A Cotton Pickin Day

[CubDieselFan]

Originally Posted by ol'George

About 45 years ago, I saw cotton being picked in Missouri,
I was just far enough south to be in cotton country.
It was an eye opener, as us Yankees can't grow it.
Back then it was mostly green equipment.
I can't imaging picking it by hand like they did in my parents day.

There are still a lot folks living around here that pitched it by hand. It was back breaking work, but everybody did it. Just was not a lot of industry around here. No way to make a living than to farm or work on a farm. There was a lot of share cropping in my area in the 40's and 50's.

[john hall]

They stop growing cotton 45-60 miles southeast of me, it just doesn't do well here and the land is maybe too hilly. I've never seen it harvested, but when traveling to the beach we see the fields. All the regional ag sale booklets carry cotton equipment. I think locally cotton played out here in the 20's, I'm not too far from a site of where a mill/gin was located. Pretty sure they still grow it around Charlotte, worked with an older guy from there whose family picked it by hand.

As much varying degree of agriculture as this group has, maybe we should start a thread showing equipment specific to certain crops--preferably in the field working. I'm not very far from peanut growing and sweet potato growing regions either--but have never seen either of those harvested. I imagine Alan Cecil has as they grow about everything other than Christmas trees where he's at.

[finsruskw]

You guys should have made it to RPRU At Montgomery, AL back in June.
They had a lot of CP equipment there I understand and even had a picking and ginning demonstrations.

[Billy-O]

Originally Posted by CubDieselFan

The field next to me got picked today and this is the first time I got to see it first hand. Usually I am not here. Pics to follow. Still pretty cool even thought it had green paint. Pretty impressive machine.

Thanks for sharing this! It would be very interesting to ride along and see how this machine works.

[jaynjeep]

Cotton is King down here in GA.. I'd say in about 75 percent of the crops grown here are cotton! Next thing in line is peanuts..

[cooperino]

Originally Posted by jaynjeep

Cotton is King down here in GA.. I'd say in about 75 percent of the crops grown here are cotton! Next thing in line is peanuts..

Mmmmm candied pecans from Georgia! I grab a couple bags whenever I pass through

[DoubleO7]

From your pics, it looks like that JD does a much better job of getting more cotton than most of whatever a lot of the other pickers are capable of.

[DoubleO7]

Originally Posted by jaynjeep

Those are HIGH DOLLAR machines! Not only do they pick the cotton but they also bail it.

We often see these in the fields of south Alabama.
They must be several hundred bails from the picker.
They will stay in the field sometimes until planting time next year.

[Bamafan]

Most the farmers around here pick with machines that roll the bales. It eliminates two additional pieces of equipment. Pretty sure that the same as the one Greg posted. Really neat machines, Only driving the operator does is to turn it around at the end of the field, line it and hip a button and GPS takes over the driving.


cotton-stripper1-large.jpg

DSC_0029.jpg

Baling-picker-1-web.jpg

[Bamafan]

After the bale is off loaded in the field, it is hauled to the gin with one of these type trucks. I worked 2 seasons for a friend of mine driving one of his trucks hauling bales like these.

Cotton-transporting.jpg