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Abstract
Onboard module building cotton
harvesters currently offer cotton
producers the potential to improve
harvest efficiency and reduce harvest
costs as a means of supporting cotton as
an economically viable option in many
farm crop rotation production systems.
Using data provided by producers
currently using this technology in a
few southern cotton states, this study
estimates current capital and operating
costs of onboard module cotton pickers
based on field experience and makes
comparisons with the costs of using
traditional basket pickers. Total per acre
cotton harvest cost for the onboard
module system was estimated to be
approximately $26 less expensive than
harvesting cotton with comparable sized
basket pickers.