By Maggie Gaddy 

Decades of cotton farming are woven into Garrett Dixon’s life.

“Often times, when people think about farming, they think about food,” said Dixon, a Lee County cotton farmer. “There are three things you need to survive — food, shelter and clothing. American cotton has been the main clothing fiber for years. It’s important that tradition continues.”

Dixon said demand for natural fibers has declined with the rise of synthetic materials on the market. Studies show 67% of global fabric production is synthetic. Polyester represents 57%. 

To highlight the importance of cotton and reconnect consumers to the source of their clothing, the National Cotton Council launched its Plant Not Plastic campaign last fall.

Plant Not Plastic promotes cotton as a natural, sustainable alternative to petroleum-based fabrics.

“This program was needed throughout the cotton industry,” said Dixon, a Lee County Farmers Federation board member. “We have seen the decline in demand in an already-volatile market. Sustainability is a driving force in agriculture right now, and cotton is the sustainable fiber. Farmers like me plant it yearly and cycle nutrients through the ground. It is good for the environment — and good for consumers. When you wear cotton clothing, you aren’t exposed to microplastics like you are with synthetic fibers.” 

Alabama Extension Cotton Specialist Dr. Josh Lee said microplastics can enter bodies simply by wearing synthetic clothing. 

“As we make health-conscious decisions about food, clothing often gets put on the back burner,” Lee said. “When American consumers pick clothing, they base it off fashion and trends. The new trend needs to be cotton. We have been wearing it thousands of years, and it doesn’t have potential harmful health effects like polyester and other synthetics.” 

Lee said good farm management practices also matter. 

“Growers like Garrett are passionate about what they do,” Lee said. “My goal is to provide tools and solutions to help farmers be profitable and sustainable while they grow a quality product. Cotton is complex in nature. It’s hard to manage, but good management is key for fiber quality and yields.” 

Dixon said another advantage of cotton clothing is how it ties back to the local economy. 

“I source the inputs needed for my farm within 75 miles from my doorstep,” Dixon said. “Money required to grow a crop is spent locally. Cotton is taken to a gin 35 miles from here. That finished bale goes to a warehouse 50 miles up the interstate. All of that stays here in Alabama while creating other jobs.” 

Farmers like Dixon recognize cost is a consumer concern.

“At the end of the day, consumers want a product that isn’t harmful and is durable,” Dixon said. “Cotton products meet that. Even if natural fibers cost more at the purchase point, the longevity makes them cheaper in the long run.”

Local retail owner Neal Smith echoed Dixon, saying his goal is to offer the best products for his customers — often cotton-blend apparel.

Smith operates Sikes & Kohn’s Country Mall in Troy, a well-loved department store specializing in men’s work clothes, shoes and women’s fashion. He also owns K-Bar-K Boot Center in Prattville and Don Walker’s Western Wear in Troy and Auburn. 

“We sell a lot of work clothing…that especially needs to be made of cotton,” Smith said. “It needs cotton to hold up. It doesn’t tear, and it breathes better. The selling point is cotton clothing lasts.” 

Sifting through racks of Carhartt T-shirts and stacks of Wrangler jeans at Sikes & Kohn, Smith found a wide variety of cotton items. That’s proof the product is there; consumers just need to know what labels to look for with help from the Plant Not Plastic campaign. 

It gives Dixon hope the industry is moving in the right direction. 

“Cotton has been my family’s livelihood for decades,” Dixon said. “Cotton is important to us. We want it to be important to consumers so they will choose plant not plastic, because what they wear matters.”