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Georgia was the first colony to produce cotton commercially, first planting it near Savannah in 1734. In 1793 school teacher Eli Whitney invented and patented the cotton gin. The first major textile mill was built in 1811 near Washington, Ga. Cotton was an ingredient in the first light bulb, the telegraph, the Wright brothers' plane, and the first automobile tires.

Georgia ranks third nationally in cotton production and acres planted, and UGA Extension continues to aid in the growth of cotton production. Cotton-related professions provide 53,000 jobs in the state of Georgia, and cotton's overall impact exceeds $3 billion.


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Websites

UGA-affiliated sites

UGA Georgia Cotton News Information about Georgia cotton including newsletters, breaking news, and relevant links.

Sustainable Agriculture at UGA Brings together information on sustainable agriculture including crop rotation, cover crops, and other resources.

Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics IPBGG faculty actively engage in training of graduate students, the development of new crop varieties, and basic research on the genetics and understanding of crop traits important to agriculture and human kind.

UGA Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics Learn more about the agricultural and applied economics department at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

UGA Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Learn more about the crop and soil sciences department at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Commodity Teams at CAES Teams made up of research scientists and extension specialists work together to provide the latest technology and information for efficient, profitable production of some of Georgia's most valuable commodities.

External sites

Georgia Cotton Commission GCC site featuring annual meeting information, guest speaker profiles, state statistics, cotton lint and seed facts, educational resources, and related links.


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Contact your local UGA Extension office to find out how our team of county agents can assist you.
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UGA Georgia Cotton News This site shares information from the UGA Cotton Team to keep Georgia cotton stakeholders informed about changes in production practices and policy changes.
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  • High Cotton Yields
    High Cotton Yields Georgia cotton growers are starting the 2023 season with a boost from near-record-breaking yields last year. Published: 06/06/23
  • Georgia Farmer of the Year
    Georgia Farmer of the Year Bart Davis was announced as the 2023 Georgia Farmer of the Year at the Jan. 27 Georgia Ag Forecast event. Published: 02/02/23
  • Irrigation Scheduling Technology
    Irrigation Scheduling Technology In its first official year of data collection, UGA's AgWET program impacted more than 1,450 acres of row crops in Georgia, 300 acres of peanuts and 1,150 acres of cotton, and yielded an estimated water savings of over 100 million gallons of water. Published: 01/23/23
Top Cotton Producers
County Name Value
Dooly $80,632,500
Mitchell 59,042,000
Worth 57,022,875
Colquitt 55,402,000
Bulloch 42,522,675
Decatur 41,238,715
Early 38,077,141
Brooks 37,386,590
Coffee 36,511,860
Crisp 32,996,925
State Total: $1,311,533,294

Displaying farm gate values for 2022. Values are tallied in October for the previous year.