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King Cotton
Buddy Adamson
(800) 392-5705, ext. 4216
Alabama Cotton Producers, a division of Alabama Farmers Federation , is composed of cotton farmers from across the state involved in the production of the state's largest row crop. Cotton production in the state is deeply imbedded in Alabama's history.
The boll weevil devastated the South's cotton industry around 1910, but with the implementation of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program , cotton made a big comeback in the state and once again is King of row crops in Alabama.
The boll weevil was honored in 1919 when a monument was erected in downtown Enterprise, Alabama as a reminder that the tiny insect pest had forced farmers to diversify their operations.
Today's cotton farmers rely on more than just the eradication program to produce a good crop. Using the latest farming techniques and biotechnology, yields have improved dramatically in the last century.
Alabama farmers planted nearly 560,000 acres of cotton in 2003, and this year could be one of the best overall crops in recent history. Farmers are expected to harvest 510,000 acres with estimated yields of 753 pounds per acre for a total of about 800,000 bales in 2003. Cotton is grown in 59 of Alabama's 67 counties and had cash receipts totaling nearly $190 million in 2001. For more details about cotton statistics in Alabama, visit the Alabama Agricultural Statistics Service website . Top cotton-producing counties in Alabama include Limestone, Madison, Lawrence, Monroe, Colbert, Escambia, Lauderdale, Cherokee, Baldwin and Geneva, while the state ranks ninth in the nation in production. | |
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