As Louisiana cotton producers move into cotton harvest season, Louisianians will see an influx of cotton harvest equipment moving into and through the state. To protect our cotton producers from the reintroduction of boll weevils, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) implements restrictions for all cotton harvest equipment entering the state.
Read MoreCotton’s good news: the December futures contract settled the week near the upper end of last Friday’s trading range. That’s always a good sign, and the first one that suggests prices might be higher tomorrow. Good news also came in the form of a 24-point increase in prices for the week.
Read MoreAccording to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, as of last Sunday all of the Louisiana soybean crop was blooming, which is also the five year average for this time of year. 94-percent was setting pods, same for the five year average. That crop was rated 8 percent fair, 90 percent good and two percent excellent.
Read MoreThis past week gave new meaning to the phrase “stuck in the mud.” The market recorded its daily low trading volume for the year at midweek and has now suffered through ten consecutive days of 68-cent area settlements — all within little more than a 150-point trading range.
Read MoreFarmers are moving away from growing cotton, as demand decreases and the cost of growing it continue to rise.
Farmers say they’re now switching to other crops such as corn, soy beans or grains.
Read MoreCotton is like a good spouse, it promises little and delivers more. And USDA estimates a 14.6 million bale crop for the current year.
Read MoreThis month’s 2025/26 U.S. corn outlook calls for smaller supplies, domestic use, and ending stocks. USDA cut corn beginning stocks by 25 million bushels to 1.3 billion, reflecting an increase in exports that is partly offset by lower feed and residual use for 2024/25. Feed and residual use is down 75 million based on indicated disappearance in the June 30th Grain Stocks report. Exports are raised 100 million bushels to 2.8 billion based on current outstanding sales and shipments to date and, if realized, would be record high.
Read MoreFor decades cotton was king. But this year the Louisiana cotton crop is expected to be the smallest in history. State Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says input costs to produce cotton has gone up and the price farmers can get for cotton has gone down from two dollars a pound in the mid-1800s.
Read MoreCotton, once king in Louisiana, has become little more than an afterthought for farmers whose fertile fields once looked like snow covered ground with fluffy white bolls during the late summer as harvest approached.
But this summer Louisiana producers will plant the fewest acres of cotton in the history of the state as the crop's decline accelerates.
Read MoreUSDA’s Planted Acres report issued on June 30 showed that U.S. cotton growers have planted an estimated 10.1 million acres of upland and Pima cotton in 2025 – down 10% from 2024’s final acreage figures.
The report reflects a 2.3% acreage increase from USDA’s Prospective Plantings estimate of 9.87 million acres on March 31.
Read MoreCommon rust may be the first disease found in corn fields and usually occurs in the lower-to-mid-canopy. Pustules of common rust are brick red to dark orange, somewhat elongated, and will appear on both leaf surfaces (Figure 1).Common rust will progress during relatively cool temperatures (60-75oF) combined with rainy weather or heavy dews (6 hours of leaf wetness), and cloudy weather; however, very rarely are fungicide applications warranted for common rust. Warmer temperatures (> 80oF) will greatly slow common rust development.
Read MoreThe U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol today announced its sixth consecutive year of growth, marking an expansion in both planted acres and enrolled growers. The program now represents 2.58 million planted acres, an 18% increase from the previous year, planted by 1,512 participating growers – a 14% rise compared to 2024. This growth underscores the program’s increasing value to U.S. cotton farmers, particularly in today’s challenging environment with fluctuating input costs, changing weather, and evolving market conditions.
Read MoreCrop nutrients are typically applied at planting. However, in-season foliar applications have demonstrated yield increases in both cotton and soybeans throughout the southern U.S. in research conducted by AgroLiquid.
On-farm trial work is ongoing in parts of the Midsouth, Southeast, and in Texas. This work is through a partnership between AgroLiquid and Southern Ag Services, headquartered in Starkville, Miss., along with cooperating farmers across the region.
Read MoreThis year reminds us that what happens tomorrow is much more important than what happened today.
Even though cotton production is off to a very late and wet beginning across the Southeast and Mid-South, much of the Southwest has received very timely and beneficial rains. Better weather tomorrow offers the potential for a bigger and better crop.
Read MoreThe U.S. cotton industry is disappointed with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s report.
In a statement issued May 22, the National Cotton Council notes that, for decades, the Environmental Protection Agency has subjected pesticides to rigorous review and eliminated those that were deemed unsafe. Current products have been tested and re-tested to protect the farmer, the environment, and the consumer.
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