On average, a cotton farmer must farm about 2000 acres if the operation is to be economically viable. This acreage is often divided among several parcels of land.
Cotton requires an extended growing season, culminated by a short six to eight week harvest period.
During the harvest, cotton is stored in truckload-sized modules weighing 14,000 to 16,000 pounds. When ready, the modules are loaded and transported to a cotton gin for cleaning and baling. Cotton will be ginned, baled, stored and released to the mills over the next year. There are about 1500 cotton gins in the United States, each with an average production of about 11,000 bales per year. The cotton module arrives at the gin for cleaning, compression, identification and storage.