen fibers, an important quality to survive a round in the washing machine.

To close, most people don’t realize that Cotton Incorporated headquarters are located in Cary, NC. Remember their commercial slogan, “Cotton is the fabric of our lives.”  Hopefully, you will have a better appreciation of our fields of snow and the many benefits this crop provides.