Photos: Cotton collections progress in Williamson County

  • Waterloo Gin co-owner David Wollett drives a truckload of cotton from a field onto a scale on Friday, September 13, 2024. Clement Strmiska and David Wollett are co-owners of the Waterloo Gin, located on County Road 414 east of Taylor. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Waterloo Gin co-owner David Wollett drives a truckload of cotton from a field onto a scale on Friday, September 13, 2024. Clement Strmiska and David Wollett are co-owners of the Waterloo Gin, located on County Road 414 east of Taylor. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Waterloo Gin co-owner Clement Strmiska drives a truck from a field near Jonah after picking up a 19,000 pound module of harvested cotton on Friday, September 13, 2024. Clement Strmiska and David Wollett are co-owners of the Waterloo Gin, located on County Road 414 east of Taylor. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Waterloo Gin co-owner Clement Strmiska drives a truck from a field near Jonah after picking up a 19,000 pound module of harvested cotton on Friday, September 13, 2024. Clement Strmiska and David Wollett are co-owners of the Waterloo Gin, located on County Road 414 east of Taylor. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Clement Strmiska, co-owner of Waterloo Gin, is seen as he marks a client's cotton module near day's end on Saturday, September 7, 2024, the first day of cotton ginning at the gin he owns with David Woollet. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Clement Strmiska, co-owner of Waterloo Gin, is seen as he marks a client's cotton module near day's end on Saturday, September 7, 2024, the first day of cotton ginning at the gin he owns with David Woollet. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Gin co-owner David Woollett prepares to replace electrical fuses at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Gin co-owner David Woollett prepares to replace electrical fuses at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Tony Espinoza checks on the cotton as it continues the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Tony Espinoza checks on the cotton as it continues the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Gin co-owner Clement Strmiska guides a large module of harvested cotton to begin the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Gin co-owner Clement Strmiska guides a large module of harvested cotton to begin the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Holly Strmiska, daughter of gin co-owner Clement Strmiska, removes covers from cotton modules before they begin the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Holly Strmiska, daughter of gin co-owner Clement Strmiska, removes covers from cotton modules before they begin the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Gin staffers sweep up bits of cotton debris in the area where cotton modules begin the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Gin staffers sweep up bits of cotton debris in the area where cotton modules begin the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Light filtered through windows falls on cotton as it begins the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Light filtered through windows falls on cotton as it begins the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Light filtered through windows falls on cotton as it begins the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Light filtered through windows falls on cotton as it begins the ginning process at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • A finished bale of cotton weighing around 500 pounds is taken from a conveyer to be wrapped for shipment at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    A finished bale of cotton weighing around 500 pounds is taken from a conveyer to be wrapped for shipment at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Waterloo Gin co-owners Clement Strmiska, left, and David Wollett, right, relax near day's end after picking up harvested cotton from area fields on Friday, September 13, 2024. The gin is located on County Road 414 east of Taylor. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Waterloo Gin co-owners Clement Strmiska, left, and David Wollett, right, relax near day's end after picking up harvested cotton from area fields on Friday, September 13, 2024. The gin is located on County Road 414 east of Taylor. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Jesus Anguiano clocks out for the day at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Jesus Anguiano clocks out for the day at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
  • Workers head home after another day's work at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.
    Workers head home after another day's work at Waterloo Gin on Monday, September 9, 2024. Located on County Road 414 east of Taylor, the gin is co-owned by Clement Strmiska and David Woollett. Photo by Andy Sharp.

    The Waterloo Cotton Gin, a few minutes east of Taylor, along County Road 414, is beginning cotton harvest season on a high note this year, after last summer’s combination of triple digit heat and drought made it hard for farmers and cotton gins in 2023. 

    Waterloo Gin Owners David Woollett and Clement Strmiska are forging ahead this season. With their crew of experienced workers, the gin is churning out bale after bale of the state’s premier crop.

    I’d forgotten why workers wear protective masks, but I was reminded after that first outing. During the ginning process, cotton fibers fill the air in the cavernous space. The light inside, however, is impeccable and warm, a photographer’s blessing. My sinus and allergy issues returned with force. Eye drops were actually more helpful for the next two visits. 

    As this is written, I’m still trying to find out when the gin first opened. Internet searches haven’t been helpful. I get more “hits” about a company that produces an alcoholic spirit. What I do know is that David Woollett’s mother purchased Waterloo Cotton Gin in 1969. Strmiska joined the business as Woollett’s business partner twelve years ago. 

    So far, Waterloo Cotton Gin is the only gin operating in Williamson County this year. The Blackland Co-Op Gin in Granger, may be operational soon. Taylor had a working gin for decades, but it closed several years ago. Another gin, along U.S. 79 just west of Thrall, no longer operates. 

    Woollett and Strmiska utilize some of their nine large trucks to pick up harvested cotton from farmers. Not all the trucks are running. The partners learn useful skills. On one recent visit, Woollett and a helper were seen working on a truck’s radiator. Now repaired, it’s on the road again. The trucks retrieve cotton modules weighing thousands of pounds. Round modules are smaller, but the large rectangular ones weigh in anywhere from 18,000 to 21,000 pounds. 

    As cotton modules begin the ginning process, the air is alive with loose fibers. It soon is threaded into machinery that separates cotton seeds from the bolls. Tony Espinoza, a longtime worker, makes sure this goes as planned. At the end, the finished bales, weighing 400-500 pounds, are wrapped and ready for shipment. 

    Operating a cotton gin requires a lot of electrical power. On one visit, the gin had closed early to preserve the power grid. 

    Near the end of an evening, Strmiska and Woollett slow down for a visit at the gin office. It’s been a busy day. They’ll be back the next morning to do it all over again. It’s a busy time. That’s a very good thing.

    Cotton
    Harvest
    agriculture
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