The function of the gin is to separate lint from the seed creating two marketable products, fiber and seed. The gin must also be equipped to remove foreign matter, control moisture and remove other contaminants that significantly reduce the value of the bale. The gin’s customer is the grower, the one who pays in one way or another to have the cotton ginned. It is the ginner’s responsibility to maximize the revenue from every module of cotton. This does not simply mean maximizing the value of a bale, or the price per pound for the fiber, or even the grade. Instead, it means maximizing the return to the grower. As ginners, you need to know how to operate the gin so as to optimize its performance for the growers and for their customers, the textile mills. Good communication and cooperation between the grower and the ginner is essential to help optimize bale value.
Fiber Quality Aspects of Cotton Ginning
Moisture Management is Important (in the Gin)
The Classification of Cotton USDA-AMS Handbook 566
Understanding Classification - Understanding the Data
Classification - HVI Fiber Properties
Additional Quality Measurements
Just Tarp It: Selecting a Module Cover