The largest exporter of extra long staple (ELS) cotton is the U.S., where this specialty crop is produced mainly in the Southwestern states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Since 1993, Reinhart’s office in Fresno, California, has been a successful part of its U.S. operation. Its officers and staff members have many years of experience in farming, finance and management, cotton ginning and marketing. This local market knowledge combined with Reinhart’s worldwide ELS experience has benefited both the growers and mill customers alike. U.S. ELS is an important part of our business, which we continue developing.
ELS cotton has been grown in the United States for a long time. The currently used seed is a variety called Pima. This is akin to the famous Sea Island cotton which was grown in South Carolina from the late 1780’s until the 1930’s. Modern seed breeding techniques continue to produce Pima cottons with superior fiber properties, luster and silkiness, at the same time improving yields. The result has been an excellent and competitive fiber which is usually valued at a higher price than the Egyptian Giza 86, and somewhat below Giza 88.
Typical technical characteristics of Pima cotton are as follows:
| Color Grade: |
2 or better |
| Leaf: |
2 |
| Fiber length: |
1-7/16" |
| Micronaire: |
3.5-4.9, often averaging 3.8-4.3 |
| Uniformity: |
84 on average |
In 1954, the American ELS producers formed the Supima Association of America, primarily to aid farmers with government regulations, as well as to provide agricultural research and promotion. The Supima Association has been very successful in promoting the use of U.S. Pima (Supima) with the development of licensing programs, manufacturing and product merchandising trade shows and events in major fashion cities around the world.
Today ELS or Pima cotton is only grown in the driest of climates of the Southwestern United States, specifically Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. Since Pima’s first introduction in California in 1989, the cotton growers of the San Joaquin Valley have proven to be among the most efficient and productive producers of high quality ELS cotton in the world. By 1996, California was the leading producer of Pima in the U.S. and now produces over ninety percent of the production. At current market prices, Pima is more attractive to farmers than upland cotton of the Acala variety. Therefore, Californian growers are continuing to shift cotton production to Pima.
All Pima cotton grown in the U.S. is irrigated, and farmers are utilizing the most modern farm management and cultural practices. Pima - like other cotton - is farmed very intensely, taking into account the proper soil types, timely irrigation, insect control and defoliation. The large, corporate farmers also employ their own agronomists and entomologists to advise and care for their valuable crop.
Pima is 100% machine picked. Like Egyptian and other high quality ELS cotton, U.S. Pima is carefully roller ginned to preserve the superior fiber characteristics.
In the San Joaquin Valley, farmers started to grow Hazera cotton which is a hybrid between Pima and Acala variety. Hazera cotton is machine picked, roller ginned and with the following specifications: staple 1.3/8”, micronaire 3.5 to 4.0, strength around 35 gpt (HVI). In addition to this Hazera cotton, farmers are roller ginning Acala cotton with a staple of 1.3/16” up to 1.1/4” in order to provide cotton with lower yarn-counts for clients.