(reprinted from Cotton’s Week)

The U.S. cotton industry soon will be promoting – and strongly recommending the use of – a voluntary round module wrap standard that was developed by industry in conjunction with USDA Agriculture Research Service scientists and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

This initiative is a result of the U.S. cotton industry taking all necessary measures to prevent plastic contaminants from entering baled cotton – including module wrap. Research has proven that if round modules are delivered to gins in good condition, (no tears, punctures, loose material, or adhesive failures), then the likelihood of plastic entering the gin, and ultimately the ginned bale, is greatly reduced. Module wrap documents and other resources aimed at helping industry members prevent contamination are on NCC’s website at www.cotton.org/tech/quality/contamfree.cfm.

The ASABE’s Cotton Engineering Committee recently updated the “Cotton Module Cover Material Performance” (S615.2) standard to include testing requirements and performance specifications for round module wrap. The updated standard’s goal is defining minimum performance levels for round module wrap products to 1) protect stored seed cotton from quantity/quality losses and 2) minimize plastic contamination in ginned lint.

The ASABE S615.2 standard, at www.asabe.org/Portals/0/aPubs/S615.pdf, should be reviewed by wrap manufacturers before beginning the process to demonstrate compliance. This guide describes the required testing and resulting minimum performance levels that a wrap product must meet or exceed to achieve compliance with ASABE S615.2.

The plan is for wrap products that demonstrate compliance with ASABE S615.2 to be included on a list of “Approved Wrap Products” maintained by the NCC at www.cotton.org/tech/quality/approved-rmw-products.cfm.