Finally! Cotton coming out of the fields

Several straight days of sunshine have allowed area farmers to get back in the fields, and cotton picking has been underway in earnest, with some growers working into the night to get their crops out before the weather changes again. Bill Martin (right) of Rector and a farm worker were hard at work Monday assisting Martin's son-in-law, Randal Gibson, in tarping cotton modules east of Rector after the fluffy fibers were tightly compacted in a module builder. While area cotton fields were slow to mature because of cooler-than-normal summer temperatures and weeks of heavy rain, the quality of the cotton now going to the gins appears to be higher than originally anticipated. There is little or no rain in the forecast for several days and farmers are praying the good weather sticks around long enough to complete this year's harvest. (Democrat photo/Nancy Kemp)