Cotton yields will be lower than expected this year – especially for late cotton planted after grain – according to growers and numbers from the USDA. Cotton harvesting also is running late, according to the Crop Progress Report put out by USDA this week, just as temperatures in the Deep South plunge into the 30s.
“We are a little behind (in harvesting), but considering all the cloudy weather and rain we’ve had, it’s no surprise,” said Don Shurley, a cotton economist with the University of Georgia. While only 16 percent of Georgia’s crop is in (compared to 28 percent in an average year) Georgia farmers could catch up in a week.
Still, the yield on late cotton will take a hit from cold, wet weather, Shurley said.
“Our cotton is off considerably from our normal yield,” said Ken Barton, who serves as the executive director of the Florida Peanut Producers Association, but also grows cotton and peanuts just west of Marianna, Fla. “We just didn’t get the heat units that we needed.”
His farm in the Panhandle had only four rain-free days in July and none in early August, he said. “We are at the point now, that we’ve got some immature bolls in the upper part that we’d like to see mature, but we need a few more 80-degree days.
And the last week of October won’t bring those days. Even into Florida, morning temperatures are projected to get down into the 30s on Thursday and Friday.
After dropping from around 88 cents a pound, cotton seems to be holding steady at 82.5 cents, Shurley said.
“We are still holding in that range. The markets made a run down to that area several times and tested it, but have come back up. That seems to be the floor,” he said.
The USDA Progress Report showed most other commodities on track, both in terms of harvest time and projected yield.
Peanuts also are a little behind, but quality is good across north Florida, said Barton.
“The grades are coming in well above average, despite some tough weather conditions this year,” he said.
