When I started hunting waterfowl in SE MO 20 or so years ago, I was amazed at what appeared to be a huge amount of cotton that stays in the field after it is picked. It seemed like a lot was wasted. My farmer friends over there assured me they were getting all that could possibly be gotten.

When Hurricane Ike came thru a few years back, lots of the cotton crop over there was destroyed when the tarped bales (piles, whatever the technical term is) that were lined up along the roads awaiting pick up were blown almost completely across the fields it came from. Lots of rice, corn and beans were also lost. The waterfowl didn't lack for food that year.