Cottonseed: A Valuable Resource

Before the cotton gin was invented, excess cottonseed was often left to rot. Today it has many uses, from feed to cosmetics.

- By Heather Lifsey

This cottonseed is covered by small fibers called linters.

When it comes to cotton, the fibers that are used to make clothes immediately come to mind, but that's only part of the crop's value.

North Carolina cotton is harvested in late September through November. Once picked it is formed into cotton modules, pressed stacks of cotton that are round or rectangular in shape. The modules are transported from the field to the cotton gin.

At the gin, modules are loaded onto a conveyor. The module goes through a dryer, then a gin stand. Circular saws cut the cotton, pulling the lint through and diverting the seed into a pipe that carries it to a warehouse, where it is stored until being sold.