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“Last year the Lubbock office classified 3.5 million bales of cotton, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the U.S. crop,” says Martinez of the USDA facility on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he works.

Martinez is area director of the Lubbock classing office where he oversees the operations in the facility. Cotton classing involves measuring different factors to determine the value of a cotton sample that comes from a bale of cotton. 

“The measurements include micronaire, length, strength, uniformity, Color Rd, Color +b, Trash % Area, particle count, color grade, leaf grade, and extraneous matter,” says Martinez, explaining that in general these factors determine the value of the cotton in terms of marketability, and which affects the quality of the finished product and manufacturing efficiency. 

Martinez has made his career in cotton. After graduating from ɫɫ�� with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering, he earned a Master of Science degree in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University. Following college, he joined the USDA Agriculture Marketing Services cotton program as a project engineer, part of an organization that facilitates the marketing of raw cotton valued at approximately $7-8 billion, creating billions more value throughout the supply chain. 

That marketing involves more than fabrics as, currently, only 65% of the world production of cotton is converted into fabrics and cloths. The remainder is used in other industries that include tire cords, tents, book bindings, coffee filters and fishing nets. It is also used for medical supplies, including bandages and in x-rays.

Martinez’s focus is to continuously improve cotton classing productivity through automation and technology. And that is another reason we can thank him.