Clemson students build cotton picker

A group of Clemson students is taking its cotton picking show on the road to raise awareness about agriculture.  The students are in the Clemson agricultural mechanization and business program and have re-designed a mechanical cotton picker to use to teach others about cotton harvesting.  Students built the harvester from the ground up.  A monitor located in the cab shows video of a cotton field.  Riders can crank up the harvester, watch the heads engage, the spindles turn and cotton move up the suction duct to the basket while simulating driving down rows of cotton.  The harvester recently went on its maiden voyage to the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia  According to Hunter Massey, department lecturer, about 200 students are enrolled in the Clemson agricultural mechanization and business program.  The demand for employees in the agriculture sector is expected to rise.  And a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows median annual pay for agricultural scientists for 2015 was $62,470.