This time of the year is the time when gardeners are consider the seed purchases they will make for their backyard. Taking that to a scale where you may have hundreds, even thousands of acres to plant and your family’s income is dependent on it and you can imagine it is both exciting and stressful for farmers. Looking at various market forces at play, the National Cotton Council says its farmer members intend to plant 14.5 million acres this spring — that’s an increase of almost 3 percent from acres planted to my favorite fiber in 2018. The NCC issued the report from the 2019 annual cotton planting intentions survey this morning helping us understand the big picture.

This is a long post but I made a really quick version of it for social media. Will post that audio/video at the bottom of the post so feel to drop down there for the highlights.

Breakdown of Pima & Upland

We’ve talked about Pima cotton on the blog several times, and when you look at the numbers anticipated to be planted. it definitely draws the eye. Pima cotton requires the longer season and is generally planted in the western US. It is expected to reach 264,000 acres in 2019 which is an increase of more than 6 percent. The fiber from these acres are slotted for premium items like luxury sheets and my favorite t-shirts!

Most U.S. farmers plant what we call upland cotton and that’s where the bigger numbers come in with 14.2 million acres expected in 2019. This cotton will vary in quality so the fiber testing labs will run testing that provides detailed fiber quality information on each bale. That way textile manufacturers making jeans, towels, socks and the people making other items like mattress batting can buy the upland qualities and quantities they are interested in.

Factors Driving Farmer Intentions

There are a number of factors farmers take into account when choosing what crops to plant on their farms. That’s definitely the case as farmers were reviewing cropping options this winter. The Cotton Council’s release keys in on a few factors that were especially important as farmers looked at how much cotton to plant in 2019.

Understanding Cotton Availability

The planted acres are one piece of availability of cotton, but one of the Cotton Council’s experts, Dr. Jody Campiche, vice president, Economics & Policy Analysis, pointed out it isn’t the only one. “Ultimately, weather, insect pressures and agronomic conditions play a significant role in determining crop size.”

She pointed out those weather conditions can lead farmers to leave the crop unharvested or even plowed under — a practice the industry calls abandonment.  Campiche assumed abandonment of approximately 10 percent of the U.S. acres which puts the estimate for harvest at 13.0 million acres. Figuring that at the with the average U.S. yield per harvested acre of 840 pounds will result in 22.7 million bales of cotton (that could make a lot of jeans)! The vast majority expected to be upland bales (21.9 million) and 782,000 ELS bales.

Prices for Various Crops

Campiche noted, “History has shown that U.S. farmers respond to relative prices when making planting decisions. The cotton-to-corn price ratio is lower than in 2018 due to higher corn prices as compared to last year. The cotton-to-soybean price ratio is higher than in 2018 due to lower soybean prices. A price ratio increase generally indicates an increase in cotton acreage.

“For the 2019 crop year, many producers have indicated a desire to reduce soybean acres due to low returns in 2018. As a result, corn is expected to provide the strongest competition for cotton acres in 2019.”

Where will cotton be planted in 2019?

This USDA map from 2017 shows what states in the US plant cotton. The darker colors signify higher numbers of acres. And while the numbers change annually, the trend for the past several years in the Southeast and Mid-South have been fewer acres than Texas which became a major force in the crop in the past two decades as new technology enabled farmers to manage some of the environmental risks.

The Southest Reduces

The survey showed that Southeast respondents anticipate decreasing cotton acres planted by 2.6 percent which brings the region’s upland area to 2.8 million acres. Two states anticipate increases in cotton this spring:

• North Carolina will show a modest increase in cotton and corn and ‘other crops’ are expected to be up too, but soybean and wheat acreage is likely to fall.
• Virginia farmers epect to plant 3.5 percent more as they shift from soybeans and other crops.

The other states in the Southeast showed expected reductions in the survey.

• Alabama is expecting a modest drop of 0.6 percent less cotton acreage and will also be reducing plantings of corn, wheat, soybeans, and ‘other crops’.
• Florida farmers are thinking shifts will go toward ‘other crops’, like peanuts.
• Georgia expects cotton acreage to drop by 3.6 percent as frowers plant more corn and ‘other crops’ including peanuts.
• South Carolina expects the largets decline at 5.4 percent, while corn and soybean acreage is expected to increase. Cotton acreage is expected to increase by 3.5 percent in Virginia as acreage moves away from soybeans and ‘other crops’.

