Economic Comparison of Commercial Scale Stripper and Picker Harvest Systems In Texas South Plains

Over a fourth of the cotton bales produced in the United States since 2002 have been produced in Texas, with most of that cotton coming from the High Plains region.  In the past, the Texas High Plains has been associated with low cost, low quality cotton harvested with cotton strippers, as opposed to spindle pickers widely used throughout the Cotton Belt.  The shift to varieties with higher yields and quality, combined with the new, more efficient irrigation technology, has led to a higher acreage of cotton in the Texas High Plains that is considered suitable for spindle picker harvest.  This study conducted an economic analysis of picker and stripper harvest systems in a commercial, large-scale setting on the Texas High Plains.  Results from this project will help answer producer’s questions concerning comparative costs and returns between picker and stripper systems.