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Abstract
Average operating costs per bale for West Texas gins during the 1971/72 season were: out-of-pocket--$27.05, up $7.04 or 35 percent from the 1970/71 season; total--$32 . 57, up $8.50 or 35 percent; and total standardized--$36.99, up $10.17 or 38 percent. The 46 plants, grouped by rated hourly capacities, ginned 16.6 percent of the total West Texas cotton crop. Compared with 1970/71, ginning volumes were down and costs up for all gin size groups. The average ginning volume for all groups combined decreased 32 percent for the season, while the average rate of gin plant capacity use was down 16 percentage points--from 48 to 32 percent. Adverse crop conditions in 1971/72 resulted in (1) 29 percent more seed cotton being required per bale of lint than in 1970/71 and (2) the lowest rates of capacity utilization and highest operating costs per bale in the 7-year history of this study.