Southern Snow
Although yesterday was the first day of winter, here in North Carolina, it is a balmy 70 degrees and super wet(Santa, you might want to bring your swim suit). I have never seen a white Christmas. Well, there was that one time it snowed the day after Christmas, so I counted it, but still. There are places here in the South where fields of white can be seen. I'm talking about cotton. It is a southern snow if you will, and it is beautiful.
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Not only is it beautiful, but it is also pretty important to America. Cotton is the number one value-added crop in America, bringing in $5.3 billion just at the farm level and more than $120 billion in annual business revenue.
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Cotton isn't just about the fibers. All parts of the plants are used. The seeds are processed into oil, meal, or hulls. Oil is often used in shortening and salad dressing. Meal and hulls are a great protein feed for livestock.
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America's currency is 75% cotton.
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One bale of cotton weighs about 480 pounds.
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Weather affects the quality of the cotton. If the bolls (the balls of cotton) have opened and are rained on before they can be picked, the cotton sprouts and reduces the quality of the lint.
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Cotton quality is determined by taking a sample from the bale where color, cleanliness, staple length (length of fibers), and strength are analyzed.
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Thomas Edison used cotton fibers for filaments in his first light bulb.
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America is the third largest grower of cotton, and Texas is the top state.
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Eli Whitney's cotton gin invention changed the face of cotton forever. It was able to process cotton 10 times faster than by hand.
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Cotton is truly the snow of the South. I must say I'm partial to it over the real deal. Actual snow wreaks havoc. Everyone freaks out a bit, roads are on gridlock, schools close, and bread and milk fly off of the shelves. Not to mention, here on the farm, it gets to be a mucky mess. So, now that it is officially winter, I will not complain about my balmy weather (however I would appreciate a lot less water), and will embrace the snow of the South...cotton.
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cotton