How Is Cotton Picked Nowadays?
Since ancient Egypt, cotton has played an integral role in any developing nation’s economy and lifestyle. In a bygone era, picking cotton was an arduous task for manual laborers that required long hours and a keen eye for detail. It was tough, precision work, but thankfully, those methods for harvesting cotton have long since been eradicated in the United States.
As countries the world over have begun their own development, the demand for cotton has increased to an incredible extent. In 2018, for example, the United States produced more than 17 million bales of cotton all on its own. However, that’s nothing compared to some of the world’s heavy hitters.
Fortunately, as time and technology progressed, so have the methods for harvesting cotton. In the 21st century, farmers rely on several state-of-the-art machines to deliver this crucial manufacturing component. Depending on which part of the world you’re standing in, you’ll likely see one of two methods utilized to harvest cotton.
Mechanical cotton pickers
The most commonly employed machine for picking cotton, mechanical cotton pickers can be found in many regions throughout the country, including the Southeast, the Midsouth (Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi) and the Far West (Arizona and California). The cotton baler parts in this ingenious device remove the cotton lint from the bract, leaving the rest of the plant intact.
Just as the method for picking has changed to being mechanically based, the machinery itself has also transformed over the years, making the mechanical cotton picker a true technological marvel. Cotton pickers today can harvest from six rows of crops at a single time and compact the lint into a bale on the fly.
Mechanical cotton strippers
Used for harvesting cotton on the High Plains, a mechanical cotton stripper combs across the rows of cotton, removing the leaves and the branches in addition to the cotton lint. Because more of the cotton plant is left in the harvested bundle, more work is required on the back end to sort out the lint from the debris.
It might seem inefficient, but there’s a reason for this: leaving behind the stalks (and only the stalks) makes tilling the cotton for next season that much easier.
The cotton harvester part pro
No matter how well these cutting-edge machines are constructed, they’ll eventually break down, and you’ll need new cotton baler parts. Wear and tear is as reliable as the need for cotton itself. When your cotton picker breaks down, you can rely on the pros at Certi-Pik, USA for the industry’s highest quality manufactured replacement parts.
When you need trustworthy replacements for your blown cam track, drumhead, spindle, picker, lubrication hoses and so much more, you can rely on Certi-Pik, USA for the answer. Around the world, farmers at every level of the cotton industry turn to Certi-Pik, USA.
Let us become your one-stop shop for cotton baler parts and cotton harvester parts. Visit us online and contact us today and learn how to receive up to 50 percent savings on quality replacement parts for your John Deere or Case IH Cotton Harvesters.