Suggested introduction cut one:
Cotton production in Southwest Kansas is booming. Jerry Stuckey, general manger of Northwest Cotton Growers Co-op attributes the rise as a result of the area’s declining water availability.
Suggested introduction cut two:
Kansas cotton acreage has skyrocketed since 2001, increasing from 40 acres to 56,000. Not only is cotton good business for farmers, it benefits the local economy.
Suggested introduction for cut three:
Until recently, cotton was sent to nearby states for ginning. Northwest Cotton Growers Co-op is building a second gin in Moscow to ensure Kansas cotton growers stay in the state.
Tagline:
Agriculture’s continued importance to Kansas was confirmed by the release of the 2002 U.S. Census data which showed that the market value of the state’s agricultural products $8.75 billion. It also revealed that 14 percent of the jobs in Kansas’ Stevens County were agriculture-related.