The Mid-South Sees Increased Potential Returns

Farmers in the Mid-South region have become increasingly flexible taking advantage of various market signals annually. For 2019, the relative prices and potential returns seem to be leading to higher cotton acres — increasing by 13.6 percent to 2.3 million acres planted with increases in every state! The majority of the shift will come as farmers plant fewer soybeans.

Here’s the state-by-state farmer expectations from the survey:

• Arkansas producers intend to plant 14.4 percent more cotton acreage, as well as increase corn area while reducing soybeans and ‘other crops.’
• Louisiana shows the largest gains with farmers reporting expectations of 22.2 percent more cotton acreage in 2019. Both corn & soybeans will see losses
• Mississippi (my home for more than a decade) is expected to increase cotton area by 18.4 percent as soybean acreas and those planted to other crops drop.
• Missouri (current home state) seemed to have more farmers planting cotton for the past few years & growers expect to increase cotton acres by 6.9 percent while planting less soybeans.
• Tennessee (really home, that’s where mom is) will plant less soybeans and wheat and 5.9 percent more cotton. a

Cotton Up in the Southwest

Farmers in the Southwest plant significantly more than the rest of the Cotton Belt, and they are increasing along with others. This region reports intentions of planting 8.8 million cotton acres, a 2.2 percent increase with all three states contributing to the rise:

• Kansas farmers indicated plans to plant 3.4 percent more cotton acres.
• Oklahoma will see a small 1.0 percent increase in cotton acreage.
• Texas acreage is expected to increase by 2.3 percent.

Small but Mighty Far West Up too

The Far West is where Pima acres come in and there appear to be some increases in upland and Pima for the region. The anticipated area is 86,000 upland cotton acres to be planted, increasing 2.9 percent from 2018. The increases in cotton acres are expected in Arizona and California whereas New Mexico anticipates lower planting. The modest 1.0 increase in upland cotton for Arizona is set next to a leap in California as growers intend to plant 14.4 percent more cotton with increases in upland and ELS / Pima.

Hopeful Despite a Tough 2018

I haven’t talked about it too much, but the hravest season was a realy rough one for many. I had friends who have typcially wrapped harvest before Thanksgiving still in the field at Christmas. The weather delays meant setbacks on prices due to yield and quality losses which made 2018 a tough one for many financially. The Cotton Council points out that “production costs remain high, and unless producers have good yields, current prices may not be enough to cover all production expenses. Despite these challenges, cotton is still the better alternative for many growers. Based on current prices, projected cotton returns are currently more favorable than some competing commodities. Improved seed varieties continue to increase yield potential and improve cotton’s profitability. In the West, expected water availability may be influencing cotton acreage decisions.”

Of course, all these numbers are subject to change as farmers stay plugged in on the various market forces at play.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Getting really excited about #plant19 as I hear @ncottoncouncil say #cotton acres will be up! Lots more detail to share on the hundredpercentcotton.com site!

A post shared by Janice Person (@jplovescotton) on Feb 9, 2019 at 12:44pm PST

The post Cotton Farmers Plan to Plant More Acres in 2019 appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

I love the excitement behind the question I get asked each spring — “Can you get me some cotton seed for my garden?” reminds me that other people would like to see the wonder that is cotton seed turning into a plant with broad leaves, slowly putting on buds that become flowers and ultimately form those beautiful bolls we all think about. (Thanks Kelly for the phot!)

And as someone who loves her container garden, I get the joy of picking out some new things to try each year (confession: my rhubarb didn’t make it last year).

And I have to tell you that when I lived in NY, I actually grew a cotton plant in my office! And you may remember a blogger who planted cotton asked about why the boll was so tiny.

Simple Question, Complex Answer

The question to anyone asking is simple — like asking about basil seed in a local garden center, seed catalog or Lowes, but they haven’t seen cotton seed there, so they know there is a little twist. And they ask me.

Every time I get the question, I pause. I want to answer excitedly with resources on where to go and yet, the weight of knowing how cotton seed works, how it is sold, where it can be planted… well, that is a lot more complicated than a tweet. So let me see if I can go through this step-by-step.

Why can’t U.S. gardeners easily find cotton seed?

Believe it or not, as far as I know, one of the major reasons gardeners can’t buy cotton seed is because bugs like cotton too much! Cotton is a major crop in states across the Southern US and farmers have integrated pest management programs to help control the crops most devastating insects.

One of history’s most well-known plagues in agriculture is the boll weevil. The weevil wreaked havoc on the crop for several years even though it is not native to US. The fact that it can get established and multiply quickly has led to specific control steps under what’s called an eradication program. Farmers have had routine education and monitoring programs. They have been directed to shred stalks (kind of mow the remaining plants down) after harvest to make it harder for boll weevils to survive. They have paid money to the state to do a coordinated program. So for that reason, most states where cotton is grown have sought to limit ornamental cotton.

