Each person reading this likely can look back at any crop they have been a part of and remember it for one reason or another. Just in my five years in this role I can point to any year and remember a lesson that was learned or a challenge that was faced (sometimes more than one). 2025 was no exception, but it was different in that while some of the biggest challenges faced did come during the season, it started off with everyone knowing before the crop was even in the ground there were going to be significant challenges. We said all winter long that the only way we were going to make cotton work in 2025 was to make more of it – commodity prices have remained low, demand has remained weak, and input prices are still high. Fortunately, as a state, we are likely staring down the barrel of the second best crop in Georgia history, and it may come close to a record. While this is great news, many may share the sentiment of some that say, “It’s the best crop I’ve ever made, and I broke even.” And while there are certainly folks that wound up in the red, there were more that wound up breaking even and even showing a profit than expected, which is certainly encouraging. But it was a long, winding road to get to this point with many lessons learned from planting to harvest.
In Georgia, we saw the fewest acres planted in 2025 since we have been boll weevil free, largely for two reasons. The first is the economic situation surrounding cotton, but then the second was the immense challenge we faced in getting the crop planted in 2025. If cotton wasn’t in the ground by May 10, it was a struggle to get it planted. Rains were plentiful in parts of the state (some would say overabundant), while other places had just enough rain to get seed to sprout and then die. I had to have many conversations with folks in the early parts of June where their question was “When do we stop planting? Some haven’t even gotten started.” At that point in the year, I was thinking that certainly wasn’t the start we needed to 2025.
Once we got a stand it was pretty much business as usual until July, when the cotton jassid was found in the state of Georgia. Dr. Roberts also wrote an article for this rendition of the Georgia Cotton Commission newsletter, where he discussed the jassid at length. In addition to this article, there are numerous other resources available to growers looking back at what we learned in 2025 – of course we chronicled everything as we were seeing it on the Talkin’ Cotton Podcast, but there were also episodes of the Cotton Specialists’ Corner Podcast and the I See Dead Plants Podcast that discussed jassids at length. Many in Georgia had the opportunity to learn firsthand what these pests can do and don’t have to listen to these podcasts, but if you want a refresher or to see the amount of work that went into trying to get answers quickly, I would encourage you to listen to these. I cannot commend Dr. Roberts and his crew enough, as well as his colleagues across the cotton belt for quickly getting growers answers with respect to this pest. Of course none of it would be possible without the support of the Georgia Cotton Commission and Cotton Incorporated.
As we were learning to live with the cotton jassid, the fall was pretty much business as usual. We were extremely dry from September until about Thanksgiving, which means that in most of the state, boll rot was hard to find. The tropics were quiet, and after last year I thought we deserved a break from that. For the most part, defoliation and harvest were smooth. We had an early frost that hit some harder than others, but overall I do not think it hurt us too bad. As mentioned earlier, I believe we will get close to our 2012 record of 1,091 lbs/acre as a state, but I am confident we will exceed 1,000 lbs for certain, which is quite a feat in our state. Quality overall has been very good, and while we haven’t seen as many 21 color grades as we usually anticipate with the incredible harvest weather we had in 2025, 95%+ of the crop is 41 or better which is outstanding.
The question many will ask has nothing to do with 2025 – but rather a similar question to what was asked going into the 2025 crop year: “How are we going to make this thing work?” I have been scared of that question going into 2026 since the end of 2024… yes, you read that right. At the end of 2024, I don’t think it took a rocket scientist to see the writing on the wall. The situation on the farm had been bad, and after a year with a major hurricane, 2025 was going to be a year where growers did what they had to do. For Georgia growers, this meant tightening up rotations and rolling the dice with dryland corn. More peanuts were planted than cotton for the first time since 1993 and corn acres were the highest they have been since 1995. And in large part, doing this helped growers get by. Peanut yields were above average, and corn yields were good, even on dryland. But where does that put us going into 2026? Grain infrastructure was already maxed out in 2025, and corn prices have dropped since our growers finished harvesting. With as many peanut acres as we had in 2025 and as good as yields were, will there be contracts for 2026? What will they look like? IF peanut prices go down, can growers afford to tighten rotations further and go peanuts again? What I thought may happen a year ago has come to fruition, and while some of these decisions will be difficult, I understand that you will have to do what keeps the farm going.
I think the situation we are entering into reiterates how important cotton is in Georgia. Whether you like it or not, cotton is good for Georgia agriculture. It provides a solid dryland option, it rotates well with peanuts, does well with the challenges mother nature throws at it in our neck of the woods. When cotton is good, Georgia growers do good. And while the situation with cotton is certainly less than ideal, I am encouraged by the work of our grower groups: the Georgia Cotton Commission, Cotton Incorporated, the National Cotton Council, and so many others. Everyone in the industry has worked tirelessly to try and right this ship, because we all know how important cotton is to agriculture in the South. One good thing that has happened in the past year that will serve as a benefit to cotton growers across the country is the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Of course I’m no expert on this legislation but I would point you to this episode of the Cotton Specialists’ Corner Podcast, where experts discussed the impacts of that legislation on growers. While it may be tough for some to get financing to plant cotton in 2026, if you can justify it there will be benefits from this legislation. And of course there are other priorities in the industry right now like getting the Buying American Cotton Act passed.
Overall, the cotton industry is in a tough spot, but through the work of our grower organizations it seems like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And for Georgia growers, that is great news. In Georgia, we need cotton. Myself and others members of the UGA Cotton Team are doing some pretty off-the-wall stuff to try and either improve yields or increase net returns for cotton growers so that we can keep growing cotton in Georgia. While some of us may not be able to play as big of a role in getting the legislation passed and things like that, we can all play a part. Demand is the biggest issue facing the industry, so as you are out shopping for the holidays, check the tags and make sure you are buying cotton. I have tried to do my part by checking the tags on everything I have bought this year.
So how are we going to make it work in 2026? Time will tell. But Georgia growers are up to the task. They are resilient, and the UGA Cotton Team and county agents will always be here to help. If you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.