By 1921 it had swept over the entire state, and cotton yields fell by more than half. Many farmers stopped growing cotton, causing a mass exodus of farm labor to Northern cities in search of other economic opportunities. In 1987, Georgia launched the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, which was so successful that in 1994 the weevil was declared economically insignificant. Growers have reduced their insect control costs by as much as 70 percent. The oil is used for shortening, cooking oil and salad dressing.
Some cotton seed is used as a high-protein concentrate for food products.
The meal and hulls are used in products such as livestock, poultry and fish feed, while the stalks and leaves are plowed under to enrich the soil. The most important part of the cotton plant is the fiber or lint, which is used to make textile products. The common characteristic among all cotton species is that each fiber has a single-cell composition, a characteristic science has yet to imitate. This gives cotton its qualities of absorption and ability to breathe. Georgia ranks fourth nationally in cotton production and acres planted, according to the 1999 season.