Comparing gin performance is no easy task...
we're here to help make it a little easier.

Ginning charges, rebates, hauling fees, seed credits, per bale fees, and the list goes on and on. Seems like every gin does it a little different and in the process of sorting it all out, many times the most important factors get left out of the analysis. It's easy to fall into the trap of looking for the lowest fees or the biggest rebate check, but none of these things by themselves tell the whole story. To pick the best gin for your cotton, you need to look at the whole picture and that requires considering how a gin can impact your bale value.

The Certified Cotton Gin Program can help you select a gin based upon its impact on bale value, because all of its member gins meet the requirements of Primary Certification. This means they have adopted all of the good ginning practices required by this program. It also means that they are included on the roster of gins referred to by cotton buyers around the globe in search of the best cotton on the market. By ginning your cotton with a member gin, your cotton benefits from promotion by the Certified Cotton Gin Program.

Of course, a gin can offer benefits which extend beyond Primary Certification and you don't have to become a ginning expert to find out about these many advantages. You can simply refer to the ratings guide below to see how each Certification level can improve your bottom line.

Best of all, this information is available to you free of charge through this website!


Primary Certification

Sometimes referred to as the 'good ginning practices' level, a gin must meet all of the requirements of Primary Certification to participate in the program. These requirements include several criteria that are not listed on a bale's grade sheet, but are important to cotton buyers. When you choose to take your cotton to a Certified Cotton Gin, you have extra assurance that the gin:

  • Does not restore moisture with a water spray device

  • Monitors drying temperatures both before and after mixpoints

  • Has automatic high temperature limit protection on all heaters

  • Has a contamination prevention policy

  • Has a minimum of a handheld meter to measure moisture in both seed cotton and lint

  • Has trained personnel on the importance of the above issues, giving your cotton the advantage of being processed by experienced operators


Gentle Drying

Virtually all modern gins have some type of drying system. This symbol represents a 'Gentle Drying' approach. Ratings in this category help a mill identify gins with drying systems that adhere to a high-air volume, low-temperature drying philosophy. This approach protects fibers from excessive temperatures and prepares the cotton for better and more efficient cleaning. The score sheet addresses key criteria for effective Gentle Drying systems, including issues of particular interest to growers:

  • Improves turnout by conditioning the cotton for more efficient cleaning

  • Good drying sytems help a gin opearte at a more consistent production rate, helping you get your cotton ginned in a timely manner

  • Safe drying temperatures protect fiber quality and help maintain good grades


Seed Cotton Conditioning

Cotton arrives at the gin dry or is dried in the pre-cleaning phase for efficient cleaning without tangling fibers. Restoring moisture before it passes through the ginning/lint cleaning phase can give dry, brittle fiber extra protection before it passes through saws. Highly rated Seed Cotton Conditioning systems can help you in achieving:

  • Improved staple grades

  • Higher uniformity

  • Reduced short fiber content

  • Higher strength grades

  • More consistent final bale moisture by pre-conditioning fiber prior to the lint moisture restoration system


Lint Conditioning

The most misunderstood gin moisture issue is lint moisture restoration. This is understandable because of the problems caused by abuses. It is also regrettable, because when done properly, it can benefit everyone, including the mills. A gin's rating in this category can guide you to a system that properly restores moisture weight to cotton that was lost during harvest and processing.



Moisture Monitoring & Management Systems

Moisture monitoring systems help gins attain optimal moisture at crtitical points in the ginning process. Ratings in this category are based on the presence of online moisture sensors at key points, operator access to the readings, and how this information is used for automatic process control. These ratings can help a grower assess a gin's ability to:

  • Monitor moisture in critical points in the gin that impact fiber quality

  • Promote lower temperature drying through automatic process control

  • Consistently control moisture


Pedigreed Bale

Having the necessary equipment and people in place to manipulate the moisture of the cotton as it flows through the gin is critical to achieving the goal of optimal processing.  Beyond that, the next step is permanently recording processing data to assure system performance, identify and troubleshoot problems, and provide meaningful data for analysis.  The ideal data recording system would provide a database log with relevant processing data such as Bale ID, moistures at key points, drying system temperatures, seed cotton conditioning operating temperatures, lint conditioning operating temperatures and operator setpoints.

  • Documents the condition in which your cotton arrived at the gin and how it was processed

  • Provides necessary statistical data for evaluating a gin's performance or making comparisons between gins

  • Provides information helpful in determining any deviations in grades from a particular module, field, or variety