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Mystique Surrounds Season’s First Bale Of Cotton
Early summer across the Cotton Belt often means weed and disease pressure, but it also signals that coveted first bale of the season.
According to U.S. Senator John Cornyn (Texas), “The tradition of certifying the nation’s First Bale of the year dates back to the 1800s when the grower of the First Bale was required to transport the cotton to the Houston Cotton Exchange for certification. After verifying its status as the first bale of cotton to be harvested that year in the United States, the Exchange would put the bale up for auction.
“This process continued, uninterrupted, for many years until 1953, when the Harlingen Cotton Committee successfully petitioned the Houston Cotton Exchange for the rights to auction the First Bale. As a result of this hallmark agreement, for the past 60 years the Harlingen Cotton Committee of the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce has been solely responsible for certifying the nation’s First Bale of cotton each year. And for each of those 60 years, the First Bale has been grown in the fertile Rio Grande Valley.”
The proceeds generated by this event help fund scholarships for local youth who are pursuing agriculture-related degrees.
This year, Wesley Vanderpool in Alamo, Texas, harvested that first bale June 23, at 1,989 pounds of cotton with the Stoneville ST4990 variety. Vanderpool’s harvested bale was then ginned at the Willacy Co-Op Gin.
First Texas High Plains Bale
The first High Plains bale for 2022 was delivered to Five Points Gin in Gaines County Sept. 6, 2022, by Gaines County producers Corny and Justina Enns. Harvested northwest of Seminole, the Enns brought in 2,880 pounds of seed cotton produced from Deltapine 1646.
“I wasn’t planning on competing for the first bale or anything,” said Corny Enns, Gaines County farmer since 1987.
As he was driving by one of his fields, Enns saw some bolls opening. “I decided to call down to Five Points and see if anyone had brought anything in yet. They said no, so I sprayed about 15 acres and ended up stripping 12.”
The first bale was auctioned o by the pound at the annual Gaines County Ag & Oil Appreciation Day hosted by the Seminole Chamber of Commerce Sept. 15.
The seven gins in Gaines County each put in $1,000 for the first bale, so the grower is guaranteed $7,000 in prize money in addition to the money brought in from the auction.
“It’s been such a strange year, we weren’t sure anyone would try to make the first bale,” said Mike Foster, manager of Five Points Gin. “I’m proud for the Enns family who have been my customers since 2010.”
Wesley Vanderpool (center le ) harvested this year’s rst bale of cotton — a Stoneville ST4990 variety — near Alamo, Texas. Also pictured with Wesley are, from le to right, Meranda Easter; Wesley’s partner, Verne Vanderpool (center right); and Luke Etheredge. From le to right: Mike Foster, Five Points Gin manager; Gaines County producers Justina and Corny Enns, who harvested the rst bale of cotton for 2022 in the Texas High Plains; and Kurt Brown, Seminole Chamber of Commerce.
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South Texas Cotton Story Refresh
Itold my cotton story here October 2020 on our (I have three younger siblings) 188- acre, dryland cotton farm in Willacy County, Texas. Several items need updating. Thank you for the opportunity. For one, I forgot my childhood nickname. My 73-year-old thinning hair is grayish brown. When I was a kid, it was very blond, almost white; and also curly. My nickname was, in fact, “Cottonhead” or “Cotton” for short. I remember playing Little League. “Don’t drop the ball, Cottonhead. Hit a single, Cotton.”
Willacy County is one of the four counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley in extreme South Texas. Some areas there have a consistent wind. The first wind farm to generate electricity in the Valley went in 20 years ago. It is still a shock to me to drive around my old stomping grounds and see hundreds of these massive turbines.
As a kid growing up and driving out in the country in the 1950s and 1960s, I remember windmills well. These did not generate electricity, but raised water from aquifers (ample then, some almost depleted now) to water the cows, and maybe even do a little row crops irrigation with the right plumbing and labor. At 40-feet tall, they were and are piddling compared to today’s monster wind turbines.
Aermotor was printed on 100% of the vanes of these quality wind-powered water pump systems. That company, formed in 1888, must have had a monopoly. It operates today under the same name of Aermotor Co. and is based in San Angelo, Texas.
A 125 turbine (2.17 megawatts per turbine) wind farm did go up in the area of our land, putting juice to the grid in February 2021. Big Sister lobbied for a turbine on our land. We did not get it. However, we are receiving the minimum annual income for one turbine, as if we had one. This is as the developer shorted us on the land holding fee (since reimbursed) due to a surveying error. The design was already done. Adding a turbine would have required re-application to the FAA as a commercial airport is 13 miles south-southwest of here. All in all, it’s a long story.
Texas leads the nation in renewables — mostly wind, some solar, a little hydro and a little geothermal. To sum
up, we are enjoying the feel good feeling of generating electricity without creating carbon contributing to global warming and permanent climate changes, resulting in environmental refugees by the millions worldwide today. Due to the current drought, only 7.13 million acres of U.S. cotton were harvested this year, the lowest since 1868. Forty-three percent of planted cotton was abandoned — plowed under — as yield was not worth harvesting. Texas was even worse, 69% plowed under. However, Texas did have one bright spot. This was the Rio Grande Valley, Dean Fisher which pretty much got the right amount of rain at the right time. Yields were a little more than two and three bales per acre dryland and irrigated. Texas’ drought of record was 1950-57. As severe as today’s drought is, it pales to that in the 1950s. I remember it well, as the family had severe money problems. The number of Texas farms and ranches shrunk from 345,000 to 247,000. Thousands moved from farms and ranches and small towns to the cities looking for work, permanently as it turned out. Economic losses were $26 billion in 2022 dollars. Our land is dryland, so we watch and “My nickname was, in fact, pray over the vagaries of the ‘Cottonhead’ or ‘Cotton’ for short.” weather every year. We rent to brother farmers. We and they are not lucky every year, so a little extra income “as steady as the wind” is very welcome. The four of us born 1949-1958 used cloth diapers. There was no choice. I remember changing diapers on the two youngest, eight and 10 years behind. I liked those cotton diapers, so white (like my hair!) and fluffy and soft. They also doubled well as burp rags. I recall not so fondly rinsing them with a water hose in the back yard. This prewash was beneficial before going into the washing machine. Clean was important for several reasons. For one, they were hung outside to dry, so more or less on display. I married late at age 39. Our daughter was born 14 months later. At the time, there was much debate as to whether cloth or paper was better for baby, and also what was best for the environment. We opted for cloth diapers, using a service that picked up, washed at 190° F, and then delivered — still preferring cotton. Of course, we used paper some, such as when we were away from home. I became a grandfather last March. That boy uses paper diapers of course. Things change. I don’t think you can even buy cloth diapers anymore, much less hire a service. And so it goes. — Dean Fisher Houston, Texas bdeanfish@gmail.com
Cotton Farming’s back page is devoted to telling unusual “farm tales” or timely stories from across the Cotton Belt. Now it’s your turn. If you’ve got an interesting story to tell, send a short summary to csmith@onegrower.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
