USDA and Industry Professionals Host Annual Cotton Guiner School

May 30, 2023

The US cotton industry accounts for 35% of the world’s cotton exports.

The processing of cotton involves a lot of demanding work, including the proper use of a cotton gin, which is commonly used to speed up the cottonseed washing process, the removal of foreign matter, and compacting the cotton into lint bales. Training may be required. In terms of perspective, one bale of cotton can make over 200 pairs of jeans or over 1,200 T-shirts.

There are currently 509 cotton gins in operation in the United States, according to data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Recently, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Cotton Gin Association (NCGA) partnered to conduct an annual outreach program to provide cotton gin education and training. industrial worker. The USDA-ARS Research Leader and his NCGA Vice President will lead the effort with the support of USDA-ARS scientists, NCGA member associations, land grant universities, industry partners and stakeholder groups.

“These annual schools are important support programs for the industry and diverse worker groups,” said Greg Holt, research leader at the Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit in Lubbock, Texas. “The school curriculum focuses on improving reeling efficiency, producing high-quality fibers and improving safety.”

These schools represent a successful collaborative effort between USDA-ARS and stakeholders.

The first school was held at the USDA-ARS Cotton Ginning Laboratory in Stoneville, Mississippi in 1986 after a group of industry leaders and USDA personnel recognized the need for a training program to teach ginning operation and safety. rice field. The Western Guiners School at the Southwestern Cotton Ginning Institute in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he opened in 1987, followed by the Southwestern Guiners School in Lubbock, Texas in 1989.

About 10,625 students have attended all three schools since 1986.

At this school you will learn about safety, hydraulics, pneumatics, machine settings and moisture management. In addition, a total of 465 people have completed the Certified Novice Program, which began in 1998. The curriculum continues to evolve in response to changes in the industry.

The decades of training offered by Cotton Ginners Schools reflect USDA’s commitment to working with partners to ensure growers have the support they need to improve cotton production and quality.

For more information on the program, please visit www.cotton.org/ncga/ginschool/index.cfm.