Cotton Production in Alabama

Cotton was the main economic force behind Alabama‘s creation and drew the first settlers into the river valleys [1]. In 1820 Alabama produced about 25,390 bales, or 3.7 percent of the national total. By 1849 it led the nation, and by 1859 it accounted for 22.9 percent. See cotton gin.

Growth and decline

Cotton acreage grew from about 977,000 harvested acres in 1866 to more than 2 million by 1877 and almost 4 million in 1914. The boll weevil reached Alabama in 1910, cutting yields from 155 pounds per acre to 95 by 1916, and many south Alabama farmers switched to peanuts. An effective eradication program began in the mid-1990s [1].

Policy and mechanization

The 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act paid farmers to reduce acreage and the 1938 act created allotments and quotas. Tractors grew from about 4,600 in 1930 to nearly 46,000 a decade after 1940, and a mechanical picker could harvest about 1,000 pounds an hour compared with 15 to 20 pounds by hand. Cotton acreage fell by 1.4 million acres in the 1930s [1].

Today

In 2017 farmers planted 435,000 acres, harvested 343,000 and averaged 931 pounds per acre. Limestone, Madison and Lawrence counties lead in acreage, and cotton’s share of the four big row crops fell from about half to about a quarter after 2000. Upland cotton is the preferred variety, planted in March or April. Linter goes into paper, currency and film, and cottonseed oil into cooking and soap [1]. See Economy of Alabama.

Acreage and output

About 2.5 million acres were planted in cotton in 1880, compared with roughly 540,000 acres in 2019. Output was about 700,000 to 1.1 million bales a year from 1880 to 1900, 900,000 in 2001, 675,000 in 2006 and about 1,028,000 in 2019, so production rose on far fewer acres.[2]

Where cotton is grown

Cotton is the state’s primary row crop, with more acres than corn, soybeans, peanuts or wheat, and Alabama ranks ninth nationally. It is grown in 59 of 67 counties, led by Limestone, Madison, Lawrence, Monroe, Colbert and Escambia. About half of the cotton is grown on farms of 2,000 acres or more.[2]

Modern methods

Planters sow 4 to 12 rows per pass and pickers harvest 2 to 6 rows; cotton is compressed into modules and trucked to gins generally within 75 miles. The boll weevil arrived in 1910 and an eradication program followed; Bt cotton has reduced insecticide use, and herbicide-tolerant varieties allow glyphosate weed control. Growers often plant into cover crops such as rye, wheat, clover and vetch to reduce erosion.[2]

FAQs

When did the boll weevil arrive? 1910.

Which variety is grown? Upland cotton.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Cotton
2. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Modern Cotton Production in Alabama

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue