Georgia cotton growers are starting the 2023 season with a boost from near-record-breaking yields last year. The United States Department of Agriculture released final yield data in late May, confirming the second-highest yields on record, as forecasted by University of Georgia cotton experts in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
“Our final number last year was 1,002 pounds per acre,” said Camp Hand, assistant professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and cotton specialist for UGA Cooperative Extension. “The record was set in 2012 with 1,091 pounds per acre, so it was a very close second.”
Cotton ranks No. 1 in production value among row and forage crops in Georgia, and second in the nation according to the 2023 Ag Snapshots report produced by the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development. On average, cotton contributes more than $1 billion to the state’s economy each year. [READ MORE]