Also called: Ginner, Cotton Gin Superintendent
Runs the noisy mill that pulls cotton fiber off its seeds and presses it into 500-pound bales for the world's mills.
During ginning season you start before dawn, checking saws, dryers and the bale press as trucks drop off giant cotton modules. You adjust moisture and cleaning to protect fiber quality, because every bale gets graded and priced. Off-season you rebuild machinery for next fall.
Managers often get housing or bonuses tied to bales ginned.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 2 years after high school. Most work up from gin hand; ginner schools teach the process, and some managers have agricultural engineering degrees.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification, 4-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Agricultural Systems Management, Agricultural Engineering, Agribusiness.
Growing slowly. Fewer but bigger gins each year as small ones close.
Low risk for 10 years. More sensors and automatic controls in the gin, but someone still runs the crew, fixes machines and judges the cotton.
Classes: Agriculture CTE / FFA, Welding or ag mechanics, Algebra, Business class.
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