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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Lab Testing and Analysis Services Testing for soil, plant tissue, water quality, animal waste, feeds and forages, pesticides, and much more!
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On-Site and Telephone Consultation Available in many county offices for ag producers.
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Pesticide Safety Education Program Topics include pest identification, storage and disposal, pesticide drift and runoff prevention, water quality protection, and food safety.
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Production Meetings Updates on local issues for growers and producers.
- Feeding Whole Cottonseed to Dairy Cows and Replacements (SB 59) Whole cottonseed is an excellent feed for dairy cattle due to its high level of fiber, protein and energy (fat) in a compact package. It can be fed just as it comes from the gin without processing or …
- How to Set Up a Post-Emergence Directed and Shielded Herbicide Sprayer for Cotton (B 1069) Even with today's technology, it is critical that growers use directed herbicides in their cotton crop to improve coverage of weeds hiding under the cotton canopy. Precision applications maximizing sp…
- Visual Reference Guide to Common Predators and Pests in Georgia Cotton (C 1161) This quick reference guide provides an overview of common pests and predator groups and their sizes, habitat preferences, and timing in cotton fields. This visual guide is intended to help facilitate …
- 2015 Peanut, Cotton and Tobacco Performance Tests (AP 104-7) This research report presents the results of the 2015 statewide performance tests of peanut, cotton, and tobacco. The tests for various evaluations were conducted at several or all of the following lo…
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.
Impact Statements: Cotton Descriptions of Extension efforts to improve knowledge and practices related to cotton.
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.
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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Farm Tour UGA President Jere W. Morehead and Agriculture Commissioner of Georgia Gary Black participated in southeast Georgia agriculture tour.
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Cotton Defoliation UGA Extension agronomist recommends three ways for cotton farmers to determine whether their crop is ready to defoliate.
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Field Day Annual field day will take place at two research farms on the UGA Tifton campus.
| Top Cotton Producers | |
|---|---|
| County Name | Value |
| Coffee | $57,324,638 |
| Dooly | 40,731,624 |
| Worth | 32,202,040 |
| Colquitt | 30,107,246 |
| Bulloch | 28,072,044 |
| Brooks | 26,405,518 |
| Screven | 22,703,840 |
| Thomas | 22,147,920 |
| Terrell | 20,916,000 |
| Crisp | 20,289,815 |
| State Total: | $774,500,161 |
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Displaying farm gate values for 2018. Values are tallied in October for the previous year. |
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