What is the meaning of chopping cotton?

"Chopping cotton" is a phrase used in the United States to refer to working hard or doing a lot of physical labor, especially in an agricultural context. It alludes to the backbreaking work involved in manually removing weeds and excess branches from cotton fields, which was traditionally done with a hoe. The phrase became a metaphor for diligent effort and is often used informally to describe challenging or demanding tasks that require a great deal of exertion.