So you can see that cotton may be a bit different from basil seed.

Would just a little bit of seed cause a problem?

I have heard it before… “Well, maybe I could just get a handful of seed from a farmer.” There are a couple of reasons I wouldn’t do this.

• First, this is a way to get it but it really doesn’t help with the insect problem.
• Second, most cotton seed is sold under a license to the purchaser for the various traits and I’m not licensed. The license includes the various things to do to be a good steward of seed, including insect resistance methods, etc.
• And finally, seeds frequently have various coatings on them to protect from insects, diseases, etc and handling.

So, you see, I find myself not growing any cotton even though I love it. I love it from a distance and leaving the growing it to farmers.

The post Can you get me some cotton seed for my garden? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

This is one of those weeks where it is easy for me to wish I was traveling even though I am so excited to have spent the weekend at home. The reason I kind of wish I was traveling? The National Cotton Council held it’s annual meeting this weekend and you know how much I love some of my cotton folks! But it is also a great time to catch up on what’s happening and what the expectations are for 2018. It is a topic that gets a lot of mindshare right now as farmers are buying seed and getting ready for planting across the belt.

One of my favorite parts of the annual meeting is the announcement of the planting intentions survey results. This year the survey found that U.S. cotton farmers intend to plant a bit more cotton — 13.1 million acres. Last year it was 12.6 million so the new figure means 3.7 percent more. I’d like to think that’s cause I bought a couple new pairs of jeans and some heavy cotton sweaters & sweatshirts this month!

Since several of you have routinely seemed interested in the facts and figures of cotton, I want to share some of the details from the report too. And since some of us aren’t numbers people, I’m making a video version of it for us! Visual learners like me can choose how this works right?

A few facts to give a shout out to from the NCC release:

• On average, each acre yields 842 pounds (less than two bales)
• Most regions of the Cotton Belt expect to increase acres, but the Mid-South is down 0.1 percent with a 5.5 percent reduction in Mississippi being the biggest drop in the region. Arizona has a sizeable drop as well leading the Far West to be down 6.8 percent.
• Farmers in the Southwest are really driving the increase. Kansas farmers intend to plant 55.3 percent more!  While Texas acres aren’t rising that much, the state will likely remain home to more than half of the U.S.’ planted area.

And in case you wonder how much cotton is planted in your part of the world, here’s the chart detail:

The post How many acres of cotton will U.S. farmers plant in 2018? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

This spring has been a bit nuts. Not only have we had weird cold snaps and some pretty significant storms, but I have been traveling a lot and all of those things come together to delay my seeing those precious cotton plants getting their start this spring. But today, as I drove back to St. Louis from Memphis, I got giddy about the time I reached Clarkedale, Arkansas as I could clearly see cotton had emerged!

I did what anyone this passionate about cotton would do…. I pulled over at the next exit and grabbed my camera! I had to capture these little cotton plants who have been putting up with pretty damp, cold weather the last week — which means the plants are a bit challenged for their growth. (Yes, I know, I am SO LIKE COTTON in that I prefer warm weather and look at cold weather as something I have to survive! ).

Cotton in Arkansas

Here are some of the first pictures I snapped. You can see the soils in Clarkedale are pretty damp. The soil was pretty light but there was definitely some clay content there and those plants are pretty happy that the temps this week will be in the 80s. (I am too!)

Cotton farmers in Arkansas are like a lot farmers this year, trying hard to catch up on planting! I saw some running pretty hard two weeks ago when I drove through the area. They were burning the midnight oil planting. They have finally gotten ahead of average.

Missouri Bootheel Cotton

You’d think that would be enough but it wasn’t… further up the road I decided to hop off the highway near Steele, Missouri. The Bootheel has a great history in cotton and some really good loamy soils that were lighter than the field I stopped in earlier. You can see the field has been draining too. For the past week or so, Missouri cotton farmers have been busy too! They have gotten back up to their average too!

2014 Cotton Planting Progress in the US

Since I was posting about the fact cotton is beginning to pop through the soil surface in some parts of the Mid-South, I thought I’d include the latest USDA planting progress figures. They came out today so they are definitely timely and you can see that in the past week, cotton planters have been running full blast is quite a few states!

 Wanna Know More?

If you are checking this out and thinking you’d like to know more about my favorite fiber, check out the series of Cotton 101 posts and these other posts that are popular. And ask any questions you have and I’ll find answers if I’m not familiar with the topic!

