‘Cotton is king’ isn’t just a catchphrase for Georgians

Cotton remains Georgia’s second most-valuable commodity, after poultry, according to the USDA. But that doesn’t necessarily mean cotton farmers are making money.

Chuck Coley, a thirdgeneration farmer who took over the family’s Vienna operation in 1978, figures he has $200 to $250 invested in each acre of land before the first sprout emerges from the dirt. From the cost of seed, the mortgage, payments on equipment and labor, the farmer is in the red from the get-go. Now, with cotton prices fluctuating at around 65 cents a pound, finding the positive is difficult.

“It’s all about yield,” Coley said. “The price of cotton now is less than it was in ’78. The price of cotton now is below the cost of production.”

No matter the price, he said, he’s going to plant cotton.

“It’s just a way of life,” Coley said. “You’ve got to keep farming every year. And, hopefully, at 65 cents a pound, you make a good yield, you can cover expenses and make the land payments and the equipment payments and go to the next year and maybe have a run on the price.”

The Coleys, like most every farmer, know the numbers. Chuck Coley’s son Matt said a good yield is 1,500 pounds of cotton per acre. They need $900 to $1,000 an acre in gross revenue to break even.

“Anything under $850, you’re losing money,” Chuck Coley said. “A yield of 1,250 pounds is $813.”

For the Coleys, the economy of scale is key. More acres of cotton planted means more cotton harvested, which means more cotton sold. That $700,000 picker parked in the barn can handle it. Advances in farm technology make it possible for cotton farmers to expand quickly.

“Where we used to run two-, four-, six-row equipment, we’re running eight- and 12-row equipment and covering 24 rows with a sprayer,” Matt Coley said. “As the equipment gets bigger and faster and you’re covering more ground in less time, the cost of that equipment is going up. You’ve got to add more acres to spread those costs out.”

The Coleys are better positioned than most to weather low prices or low yields. The family also owns its own cotton gin in Vienna, an operation that serves farmers across the entire region. During the fall harvest, the gin runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provides a reliable source of income.

‘It’s just a way of life. You’ve got to keep farming every year.’

Chuck Coley Third-generation farmer in Vienna

BRANT SANDERLIN / AJC Matt Coley checks a cotton plant in a field he farms with his dad, Chuck Coley, in Vienna. Technological advances are helping produce higher yields.