Welcome to the July 21, 2023 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.
Bright Spots in High Plains Crop Conditions: ‘Just Need a Rain’
Jon Jones, producer in Floyd County, “Our dryland is a little late, but we had a phenomenal rain this weekend. We’re thankful for it.”
As the Plains Cotton Growers Inc. Board of Directors made their introductions at the start of the meeting on July 19th, it became clear that crop conditions are all over the map in the PCG region.
While PCG Director of Field Services Mark Brown reported major losses (an estimated 70% of acres) in the northern Panhandle area due to heavy rains and storms during planting, most of the southern High Plains would be doing well if it rained soon.
Both Lubbock County producer Dahlen Hancock and Dawson County producer Julie Holladay agreed that the irrigated cotton in their respective areas looks really good, even “pretty darn fabulous,” said Holladay. While Hancock added, “There have been a lot of guys work hard to make a crop this year and have put effort and inputs into it — fertilizer on dryland — so we’re optimistic but it needs to rain pretty quick.”
R.N. Hopper, Hale County producer, noted that while the crop is slightly behind schedule, it looks good with good rains and no flooding, while Lubbock County producer Scott Harmon agreed.
PCG CEO Kody Bessent provided an update on PCG’s strategy for the 2023 Farm Bill legislation, Brady Raindl, cotton trader for ECOM provided a marketing report, while Hale County producer Steve Olson provided insight into global agricultural practices.
“We’re blessed to farm in the U.S.,” Olson said. “and we should do all we can to pay that forward.”
USDA-NASS Publishes Annual Cotton Review Report
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service published its Annual Cotton Review report July 20, 2023.
Final 2022 Upland Cotton production for Texas was estimated at 3.06 million 480-pound bales, down 60% from 2021. The average yield was estimated at 734 pounds per acre, up 68 pounds from last year.
Acres harvested were estimated at 2 million, down 3.55 million acres from the previous year.
Final 2022 Upland Cotton production for the United States was estimated at 14.0 million 480-pound bales, down 19% from the previous year. The U.S. average yield for Upland Cotton was estimated at 942 pounds per acre, up 129 pounds from 2021. Harvested area was estimated at 7.13 million acres, down 29.7% from the 2021 harvested acreage of 10.1 million.
