Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) releases its projected harvest acres for U.S. cotton starting in August. The report provides updated information about expected U.S. cotton production. In 2022, the U.S. planted 12.3 million acres of upland cotton, the highest in 3 years, which was mainly due to historically high cotton prices during …

Heirs property has become an important topic in agriculture. The term “heirs property,” describes a form of ownership where at least some of the owners have acquired the property through inheritance. As the property passes down through the generations, more and more people are co-owners, making the property unmanageable. As time passes, some owners may not be able to be …

In a recent report by the Agricultural & Food Policy Center (AFPC), we provided an overview of the agricultural provisions included in the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. The IRA was a Senate-led compromise that broke the months-long logjam over the Build Back Better (BBB) Act that had been stalled in the Senate. As noted in Figure 1, …

Trade is very important to production agriculture in the United States. Over the last decade, 2011 to 2020, agricultural exports have accounted for over one-third of U.S. gross farm income, 33.7 percent (USDA ERS and FAS). U.S. gross farm income ranged from $399.4 billion in 2016 to $470.3 billion in 2014 while U.S. agricultural exports ranged from $137.2 to $154.5 …

The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is responsible for rating crop insurance in an actuarially sound way. Unlike private insurance companies, RMA is not driven by profit when determining rates. Premium rates do not include the cost of sales, underwriting, loss adjustments, or the operating costs of RMA. Legislative language instructs that “the amount of the premium shall be sufficient to cover …

PERRY/TIFTON, Ga. – The Georgia Cotton Commission, Georgia Peanut Commission and the University of Georgia Extension Cotton and Peanut Teams, will co-sponsor a joint research field day on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Tifton, Georgia. The field day will start at 8:00 a.m. at the Tifton Campus Conference Center (TCCC) in the North Parking Lot. After a brief welcome, field …

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The National Cotton Council’s Producer Information Exchange program (P.I.E.) will enable Mid-South and Southeast cotton producers to see cotton and other agriculture related operations in Texas’ Lubbock and Lower Rio Grande Valley areas on August 21-26. After this year’s two P.I.E. tours, more than 1,200 U.S. cotton producers will have been exposed to innovative production practices in Cotton …

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Key EPA officials will visit South Georgia cotton farms on August 15-17 to hear firsthand how producers are tackling weed and other cotton pest management challenges that threaten their viability. The National Cotton Council is coordinating the farm visits as part of The Cotton Foundation’s 2022 Educational Outreach Program. The 10-member EPA contingent represents chemical safety, pesticide …

In late July, the Commodity Commission Ex-Officio Committee met to make appointments to the Georgia Cotton Commission Board of Directors.  GCC Vice Chairman Matt Coley, a cotton and peanut farmer from Vienna, and director Steven Meeks, a cotton, peanut, tobacco, and timber producer from Screven, were both reappointed to another three-year term on the Commission’s board of directors. Matt Coley …

Post-bloom Nutrient Deficiencies, Waterlogging, and Foliar Feeding (Glen Harris): Most Georgia cotton has been blooming for a while now and is starting to show some classic post-bloom nutrient deficiencies. Some areas of the state have gotten significant rainfall also and are showing symptoms of waterlogging or “wet feet”. Sometimes these symptoms, usually involving yellowing or bronzing of leaves, can be …

Since mid-May, ICE cotton futures have witnessed an historic short-term collapse (see this article https://southernagtoday.org/2022/07/what-is-behind-the-recent-cotton-futures-market-plunge/ ).  In the two-month period between May 16 and July 14, the December ’22 contract fell over 49 cents.  In the last 40 years, there have only been six December cotton contracts with more than that total level of change, measuring from the contract high to the contract low.  The …

PERRY, GA. – On July 24, Pakistani Textile Manufacturers began making their way around the U.S. Cotton Belt to learn more about the U.S. cotton industry. The event was coordinated by Cotton Council International (CCI) and the National Cotton Council (NCC). The Pakistani textile executives’ first stop was Savannah, Ga. where they toured the Georgia Port of Savannah, followed by …