From the Field: Southern Snow, or Cotton in the Delta

On one of my first visits to Mississippi, I bought a postcard featuring the iconic “Ski Mississippi” image of someone decked out in winter wear in the middle of a field of white that was obviously not snow.

A cotton baler drops a yellow-wrapped, round cotton bale in a cotton field. — Cotton harvest is in full swing at Rack Rent Planation in Minter City, Mississippi.
Photo: MSU Extension Service/Kevin Hudson

This week I got to be in the Delta during cotton harvest for the first time. Thanks to Willie at Rack Rent Plantation in Minter City, I was able to watch the entire process, including the magical moment when a round module emerged from the machine, all wrapped in shiny yellow plastic.

“Look, a module has been born!” I squealed to my longsuffering colleague, photographer Kevin Hudson.

Yes, he thinks I’m nuts.

Bales of pink-wrapped, round cotton bales sit in a field. — Cotton modules wrapped in pink plastic line the field at Crossroads Gin Co. in Schlater, Mississippi, on Oct. 19, 2017.
Photo: MSU Extension Service/Kevin Hudson

We also found some pink-wrapped bales at the Crossroads Gin Co. in Schlater. We stopped to snag a photo in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We met several survivors at our shoot in Marion County on Wednesday, and have a couple of special people on our minds who are currently undergoing treatment. You can beat this, friends!

Learn more about cotton in Mississippi.

Posted on: October 20, 2017