High cotton yield

Paymaster Gin in Lelia Lake broke all its records last Tuesday when it finished working the 2002 cotton crop. A total of 19,069 bales were ginned this year.

“We took in a lot more area from up toward Pampa and White Deer,” said gin manager Earl Shields, “and it was a really good crop.”

The previous record for the gin, 16,600 bales, was set in the mid 1990s. The gin has been in operation for about 80 years and works about 90 percent of the cotton in Donley County as well as bringing in modules from the surrounding areas.

While acknowledging that some farmers didn’t do as well, Shields says overall this year’s yield is unheard of in this area.

“On land that usually makes three-quarters to one bale per acre, this year many farmers got two to 2½ bales,” he said

One Donley County farmer produced 94 bales on 34 acres in 20-inch rows.

Shields said a combination of things led to the successful year, including the ongoing boll weevil eradication program, better fertilizer, and the use of Round Up Ready or stacked gene cottonseed. But the number one thing, he says, is the farmers themselves.

“I think we’re just flat learning how to grow cotton,” Shields said. “Better management is the top reason for the success. These farmers have taken the time to learn, and the ones who can stay with it are the ones who can get the yields up there.”

Prices are low – ranging from the high 30s to the low 40s, but better yields are making up for it, he said.

“I tell guys they’re really getting 80-cent cotton because they brought in twice as much as usual.”

The good crop is being felt across the area. Some farmers on the high plains have reportedly brought in four bales to the acre. Shields also says that there were a lot more acres to the north planted this year.

Paymaster started ginning cotton on October 10 this season, and for a time it looked like wet weather might ruin the crops before they could be stripped. By November the gin was running full tilt, and Shields says his employees did a good job of maintenance and repairs and prevented any major breakdowns.

The local economy may get a boost from the good year; and while the future may be better if the trend continues, Shields has decided to go out on a high note by announcing his retirement.

“I’ve got to get out of the dust,” he said. “I think I’m going to start farming.”

Shields has held the manager’s job for 36 years and says he has no intention of trying to match or beat the years of service of his predecessor, Quinn Aten, who worked for 42 years. Shields took the job two years after Aten left the post. Eldon Lyles held the position during the interim two years.

No replacement has been named at this time. That decision will come from corporate offices in Lubbock.

Shields is grateful to have spent his career in the company of the “best people in the world” in Donley County, and he credits the gin’s success to customer service.

“When our customers have problems, we have problems,” he said. “Their concerns are ours, and we make sure they know it. I attribute our success to treating people fair. There’s no other way to do it.”