Some of the highest-quality cotton in the US is among the casualties of Tulare Lake
If you’ve got a cotton hoodie or pair of leggings you’d describe as “buttery soft,” chances are it’s made of pima cotton. And according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture the largest pima producer in the country is Kings County. “Not too many places can grow it like we do,” said Roger Isom, president and CEO of the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association. This year, however, most of the land that would have been planted with pima cotton was underwater, among the 170 square miles submerged when Tulare Lake refilled. Too much water this year, plus too little water before that, is having ripple effects throughout the industry and community. Isom says at least two cotton processors, known as gins, have had to close their doors in the Valley this year, leaving fewer than two dozen statewide.