So what does a cotton ginner do?

A cotton ginner is a slang term for one that manages – or sometimes works in – a cotton gin.

It is a fairly straight forward business, if you ask me.

Cotton growers grow cotton.

This cotton is harvested and left in modules, or round bales, in the field.

At this point, the cotton grower will call the “cotton ginner” at his or her local cotton gin to come get this raw cotton.

The cotton is then picked up and trucked to the gin yard where it gets on a schedule and waits to be ginned.

During the cotton ginning process, cotton seed and cotton trash (gin trash) is removed from the cotton lint.

It breaks out into thirds.

Of a given module, approximately 1/3 will be cotton seed, 1/3 will be cotton trash, and 1/3 will be cotton lint.

Cotton seed and cotton trash is often sold later to cattle feedlots for feed.

Cotton lint is, however, baled and taken to a warehouse where it awaits sale and shipment.

Small cotton gins often have a gin manager, a bookkeeper, and a few seasonal employees. Large cotton gins can have a half dozen or more full-time employees in addition to large seasonal staff.

[More on cotton marketing here. And predicting cotton prices here.]

Revenues for a cotton gin are the sales of cotton seed and “gin trash” to third parties, variable ginning income, commissions on cotton sales, and might even include warehouse income.

Expenses for a cotton gin are paying cotton farmers (per ton) for cotton seed, and the typical property, plant, equipment, insurance, payroll and the like, of running a physical plant.

And yes, if you must know: I have worked in a cotton gin.