Effects of Cotton Lint Cleaning and Harvester Modification Technology on Net Return to Producers

The presence of foreign matter in cotton lint reduces the market value of cotton and is costly to remove. The problem is prevalent in the West Texas region with the use of stripper harvesters. Recent experimentation indicates that modification of the paddle width on the stripper harvester potentially reduces the amount of foreign matter accumulated during harvest.

An optimal number of gin lint cleanings was determined under conditions of lint cleaning with and without the use of the modified harvester for two cotton varieties in the West Texas region. Revenues and costs associated with stages of lint cleaning were estimated and revenues from lint cleaning were then derived from these estimates in order to determine an optimal number of lint cleanings under both harvest conditions. Although the results of the study provide to definitive rule for determining an optimal level of lint cleaning, the results suggest that cotton variety is an important element in improving the efficiency of cotton lint harvester modification resulted in increased new returns to the cotton producer.