Georgia cotton farmers and the Georgia Department of Agriculture unveiled a new T-shirt made only from Georgia-grown cotton, and they launched a campaign to sell it, during the 40th annual Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Ga., Oct. 17.

The 100-percent cotton shirts come from cotton grown in south Georgia that is ginned at Osceola Cotton Company in Irwin County, Ga.  From field to finished shirt, the process is completed within a 600-mile radius. The cotton spinning is done at a facility in South Carolina, and the knitting and dyeing takes place at two facilities in North Carolina.

Platinum Sportswear receives the finished fabric and sews the shirts at its facility in Wilkes County, Ga. Georgia screen printers, including the Georgia Industries for the Blind, complete the design process for local businesses and organizations. 

The shirts will be sold under the Georgia Grown brand, a marketing and economic development program of the Georgia Department of Agriculture. All of the shirts are customizable and feature a '100% Georgia Grown' cotton tag, said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, who presented the new venture during the Sunbelt Expo event.

“With the largest row crop industry in this state being cotton, it is an honor to present 100-percent cotton shirts grown and sewn in Georgia,” Black said. “We are thrilled to identify a transparent supply chain to produce a high-quality, Georgia-made product that consumers will be proud to wear.”   

“The Georgia Cotton Commission is proud to work with Commissioner Black to showcase the quality cotton grown by our hard working Georgia cotton farmers,” said Bart Davis, south Georgia cotton farmer and chairman of the Georgia Cotton Commission, at the Sunbelt event.

The 100-percent Georgia Grown shirts will be offered as a wholesale option to outside screen printers and shirt retailers. The estimated wholesale price of each shirt will be comparable to other high-quality T-shirts, Black said.