But farmers devoted more cropland to corn and soybeans as prices of those commodities rose, and when the U.S. economy rebounded in 2009, cotton supplies started to pull tight.

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"We have to pull ourselves tight, get out there and scrap hard to get ourselves back into the game, " said Moores.

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Tie in 3 or 4 places crosswise and 1 or 2 places lengthwise (twist the string around itself 3 times instead of just once before you pull it tight, so it won't loosen as soon as you let go).

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