Cotton and Farming Drive the Local Economy

For decades, giant ranches — including the Slaughter Cattle Company — covered most of Cochran County. When the Slaughter heirs broke up the ranch around 1921 and sold parcels, farmers moved in fast. They tapped into shallow underground water and planted cotton and sorghum.

Cotton is still the main crop. Large stretches of irrigated farmland surround Morton. If you buy rural land here, understand that your neighbors farm seriously. Texas has a right-to-farm law that limits nuisance complaints against established farm operations. Dust, chemical drift, and irrigation noise are part of life here.