Cotton growers benefit from fiber moisture control when the gins handling their cotton use it.  Losses due to unpredictable weather and growing conditions can be eliminated or significantly reduced at a gin quipped with fiber moisture control systems.

If all seed cotton entered the gin at about 8% moisture content, the need for fiber moisture control would be minimal. Unfortunately, nature is rarely that cooperative. When wet conditions prevail, a clock is ticking and a gin equipped with an advanced and powerful drying system will protect more of its growers from rotten, below grade bales than a conventional gin can hope to do before conditions deteriorate. This is because, although all gins suffer when trying to handle rotten seed in their machinery, the gin with the more powerful drying system can get a big head start when wet conditions first begin.

The biggest influence on turnout at the gin can be the drying system. Although moisture restoration systems have an obvious effect on turnout, much more fiber can be lost through weak drying in wet conditions and the subsequent loss of fiber at the lint cleaners as they attempt to clean up fiber with tangled trash. Take a close look at cotton mote bales made during wet conditions as a fast evaluation of how well the drying system is performing. A lot of fiber with the motes will tell the story every time.

When weather conditions are variable and modules vary widely in moisture content, it is a common practice for gins that are not equipped with fast response sensing and control systems on their drying system to operate at temperatures well above the minimum needed to handle the fiber gently. This is to insure against chokes from wet cotton arriving unexpectedly. This means that much of the cotton being processed is subjected to too much heat. This benefits nobody, but hits the grower particularly hard as the fiber loses value due to shortened staple and strength.

Growers normally rejoice when harvest conditions are dry. There is such a thing as “too dry” however, and the results are not pretty. When cotton arrives at the gin significantly under six percent moisture content, the saws at the gin stand break up to 1/16” of an inch off of the fiber resulting in losses to the grower (under current marketing penalties) of over $18/bale. This occurs at gins operated by even the most conscientious ginners. When these conditions prevail, even turning off the heat completely and cutting ginning rate dramatically will not prevent the problem. Seed cotton conditioning with humid air above the gin stands is the right tool to salvage these potential losses. Although there may be cotton conditions where this tool is not even turned on, the dry conditions when it is needed pay back to the grower quickly.

Applying moisture to lint cotton has obvious benefits to the grower as it impacts turnout by the amount of moisture retained by the bale. In other words, the grower is selling water for the price of cotton. As one casual observer in the deep south remarked when asked his opinion of the process, “De way I sees it, de bale sells for de same money, but dey is a little less cotton in each one.”

Is the process of moisture regain at the bale ethical? As in most things in life, motive influences the implementation and ultimately determines the case. Do mills like paying cotton prices for water? No. Do mills want their cotton bone dry to avoid this? Again, the answer is no. The grower and gin’s motive should be to provide the mill with bales that are highly desirable. Moisture is a critical component of accomplishing this. Moisture applied in an irregular manner from the standpoint of greed on the part of the grower or ginner results in little or no benefit for the mill. The economic results will follow in the return of problem bales. Let your conscience be your guide continues to be good advice in today’s cotton industry. We encourage growers and ginners to read the corresponding notes on this website as they apply to the mill from the perspective of bale moisture regain. Samuel Jackson systems use only humid air for moisture restoration, resulting in the most even conditioning possible for a great product to press into bales and spin into fine fabrics!