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Extension for Real Life

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

A cotton baler drops a yellow-wrapped, round cotton bale in a cotton field.

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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.

Filed Under

Mississippi State University Extension 130 Bost Drive Mississippi State MS 39762

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