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 …

One of the questions policy economists get the most from farmers is how likely is it that they will get to update their base acres in the hopes of finally converting their non-base acres into base. For example, there is a significant amount of cotton produced in the Texas Panhandle that does not have seed cotton base and therefore is …

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (July 19, 2022) – Textile executives representing 21 companies from Pakistan should gain a deeper understanding of why U.S. cotton is the world’s preferred fiberwhen they travel across the U.S. Cotton Belt on July 23-28. This COTTON USA Special Trade Mission is coordinated by Cotton Council International (CCI), the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) export promotions arm. With total cotton consumption estimated at 11.1 million bales in 2021-22, Pakistan is the third largest cotton consuming country after …

UGA CAES will host row crop field days throughout the state. During the field days, attendees will see firsthand the research that UGA’s world-class group of extension scientists are conducting with producer funds via the Georgia Cotton Commission and Cotton Incorporated. Field days give producers the chance to interact directly with researchers and ask questions about issues on their farm. …

In May 2022, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its latest 10-year budget projections for a number of Federal programs, including farm-related programs and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  While CBO typically updates its budget projections up to three times per year, the spring update following the release of the President’s budget is most closely watched as it typically is …

What is Behind the Recent Cotton Futures Market Plunge? (Yangxuan Liu): The cotton futures market is on the decline, having experienced a dramatic selloff starting June 17, 2022. As shown in Figure 1, December 2022 Cotton Future prices dropped from the May 17, 2022 high of 134 cents per pound to around 120 cents per pound on June 15, 2022, …

This article highlights some differences between U.S. cotton and other ag commodity markets. The subject really involves the nexus of politics and economics.  There is a long history of government regulation of commodity markets. A textbook example is the Onion Futures Act of 1958 which banned trading of onion futures (and which was the basis for subsequent studies of efficient markets …