Registration is open for the National Cotton Ginners Association’s 2007 Ginner Schools.

Dates for the schools are: Southwest Ginners School, Lubbock, Texas, April 9-11; Western Ginners School, Las Cruces, N.M., May 15-17; and Stoneville Ginners School, Stoneville, Miss., June 12-14.

Registration can be completed online at http://ncga.cotton.org.

Harrison Ashley, NCGA executive vice president, said each level of Ginner Schools coursework is built on a previous level of instruction, with Level I as the foundation. Beginning students, regardless of gin experience, start with Level I.

Level I courses are: Introduction to Cotton Ginning and the Industry; Maintenance of Auxiliary Gin Components; Basic Hydraulics; Basic Gin Safety; Maintenance and Adjustments for Seed Cotton Cleaners, Gin Stands, and Lint Cleaners; Air Utilization and Drying; and Electricity in the Gin.

Level II includes: Purpose and Operating Principles of Individual Gin Machines; Efficient Operation, Adjustment, and Maintenance of Gin Equipment; Pneumatics and Waste Collection; Electrical Systems; Hydraulic Systems; Gin Safety; Management Tips; and Roller Ginning (at the Western School only).

Level III features: Review of Functions of a Ginning System; Electrical Systems; Air Systems in the Gin; Drying and Moisture Restoration Systems; Matching Machinery Capacities in the System; Seed Cotton Unloading Systems and Management of Seed Cotton Handling Systems; Bale Presses and Hydraulic Systems; Safety Programs and Labor Regulations; Cottonseed Handling Systems; and Roller Ginning (at the Western School only).

All schools will feature continuing education courses on all three days and a one-day course for office workers and gin owners.

School cooperators include NCGA, USDA-ARS, NCGA member associations, NCC, Cotton Incorporated, gin machinery/equipment manufacturers/suppliers, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and select land grant universities.