• Cotton Plant 101: What do a cotton plant, blooms & bolls look like? VIDEO
• Farmers are Planning For Cotton Harvest as They Plant Cotton
• C is for Cotton – an A to Z Series about Agriculture
• Top 10 Cotton States in Area, Production, Yield & Value
• Cotton 101: Facts about Cotton – The Crop & Products

The post Young Cotton Plants & 2014 Cotton Planting Progress to Date appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

I’m overdue to write up something explaining what’s going on in the world of US 2013 cotton acres. Of course, it has been the topic of discussion for a lot of cotton meetings this winter and the spring planting season was bumpy with weather. I figured now is as good a time as any to talk about what’s going on.

Winter Cotton Planting Projections for 2013

The winter meetings showed a range of projected acres from the USDA’s  projected 2013 U.S. cotton planted acreage of 10.0 million acres (down almost one-fifth from 2012). They said it was “due mainly to lower cotton prices and relative net returns that favor shifts to alternative crops.” The National Cotton Council’s (NCC’s) planting survey (taken in December-January) provided a lower number forecasting 9.0 million acres before prices rose a bit. The survey pointed to a movement from cotton to corn and soybeans in the Delta and the Southeast and wheat, corn and sorghum as the main replacement of cotton in the Southwest, and wheat and specialty crops taking acres from my favorite fiber in the West.

Spring Cotton Planting Results 2013

The USDA NASS issued it’s 2013 acreage report on July 28. And thankfully the USDA was closer and cotton acres didn’t drop as much as farmers had thought they may as the total came in at 10.251 million acres. That’s probably due in part to the fact that cotton prices rose a bit and spring weather in some areas made it hard to get earlier crops in the ground but it still represents a big drop from 2012.

The chart below shows which states had the largest drops.

* all numbers in thousands

I had to add the change column to see where the drops were. Then I realized I wanted to know on a percentage basis where the changes were most significant. Surprisingly, Florida and Georgia were the only cotton-producing states that had increases in planted areas with 16 percent and 1 percent increases respectively. The states with the largest percentage drops were Oklahoma (down 51%), Kansas (down 46%), Arkansas  (down 46%), Louisiana (down 43%) and both Mississippi and Tennessee cutting their acreage by a third (33% and 32% respectively). Now the watch is on to see how these acres do through the summer. Hail storms sometimes make farmers abandon acres as can drought.

Here’s hoping to a successful year for the country’s cotton farmers! I’m hoping to continue to lose weight so I will be in the market for some more jeans!

Related articles

• USDA revises 2013 cotton acreage estimate
• Cotton growers persist amid drought, storms
• USDA Acreage Report
• Farmers are Planning For Cotton Harvest as They Plant Cotton

The post 2013 Cotton Acres Early Projections & Planting Estimates appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Related articles

• How does our farm decide what to plant?
• S is for Seed – It All Starts with a Seed
• What is No-Till?
• Weeds are a Challenge for Farms of All Types

The post Farmers are Planning For Cotton Harvest as They Plant Cotton appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Last week I was busily going about things & checked in on Twitter and somehow, almost miraculously I caught two tweets about Tennessee cotton. It was awesome!

First came this one from Shane Kinne with the photo at right.

Touring a #cotton gin in TN. New territory for this north MO farm boy. #agchat https://t.co/cj3BoIo

— Shane Kinne (@ShaneKinne) May 9, 2011

Shane was down to learn about a cotton gin and although some may wonder what can be learned by visiting a gin in the off-season, I have to tell you it may be the only way to hear from a ginner!

In the peak part of ginning season, ginners are incredibly busy and the equipment is incredibly loud too. You can see some of what Shane saw here in a past post. 

Later, my good friend Tracey Sullivan aka @aggal77 sent:

Planting #cotton -Thinkin of MO farmers whose landscape & livelihood changed 4ever w/ flood #plant11 https://yfrog.com/h8my9lsyj

— Tracey Sullivan (@aggal77) May 10, 2011

With all the flooding we’ve had in our region, seeing a tractor pull a planter is an incredible thing! Of course now, we have degrees in the 50s and cotton likes that less than even I do! (And I’m complaining BIG TIME!)  Young cotton seedlings and I will all be excited to see warmer weather later this week. I am sure I’ll come through relatively unscathed, hope we will be able to say the same for the cotton crop!

It’s amazing how a photo (or in this case two) from friends can put a smile on my face! I may just have to do these more often!

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