…nation’s leading cotton-producing region, water cutbacks reduced the number of cotton gins from 26 in 2005 to just six by 2009. An estimated 10,000 jobs were lost in cotton alone….
Freight, Labor, and Water: Roger Isom Unpacks the Big Challenges
…the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association. From labor policy to freight and water infrastructure, Isom doesn’t hold back in explaining what’s holding California agriculture back and what might just…
California’s Half-Billion Dollar Rodent Crisis: A Looming Threat to Tree Nut Growers
…Isom, CEO of both the Western Agricultural Processors Association and the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association. He weighs in on California’s regulatory pressure, labor costs, and the breaking point…
Lawnmower Origins in Agriculture History
…the rich history of agricultural innovation, names like Cyrus McCormick (mechanical reaper), John Deere (steel plow), and Eli Whitney (cotton gin) are firmly etched into the collective memory. These inventors…
Cotton Acreage Drops Significantly Across the Belt
Cotton Acreage Drops Significantly Across the Belt The U.S. cotton industry is experiencing a notable reduction in planted acreage in 2025, with declines ranging from 25% to 30% in various…
EPA Region 9 Administrator Meets with Ag Leaders on Air Quality
…Meets with Ag Leaders on Air Quality Meeting Hosted by Key Agricultural Associations The meeting was co-hosted by the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association and the Western Agricultural Processors…
U.S.-Indonesia Trade Deal Boosts Agriculture and Energy Exports
…and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) are likely to benefit directly. While exact figures haven’t been disclosed, soybean, corn, and cotton exports are also expected to grow under the new trade…
Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin Revolutionized American Agriculture
…that could clean cotton as fast as 50 people working by hand. This invention—the cotton gin—revolutionized cotton processing in the United States. The impact of the cotton gin on American…
Imperial Valley Sugar Plant Closure Raises Crop Market Concerns
…a major gap. Leimgruber noted the possibility of reviving the plant or returning to cotton production, a crop not widely grown in the region for two decades. “Sugar beets are…
Corn Plantings Rise, Soybeans and Cotton Fall in 2025
…Cotton Overview: Total cotton acreage: 10.1 million acres (down 10%) Upland cotton: 9.95 million acres (down 9%) American Pima: 171,000 acres (down 17%) 97% of upland cotton is biotech, up…
How Native Crops and European Grains Shaped U.S. Agriculture
…wheat moved across the Appalachians into the Corn Belt, cementing their place in American food systems. In the South, crops like tobacco, peanuts, and cotton became economic cornerstones, shaping regional…
Joel Allen on Westside Farming, Family Legacy, and Football Fame
…and his operation has recently partnered with Producers Dairy for corn silage production. “Cotton just wasn’t penciling out… corn silage is a good fit for our operation,” Allen noted. Labor,…
AgNet News Hour Wednesday, 06-25-25
…from cotton due to market challenges. He emphasizes the growing importance of smart crop rotation, dependable labor contractors, and adjusting to the rising costs of freight and inputs. But it’s…
Cotton, and Cotton Gin, Helped Shape American Ag Economy
…cotton became one of the nation’s most transformative crops. How Cotton Helped Shape America’s Agricultural Economy When Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World in 1492, he discovered cotton growing…





















