Cotton Division
Cotton Production in Alabama
Cotton production in the state is deeply embedded in Alabama’s history. The boll weevil devastated the South’s cotton industry around 1910, but with the implementation of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, cotton made a big comeback in the state and once again is King of row crops in Alabama. The boll weevil was honored in 1919 when a monument was erected in downtown Enterprise, Alabama as a reminder that the tiny insect pest had forced farmers to diversify their operations.
Today’s cotton farmers rely on more than just the eradication program to produce a good crop. Using the latest farming techniques and biotechnology, yields have improved dramatically in the last century.
Top cotton-producing counties in Alabama include Limestone, Madison, Lawrence, Monroe, Colbert, Escambia, Lauderdale, Cherokee, Baldwin and Geneva.
Carla Hornady
Cotton Division Director
(334) 613-4216