By Frank and Kay Whatley
As reported in 2011, organic cotton is growing in NC. A good volume of USDA-certified organic cotton will be harvested this Fall; the second year certified organic cotton has been grown in Nash County.
According to Mary Wilks of Carolina Precision Consulting, Inc., the 2012 cotton crop looks better than last year’s as far as yield potential per acre. Twenty acres were grown. The quality and quantity of the fiber are expected to be improved in this second year.
More acreage was planted; however, wet weather soon after planting prevented timely cultivation. Some acreage was also lost to a hail storm. Approximately 45 acres were disked due to weeds.
More clothing manufacturers are using the NC organic cotton this year. In addition to the shirts made “from dirt to shirt” in NC, jeans and more clothing woven from NC organic cotton are on the market.
Says Eric Henry of TS Designs, “Our goal is to keep as much of the organic cotton in NC, so this year we worked with Raleigh Denim, who made jeans, and High Cotton Ties, who made polo golf shirts.”
More information on organic cotton grown in Nash County is online at www.cottonofthecarolinas.com.
