A bar-coded bale identification tag, preprinted with the gin code number and gin bale number, is placed between the two halves of the sample for identification purposes. The classing office scans the bar codes to enter the bale identification into its computer before classing the sample. This is the date the bale was classed in the classing office. The producer account number space is reserved for USDA use. The color grade that appears on the classification record is determined by the classer, based on the official color grade standards.
Color refers to the gradations of whiteness and yellowness in the cotton.
Producers can influence color by having good defoliation and by getting the crop harvested before wet weather damages fiber color. All others are descriptive. The HVI system measures length in hundredths of an inch. Low staple length has become more of a problem in the Southeast. Growers should avoid varieties with low staple length.