King Cotton

Georgia cotton farmers continue to struggle, but relief may be on the way

By Jennifer Hafer
Photos Courtesy of Michael Brooks

It’s that time of year again, from early September until late November, when South Georgia’s landscape is blanketed with Georgia snow — not the icy kind, but those fields of white that used to convert to solid income.  

But recently the cotton industry has been under threat from high production costs, low market prices, tariffs, and heightened global competition from synthetic oil-based fibers like polyester. 

Yet despite the hardships, the fluffy, white tufts of fiber retain the top spot as the state’s No. 1 row crop and remain a major economic engine.  

“Today the cotton business in Georgia is sort of ‘in flux’ is the term that I would use,” says Georgia Cotton Commission Executive Director Taylor Sills. “The last several years in the cotton business have been very dire. We’re in a much different situation now, but some of the same problems persist.” 

For several years, cotton was trading in the mid-to-upper 60 cents per pound range, which is “far, far below the cost of production,” according to Sills. The decrease in trade value has led to “a lot of farm consolidation and a fair amount of farm bankruptcies. 

“Typically, we average 1.15 to 1.25 million acres of cotton, but last year we had a modern day low of 840,000 acres roughly,” he says. “This year we are back up to 1.7 million acres. The fact we’re up back on our acreage is not only good and reflective of a relatively higher market, but it’s better for everybody.” 

According to Sills, cotton is typically grown in 95 to 100 counties across Georgia, with the vast majority of crops growing below the Fall Line, from Columbus to Augusta. Though once upon a time, cotton drove the economies that created Cartersville and Roswell. At one point in the 1980s, Bartow County was the largest cotton-producing county in the state, Sills adds. 

“What’s interesting is that 50 years ago there was way more cotton produced in Middle and North Georgia than there would have been in South Georgia, in particular Southwest Georgia,” he says. “There have been some policy, agronomic, and infrastructural changes that allowed for cotton to come back into South Georgia and really flourish.” 

In a given year, cotton has about a $1 billion farm gate value, with an economic impact of $2.5–$3 billion across related industries, Sills says, noting there are typically between 2,500 and 3,000 cotton producers in the state. 

“Last year, we did have our smallest acres cropped since 1993,” he says, “but we still had the second best per-acre crop at 1,007 pounds to the acre.” 

According to Sills, 80–95 percent of the cotton produced in the United States is exported, so regardless of where the end product is manufactured (Georgia grows 1–2 percent of cotton worldwide), it’s still supporting Georgia cotton farmers. 

From Boll to Thread 

But there is a distinct difference between a tag that says, “Made in America,” versus one that says, “Made with 100 percent American Cotton,” says cotton farmer Michael Brooks.

“People have been doing it for more than 10 years now,” he says. “They have a label that says, ‘Made with U.S. cotton,’ but we had our entire supply chain based in the U.S.” 

Brooks is co-founder of Southern Drawl Cotton, a company based in Omega that makes luxury bedding and home goods from cotton grown by a collective of nine Georgia farming families that came together in 2017 to create more farm gate value for their farms. 

“We created and patented our own logo and label, ‘From Field To Fabric 100% USA,’” Brooks says. “That label means everything to us. It’s not only the material in that box that is 100 percent made in America it’s also the ribbon, the paper that it’s wrapped in, the box that it’s shipped in, the labor that handles the shipping —everything is done by American labor, everything. I think there’s very few companies that can say every piece was made in America, so that’s the reason we did it.  

“I’m devastated by the fact that I’m going to have to drop that label because we want to be honest with our consumers.”

Brooks blames a broken supply chain for forcing Southern Drawl to a crossroads: move part of its supply chain to Mexico or Turkey or close, he says.

“Now it’s a U.S.A. cotton label,” Brooks says. “We’re doing everything that we can to try and survive because the next part that falls is us, as farmers. People don’t have a clue, not a clue, as to how close that is to happening.” 

In some ways, Brooks says he feels like Chicken Little, having sounded the alarm of impending doom to no avail.

“I’ve been saying this for 15–20 years,” he says. “I’ve been on RFD-TV (Rural Free Delivery television) and various places, and everybody says, ‘Oh man, we hate it for the farmers. They have a hard time,’ and then they go right to Temu or TikTok Shop or Amazon and buy things that come from China cheaper. We’re in a vicious, vicious cycle.”

Staying Positive Under Pressure 

But there is hope. 

“The hope is that we’ve got to get this ‘Buy American Cotton’ act passed,” he says. “The American textile industry will be nonexistent if this thing doesn’t pass in the next 12 months, and it may be too late now.” 

The bipartisan bill, which was introduced in January, seeks to restore profitability for cotton producers, strengthen rural economies, and rebuild domestic textile manufacturing. 

“We want textile manufacturers and clothing manufacturers in the United States to use American cotton, which is why I’m working across the aisle to pass the Buying American Cotton Act,” says Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). “I know the incredible hard work that our growers invest in their family farms, the pride that they take in producing food and fiber for the American people and for the world, and the current struggle with high input costs, low commodity prices, and pretty messy trade wars all over the world. 

“I recognize how crucial our agricultural economy is for South Georgia, and I will continue working to support Georgia’s cotton growers and all of our amazing farmers.” 

Rallying Around the Local Industry 

Supporting Georgia cotton farmers is also important to Torey Rose, owner of Rally Apparel Co-op. Rose says she works with farmers across the state to make the T-shirts her company cuts, sews, dyes, and prints under one roof at their Sandersville facility. Her company also makes custom T-shirts at live screening events. 

“I buy cotton directly from the farmers in hopes of adding value to a commodity that has low value to the farmer,” she says. ” We do try to pay them more than what they’re getting from the broker.” 

In addition to the Buying American Cotton Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a similar plan to revive the cotton industry in May. The “Great American Cotton Plan” has the same goals as the federal legislation, but as part of its plan, the USDA will elevate the “Plant Not Plastic” initiative to encourage consumers to purchase products made with natural American cotton fibers rather than synthetic, plastic-based alternatives. 

According to the USDA, nearly 70 percent of the world’s textile fibers are now synthetic, most of them plastic-based materials such as polyester. And, 80 percent of synthetics come from China, says the Cotton Commission’s Sills. 

“Synthetic materials are derived from oil,” he says. “They are essentially plastic. There’s a lot of evidence about the effects of microplastic contamination in our communities, in our environment, and in our own health, so when a producer goes to buy cotton, or cotton-enriched products, I think there are tremendous benefits beyond the farm and the farm economy.” 

There’s also the issue of sustainability, Sills says.  

“Cotton is a renewable, sustainably produced product and it’s made here at home,” he says. “Plastic-based fiber made from petroleum is not made here and it’s not made by a family business.” 

As the Georgia Cotton Commission continues its work supporting and promoting the state’s cotton industry through research, education, and advocacy, Sills says he wishes there was more appreciation for King Cotton. 

“On the whole, the cotton industry in this state is taken for granted,” he says. “We’re not shiny and new like the citrus industry. I wish the public knew the effort that these producers put in to growing this crop, especially when you see how those dollars from cotton production move through a small-town economy, the positive ripples that creates.”