A pivot irrigation system keeps the field watered during the dry months of summer.

Cotton blossoms spring up from the plants prior to turning to bolls.

Bootheel Sunset

Once bolls are open, the fields are defoliated after which the plants will drop their leaves.

Some open fields are defoliated by planes.

The cotton is ready to pick.

Cotton bolls begin to open.

Harvest time.

Cotton pickers traverse each field multiple rows at a time.

A four-row picker clears a field.

The cotton picker pulls the cotton from the stalk and bales it on the move.

Picked cotton is packed in round bales that are left in the field to be picked up by a local gin.

Cotton for miles around.

Cotton for miles around.

The cotton bales are transported to a local gin where they are offloaded.

The bales will remain on the lot until ginning.

The packed bales enter the gin where they are torn apart to be cleaned.

The raw cotton contains dirt leaves and seeds that will be removed during the ginning process.

The ginning process begins.

Once the cotton is cleaned, it is compressed into bales that will be sold.

The bales will remain in a warehouse until they are sold.