Believed to be in production as early as 1772, cotton has remained one of the state’s most valuable crops bringing in more than $234 million in 2016. Let us put that into perspective for you. Out of 67 counties in Alabama, 59 of them produce cotton, with Limestone, Madison and Lawrence considered some of the top contributors in the state. Fast-forward to 2019, where nearly 540,000 acres of cotton were planted and 532,000 acres were harvested. These staggering numbers account for 928 lbs per acre for a total of 1,028,000 bales of cotton. Can you picture how many containers of cotton that amounts to? We’ll give you a hint… it’s a whole lot!
Over the years, all of the modern farms planting and harvesting cotton crops have become enterprises that are much more efficient and profitable at doing just that, so much so that the US is now considered the world’s leading cotton exporter. That means that the transportation of cotton by truck is no small feat! Did you know that a special permit from the Department of Transportation is required in order to transport it all? With these permits in hand, cotton makes its way across the world to places like Canada, Mexico, and Asia. When you take a second to really think about it, cotton can be found in so many things that are part of our everyday, including clothing and home decor. No wonder it’s planted, harvested, and transported so much!
