Why did the Burton Farmers Gin close down in 1974?
It was costing more to keep the gin open and operating than they were making. During the height of ginning there were 60 bales produced per day….in 1974 there were only seven bales ginned the whole 4 months of ginning season. The small farmer could not compete financially with larger farms that now claimed fancy mechanical cotton pickers – sons were moving away….going to college…dairy farms and ranches were the new way of life ….cattle had replaced king cotton.
