Ten Interesting Facts About the Cotton Industry

As a company that sells cotton picker parts around the world, the team here at Certi-Pik, USA is well versed in the importance of the cotton industry, as are the farmers we proudly sell our products to. But in today’s fast-paced, tech-obsessed world, the humble cotton industry does not always get the respect and recognition it deserves. If you do not know much about cotton farmers and the global cotton market, we hope you will take the opportunity to read over the following interesting cotton industry facts and figures and cotton picker parts:

Interesting Fact About Cotton

  • When accounting for everything from the cotton farms to the textile mill, the cotton industry in the U.S. alone is a $25 billion annual market, and supports about 400,000 American jobs.
  • American cotton farmers receive a subsidy of $230 per acre of cotton crop. To put that into perspective, that is about five times as much as farmers receive per acre of cereal crop. Americans value their cotton very highly.
  • In 2003, the top states for cotton production were Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, California, Arkansas, North Carolina and Louisiana. These seven states produced 80 percent of the nation’s total cotton crop for that year.
  • In 2006, cotton farmers in the U.S. produced the third largest crop in history, despite the fact that there was a severe drought that year. The record crop is attributed to advances in genetic modification, as well as improvements in cotton pickers and cotton picker parts.
  • The U.S. produces 20 percent of the world’s cotton. We are second only to China, which produces about 24 percent.
  • People have been wearing clothes made of cotton for over 7,000 years, thanks to its lightweight yet durable consistency. To this day, it is the most popular non-synthetic clothing material.
  • Sixty percent of all women’s clothing contains some amount of cotton, and 40 percent is made entirely of cotton. For men, 75 percent of all clothing contains some cotton. Of that portion, 85 percent is made with 100 percent cotton.
  • Cotton is typically measured in 500-pound bales. One bale of cotton can produce about 800 men’s button down shirts, 850 women’s blouses, 325 pairs of jeans, 350 dresses, 3,000 diapers or 1,000 pillowcases.
  • S. currency is not actually made from paper. In fact, it is about 75 percent cotton, and 25 percent linen. That means that a typical bale of cotton can produce over 313,000 $100 bills.
  • All of the cotton the U.S. produces is grown on 3,500 different farms, most of which are located in 14 key cotton-growing states.

At first glance, the cotton industry might not seem that exciting. But in truth, cotton has a strong cultural presence, rich history and important economic impact on the U.S. and the entire world. If there is a cotton farmer in your life, take the time to show your respect and appreciation for them sometime soon. And if you are a cotton farmer, remember that you can always count on Certi-Pik, USA for quality cotton picker parts at affordable prices.